Are Your Eating Habits Hurting Your Smile?

What you eat and how often you eat can affect your overall health, including your teeth and gums.

Your Diet

Some eating habits can wreak havoc on your body and your teeth. For example, snacking throughout the day can increase the risk of tooth decay. Sipping soda and nibbling on chips or other munchies increases the rate of harmful acid attacks on tooth enamel. And repeated binge eating – impulsive gorging or continuous eating – can do the same.

Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder that is not only harmful to your overall health but is particularly destructive to teeth. It involves secret repeated binge eating followed by purging – self-induced vomiting, use of laxatives, fasting, diuretics or diet pills.

During a binge-eating episode, a large amount of food is quickly consumed. Although doing so may temporarily ease hunger, anger, sadness or other feelings, binge eating can create stomach pain and anxiety about weight gain.

The digestive system contains strong acids that break down food. When vomiting is used to purge food from the body, these acids attack tooth enamel. And although teeth are the strongest substance in the body, repeated vomiting can severely erode tooth enamel. Over time, teeth exposed to stomach acids can become worn and translucent. Your mouth, throat and salivary glands may become swollen and tender. Bad breath can result.

Anorexia nervosa is another serious eating disorder that is harmful to overall health and to the teeth. It is characterized by an intense fear of weight gain, the desire to become thinner, and an inability to maintain a minimally normal weight for height and age. In other words, it's self-induced starvation.

Persons who experience bulimia or anorexia do not receive adequate minerals, vitamins, proteins and other nutrients needed for good health. This type of 'diet' takes a toll on the entire body, robbing it of the necessary fuel it needs and causing potential injury to teeth, muscles, and major organs. If you have questions or concerns about your diet or eating habits, talk to your physician.

Caring for Your Healthy Smile

To keep your smile healthy, limit snacks and eat nutritious, well-balanced meals made up of foods from the five major food groups:

• Breads, cereals and other grains
• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Meat, fish, poultry and protein alternates
• Milk, yogurt and cheese

A balanced diet includes a variety of foods that give your body all the nutrients it needs.

Brush thoroughly twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. Choose products that have the ADA Seal of Acceptance. Clean between teeth with floss or an interdental cleaner once a day to help remove plaque. And, have regular dental checkups and teeth cleanings for a smile that can last a lifetime.

As a child, you may have heard things like “Don’t eat that – it’ll rot your teeth!” Or perhaps it was, “You’d better eat that – it’s good for you!”

Although you’re older now and make more of your own decisions about what you eat and how you take care of yourself, one thing still holds true: What you eat and how often you eat can affect your overall health, including your teeth and gums.

Although tooth decay rates have declined, particularly among some young children, it’s still a problem for some teens and adults. That’s because plaque, a sticky film of bacteria, constantly forms on our teeth. When we eat food or drink beverages that contain sugar or starch, the bacteria produce acids that attack tooth enamel. The stickiness of plaque keeps the harmful acids against the teeth, which can contribute to tooth decay.