Eating disorders are serious health conditions related to one's psychological, emotional and physical self, deteriorating due to malnutrition and bad eating habits. Initially, eating disorders affect a person's oral health, with signs appearing on and around the mouth. Then, the dentist may be the first person to inform the person with an eating disorder about the unhealthy factors in his/her life, encouraging the individual to get professional help.
Types of Eating Disorders
One of the most common eating disorders is anorexia nervosa. This condition can be life-threatening when neglected and left untreated. Extreme self-starvation and abnormal weight loss are the main characteristics of this eating disorder.
Bulimia nervosa is also very common, being a dangerous, even deadly condition which involves binge eating, followed by certain counter-measures like self-induced vomiting, use of laxative, diuretics or enemas. Basically, bulimic people compensate for their unnatural eating habits by reseting their organisms after overeating, expelling the extra food they consumed beforehand.
Binge eating, on the other hand, is a condition manifesting through eating food in large quantities, usually becoming overweight due to this eating disorder.
Finally, pica is an eating disorder which involves people eating objects which are not considered to be food in the first place. Pencil erasers, coal, plaster and many other items may be on the menu of people with this eating problem.
All in all, eating disorders lead to one's body and health deterioration. If a person eats less food that necessary, he/she does not provide his/her organism a steady supply of crucial nutrients. Thereby, the victim's health is severely jeopardized. On the other hand, excessive eating leads to being overweight or obese, creating a whole plethora of potential health problems.
Bad Breath and Eating Disorders
People who suffer from eating disorders like bulimia tend to vomit often, destroying the enamel of their teeth, due to strong stomach acids being present in the mouth as well. Excessive vomiting may also lead to cold sores and numerous other oral problems. Therefore, a dentist can easily notice this during a regular checkup.
Poor oral hygiene, malnutrition, deteriorated health, unhealthy lifestyle and many other factors may lead to bad breath in people. Moreover, in 85% of bad breath cases, the main culprit behind the problem is an underlying dental condition.
Basically, poor oral hygiene, gum diseases, cavities in the teeth, oral cancer, dry mouth or tongue bacteria, all can trigger bad breath in the patients. Naturally, lack of mouthwash use, and frequent tobacco smoking are all factors bound to make matters worse.
Thus, flossing, proper nutrition, regular dental checkups, a good diet and a healthy lifestyle will keep bad breath at bay.