That merry time of year is slowly creeping upon us, and for many, that means spending time with family and friends, drinking to your heart’s content. But what damage can this cause to your oral health? Many don’t realise or think about the effects of alcohol on their teeth and how the damage can affect your everyday life. In this blog, we will look at the risks that drinking brings to your oral health and how to minimise the effects that alcohol can have on your mouth.
What oral health issues can alcohol cause?
Unfortunately, drinking excessively can increase your chances of getting illnesses such as mouth cancer and combining both alcohol and smoking will increase the risk even more. If you are regularly drinking, make sure that you examine your mouth regularly for any abnormalities such as white or red patches or any ulcers that have been present for longer than 3 weeks.
Effects of alcohol on your teeth
Alcohol is an acidic substance, which means that drinking alcohol along with fizzy and sugary drinks that are commonly mixed puts your teeth at high risk of erosion. When drinking, the acidic levels in your mouth are increased. The more you drink, the more it will affect your teeth. And let us not forget those times when you have one too many and end up vomiting; again, this will increase the acidity in your mouth. Although being ill will cause minimal damage to your teeth, excessive drinking and vomiting will contribute to oral damage.
Over time you might notice that your teeth are becoming jagged or rough due to the acidity levels found in alcohol. Besides this, you may not realise that doing things such as chewing ice whilst enjoying a drink will also contribute towards erosion and weaken your teeth, causing breakage. Heavy drinkers are also more likely to experience more stubborn plaque buildup, kickstarting decay and ultimately leading to tooth loss if left untreated, meaning that those trips to the dentist will become more costly.
Staining is also caused by regular drinking; that nasty yellow colour that takes its hold on your teeth will be more challenging to get rid of. Drinking water between your alcoholic drinks will help rinse away any harmful substances left behind in your mouth and keep your teeth looking their usual selves.
Keeping your mouth out of danger
Being drunk, we lose our entire state of awareness, we are more prone to accidents, and some people are more easily provoked. As well as the direct effects to your mouth that are caused by consuming alcohol, also consider that overdrinking may cause trauma to your mouth in other ways, whether that be due to clumsiness or violent outbursts.
Our oral health is important to our everyday lives, and we want to maintain that health so we can go on enjoying our life to the fullest, full of confidence. But sometimes we don’t realise what we have until it’s gone and we might not realise the damage done to our teeth until it’s too late. If you are finding that you aren’t as happy and confident in your smile as you would like to be, our certified Oradent practitioners are at hand to help you refill your smile with the confidence you deserve.
Book your consultation today at one of our trust practices:
Oradent Dental Care, Ashford
Oradent Dental Care, Lydd, Kent
Oradent Dental Care, City Way Rochester
Oradent Dental Care, High Street RochesterBosworth Dental Practice, Warwickshire
Oradent Dental Care, Southampton
