Alcohol Consumption’s Effects on Oral Health

Whether it’s heavy or moderate, consumption of alcohol is never considered as a healthy activity. Even the perfectly healthy persons are advised to stay away from alcohol as much as they can. It can cause damages to brain, liver and the level of blood sugar.

However, teeth and gums are the direct victims of alcohol consumption. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol consumption can result in tooth decay, gum disease, mouth sores and even oral cancer.

Research suggests that heavy consumption of alcohol can result in the quicker buildup of plaque. So, drinkers are more likely to lose their teeth than the people who do not drink. There has been a debate over how moderate consumption affects the oral health. Researchers found out that moderate usage can also increase the risk of oral issues.

Alcohol and staining

Alcohol may not stain the teeth directly, but it contains the acid which reacts with the tooth enamel to weaken it. Now, we often eat a lot of foods which contain chromogens (the main culprit behind teeth staining). With tooth enamel weakened due to acid in alcohol, chromogens find their way into the pores on teeth that are exposed due to absence of enamel.

Hence, if you have the habit of mixing alcohol with the dark colored soda or red wine, you will get your teeth stained more quickly. Soft drinks of dark colors can also do the same since those drinks also contain acid at higher extent.

Sugar content

One of the items that pose serious threat to teeth and their health is sugar. The reason is that harmful bacteria in mouth feed on sugar. When sugar is provided, the bacteria are then ready to wreak havoc on teeth. Since alcoholic drinks are saturated with sugar, they can seriously impact the oral health and teeth strength.

Dehydration

Dehydration is one of the most forgotten side effects of alcohol consumption. Nevertheless, it is always more than ready to give the dental patients a tough time. Even the healthy ones would start feeling bad due to the dehydration caused by alcohol consumption. Due to this dehydration, bacteria in the mouth stick with the teeth and do their job of destruction. As a result, the tooth loss becomes an inevitable outcome.

You should not consume alcohol at first place. The reason is that it’s a purposeless enjoyment which serves no benefit. In fact, it’s loaded with the hazards that one would really want to avoid. However, if you have somehow consumed alcohol, and now you are having this severe dehydration, you can quickly drink a lot of water in order to replenish saliva flow in the mouth.

People enjoy consuming alcohol, but they need to keep it in mind that it’s an adversary to the oral and overall health. Keeping this fact in mind may be helpful for them in reducing and even refraining from the alcohol consumption.