Alcohol And Your Oral Health
Managing your drinking for a healthier mouth
Readers of our blogs will, by now, be well aware of the risks of smoking to our oral health (as well as our health in general). Fewer of you might be aware of the dangers of alcohol consumption though. While we are not suggesting that you shouldn’t drink socially at all, it is worth understanding the risk to your oral health and adjusting your consumption accordingly.
Not only does drinking alcohol cause some risks in a similar manner to smoking, it also poses some additional challenges as we will see in a moment. As part of our preventative care programme, we like to keep patients of our Burton dental practice well informed through our blogs and we hope that you find this one useful.
For the UK, the recommended maximum alcohol consumption is 14 units per week. However, the average consumption is thought to be around 18 units. While some of this may be due to some people drinking a long way over the recommended allowance, it does indicate that we have some way to go in the UK to achieve a healthier attitude towards alcohol.
How does alcohol affect oral health?
There are a number of ways that drinking can have a negative impact on our teeth and gums and we list some of these below for you to consider.
Dry mouth – Many of you will have woken up with a dry mouth the morning after you have been drinking. You may also notice an unpleasant sticky white substance around your teeth. This is actually a build-up of bacteria and, as you can guess, far more of it than there should be. The reason for this is that bacteria, including potentially harmful bacteria, multiply more rapidly in a warm and dry environment such as a post drinking mouth. Make sure to drink plenty of water before you go to bed to help avoid this.
Gum disease – Following on from the above, too much bacteria is a leading cause of gum disease. This is more likely in smokers but even drinkers are at a significantly higher risk than those who don’t. Gingivitis and periodontitis can have some quite unpleasant symptoms, such as bleeding gums, and can also cause significant damage including loose teeth and tooth loss. Make sure to moderate your consumption and also see the hygienist at SG Dental and Implant Centre every six months for a scale and polish to clean your teeth and gum line and remove any excess tartar and staining.
Tooth decay – Most alcoholic drinks contain sugar and some, such as those aimed at the younger generation, are likely to contain a lot of it. As we all know, sugar consumption is very harmful for teeth and tooth decay may well occur if you consume too much. Try to minimise consumption of these high sugar drinks especially and, whatever you drink, make sure to drink plenty of water too and clean your teeth thoroughly to remove any residues.
Mouth cancer – Smoking is the biggest risk for this but drinkers can suffer from cancer of the mouth and throat as well. This can be life changing and can even prove to be fatal. It is best not to take chances with something as serious as this and restrict the amount that you drink.
Slower healing – Alcohol can slow down the healing process and this can be a problem if you have a gum infection, for example. It may also mean that your mouth doesn’t heal as quickly as it should following a dental procedure. With this comes a risk of further infections.
Accidents – Alcohol is responsible for a lot of accidents whether driving or on our own two (wobbly!) feet. A visit to your local A&E at weekends will probably confirm this. Excessive alcohol consumption could result in a stumble or fall that could cause a blow to the face, potentially breaking or even knocking out a tooth. Remember too, that if this does happen to you, you should have any head injuries checked out before taking action about any broken or otherwise damaged teeth.
Many people do get a lot of pleasure from drinking socially with friends. Don’t be tempted to drink more than you want in order to ‘keep up’ with them though; drink alcohol at your own pace, if at all, bearing in mind the above information. Try to alternate your alcoholic drinks with water too. Your head will be grateful in the morning if you do!
In addition to minding how much you drink (and definitely avoiding smoking), please remember that you should see your dentist and hygienist every six months as part of your overall preventative oral care regime. Both regular and emergency appointments are available at SG Dental and Implant Centre – appointments can be booked by calling our Burton dental clinic on 01283 845345.