Anorexia & Bulimia & Their Impact on the Teeth | Eating Disorders

Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa (or anorexia and bulimia) are common types of eating disorders. Both disorders have a great impact on the oral and dental health.

Problems of the mouth and teeth

In both cases the symptoms of oral problems are similar. It?s, therefore, very important to make an accurate diagnosis after careful examination and after taking detailed history of the general health of the patient. The patient skin often seems to be pale,dry, scaly and sometimes tends to be somewhat yellowish. All these symptoms should be noted and the patient should be asked for the causes. The patient should be referred for medical advice if the dentist noticed any symptoms.

The dentist can be the first to diagnose anorexia nervosa or bulimia when he?s examining the teeth of the patient because the symptoms are very clear. There is often severe erosion in the enamel of the teeth, particularly in the upper anterior teeth and this is often found in people with bulimia nervosa because they resort to vomiting frequently which exposes the teeth to the intestinal acids. With time, the posterior surfaces of the front teeth begin to wear out, but the surface of the teeth will be smooth. The erosion of the front surface of the anterior teeth will happen eventually after exposure to the acids for a longer period. It?s also noted that the existing dental fillings in those patients are higher than the surface of the teeth because of the erosion of the teeth surface that has occurred before. The erosion of teeth will result in sensitivity of the teeth with warm and cold drinks.

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The proportion of tooth decay is higher in people with bulimia nervosa because they eat foods rich in starch and sugars in large quantities in addition to the small proportion of saliva in the mouth. The reduced amount of saliva in the mouth might be due to taking laxatives or antidepressant medications.

The symptoms that are present in both cases (anorexia nervosa and bulimia) are swelling and possible malfunction of the salivary glands, in addition to inflammation of the inside of the mouth or the lips because of the dehydration of the body. The symptoms may also include inflammation of the lymph nodes.

Treatment

Before the dentist can start any treatment, the patient must be referred first to the specialist doctor for medical and psychological device to learn about the situation from all aspects, which facilitates the process of dealing with the patient during treatment.

The first step in treatment is to give the patient the proper instructions and guidance about how to take care of the mouth and teeth. The patient should be advised not to use a hard toothbrush and to rinse his mouth with a mouthwash that contains fluoride along with the fluoride used in the dental clinic at the follow-up. The patient shouldn?t brush his teeth immediately after vomiting because after vomiting the proportion of acid in the mouth is very high.

People with dry mouth are advised to use saliva substitutes or artificial Saliva, as well as the use of sodium bicarbonate as an alkaline buffer to neutralize the acid environment of the mouth.

In the case of presence of decayed teeth or erosion of the anterior teeth, the best solution is to use fixed restorations like crowns because of their resistance to erosion. The patient should also come back to the dentist regularly for follow-up. It should be noted that the full dental treatment with the fixed restorations can be done only after the stability of the patient condition and after the patient responds to the treatment of the disease.

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Source: http://ed-eatingdisorders.com/anorexia-bulimia-their-impact-on-the-teeth/

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