The good news is that people can nip escalating eating disorder symptom sin the bud, and preserve their dental health before too much damage occurs. To better understand the link between bulimia nervosa and dental issues, it’s necessary to understand what the complications are – and how eating disorder recovery can help prevent dental problems.

Binging and Purging and Their Effects

When people with bulimia nervosa vomit during the binge-purge cycle, their gastric system brings acids into their mouth and throat.These acidic compounds, with repeated exposure to the enamel that lines the teeth, can be the start of various oral and dental issues.

Since exposure to these acids happens so frequently, the enamel cannot rebuild the lost minerals as occurs with normal exposure to acidic foods and drinks. As a result, the enamel can completely erode, exposing the inner tooth and causing staining and sometimes great pain. However, orthodontic treatments are available in Hampton for example and could be something to consider if you want to improve your teeth’s condition.

Other oral health issues caused by these acids include:

• Dry mouth
• Sore throat
• Enlargement of the salivary glands
• Bleeding gums
• Damage to the soft palate
• Difficulty swallowing

Timeline of Dental Damage Resulting from Untreated Bulimia Nervosa

Erosion of the tooth enamel can happen quite quickly when people with bulimia nervosa frequently engage in self-induced vomiting. Dentists and treatment experts have seen notable erosion of the enamel and dentin within as little as six months of repeated bingeing and purging. The eroded tooth surfaces start to turn a yellow hue as the dentin shows through. Since dentin is much softer than enamel, the damaged teeth may begin to crack and chip away.

At this point, cavities can easily form deep in the dentin and root of the tooth, often requiring, removal, a root canal, or other restorative procedures. As the damage continues, the only option remaining is to replace the damaged teeth with implants or dentures. Since a decline in dental health happens so rapidly, and because the damage is permanent, even adolescents can be a risk of long-lasting dental issues if the disordered behavior continues.

Complications Caused by Enamel Erosion

Enamel erosion can negatively impact the quality of life in many ways, though treatment at eating disorder recovery centers and care from a skilled dental professional can help. As enamel erosion turns teeth yellow and damages their structure, self-confidence levels often start to plummet. This can exacerbate existing body image issues and trigger disordered thought patterns and behaviors. Also, the worsening dental damage makes it difficult to hide or explain away, resulting in increased isolation and the deterioration of social networks.

Advanced enamel erosion leaves the dentin completed exposed in some areas, increasing sensitivity to hot and cold. Some people may even find it painful to eat or drink hot and cold substances as the enamel breaks down. These individuals may then find it difficult to follow a healthy daily diet that does not exacerbate their dental problems. Even brushing and flossing can cause pain after enamel erosion has progressed to an advanced state.

All of these problems tend to continue to worsen over time until people with bulimia nervosa acquire care at quality eating disorder facilities.

Dentists Can Help – and So Can Eating Disorder Treatment Centers

While many of the issues described here can be treated by dentists, it’s better to prevent them altogether by addressing bulimia nervosa itself. Through comprehensive treatment programs at eating disorder treatment centers, people can stop engaging in the disordered eating behaviors that are causing dental erosion in the first place. Simply put, keeping the gastric acids in the stomach keeps the teeth safe. Aside from allowing dentists to begin the restoration process, stopping the disordered behavior driven by bulimia nervosa adds years to the individual’s life. If you or a loved one has bulimia nervosa, don’t wait, rather seek help or find an eating disorder treatment center right away.

Photo credits:

• Lesly Juarez 
• Candid on Unsplash

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Per studies conducted by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, about 30 million people suffer from eating disorders in the United States. While other disorders like binge eating disorder are more frequent, anorexia nervosa remains among the best-known and most dangerous of those disorders.

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by restricting food intake to such a degree that there can be devastating consequences for the physical health of the individual. It is not uncommon for people with an anorexia nervosa diagnosis to have a full list of medical problems that must be tended to in addition to the psychological treatment that is needed. This makes the need for early and complete diagnosis and immediate medical treatment essential when anorexia rears its head.

The pathophysiology of anorexia nervosa most commonly is the result of drastically lower levels of both caloric intake and the varied nutrients that some with a balanced diet. People with anorexia nervosa tend to eat very little, of course, and what they do eat is often of marginal nutritional value. Therefore, it is quite common for those with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa to have specific endocrine deficiencies and abnormalities. Here we’ll outline some of the common complications that come with an eating disorder-driven nutritional imbalance:

Gonadal Hormones Can Be Decreased

Gonadal hormones are produced by the gonads, which include things like progesterone and estradiol from the ovaries or testosterone from the testes. Because of the reduction in essential nutrients, including vitamins and proteins, people who have anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa can have reduced gonadal hormone secretions.

For women with either disorder, menses (menstruation) can stop temporarily or entirely. For men with either disorder, fertility issues or impotence may be present. For both men and women, there can be a range of physical side effects that come along with low gonadal hormone levels. The most common signs of reduced hormonal production aside from fertility reduction are: 

• Loss of menstruation
• Hair loss
• Slow or no breast growth (in teenagers)
• Low sex drive 

There May Be a Decrease in Thyroid Hormone Production 

The thyroid is responsible for the production and regulation of multiple types of hormones in the body, and this function of the thyroid can be disrupted in people who have received an anorexia nervosa diagnosis. Two hormones offered by the thyroid are thyroxine and triiodothyronine. These two hormones are created from iodine that is derived from certain foods, which means if an individual is not getting enough food in their body, the thyroid does not have what it needs to create thyroxine and triiodothyronine. Both of these hormones are considered essential for the proper functioning of the body and the brain. For younger individuals, the lowered levels of these thyroidal hormones can cause delayed development. 

There May Be an Increased Secretion of the Stress Hormone Cortisol 

Cortisol is referred to as “the stress hormone” because its release comes when a person experiences stress. Cortisol serves a function in the body with things like controlling blood pressure levels, blood glucose levels, and regulating metabolism. On the other hand, too much cortisol production can have negative effects on the body. Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa can result in higher levels of cortisol in the bodies of these individuals, which can cause problems with muscle weakness, unstable blood glucose levels, and a tendency to bruise easily.

Seek Treatment Before It Gets Worse

Anorexia nervosa is normally deemed as the more dangerous type of eating disorder and the most deadly kind of mental health disorder. Fatality rates are high for individuals with the disorder, and proper treatment to address both their physical and emotional needs is a must. A quality eating disorder treatment center focuses on well-rounded treatment plans for all types of eating disorders.  

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• Nik Shuliahin on Unsplash

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