since there have been a few posts circulating about dental care lately, i think maybe itâd be good to make my own post about dental care for those with eating disorders.
most people in the ed world know how harmful purging via self-induced vomiting is for the teeth, but in reality all eating disorder behaviors are extremely bad for your teeth. those who restrict their calories or nutrients end up weakening the jaw bone through malnutrition, which also weakens teeth and leads to dental erosion. restriction can also have a dry mouth effect, which puts you at higher risk for tooth decay. those who purge via vomiting expose their teeth to stomach acid, which wears away enamel and increases the risk of tooth decay. and people who binge expose their teeth to high volumes of sugars/carbohydrates, which sets up an acid attack that will ultimately lead to decayâwhich is even worse if the binging is followed by purging.
so, here is some dental hygiene info that couldâve saved me a lot of money and teeth if i had known them before recovery!
disclaimer: i am a recovery safe blog, and do not promote ed behaviors. but everyone deserves to know how to take care of themselves best, even if theyâre still engaging in disordered behaviors or arenât in recovery at all! so this post will not center around recovery, because it is for people in relapse or pre-recovery. therefore, it might be triggering if discussing ed behaviors at all will make you uncomfortable.
a lot of times people with eds fall into all-or-nothing thinking, and rationalize that theyâve already done so much damage to their teeth so it doesnât matter if they get worse. theyâll get exhausted easily and convince themselves that ending the day with tooth brushing isnât that important, because theyâre so tired. or, sometimes anorexics feel like they can hold off on brushing because they havenât eaten that day. do not fall into these impulses, and definitely push yourself to brush!
but if you really are too exhausted to brush more than once a day, itâs most important to brush at night. get single use flossers or waterless toothbrushes if fatigue is something you struggle with severely. itâll help, and you can even keep them by the bed if itâs what you have to do.
most well informed bulimics/people who purge already know that they shouldnât brush their teeth for at least an hour after vomiting. what not a lot of people consider is that the same is true for brushing in general! donât brush for at least an hour after eating or drinking anything, but especially acidic foods (and this includes sugars!) because you risk brushing the acid into your teeth.
if you vomit, afterwards swish with baking soda or oil pull with coconut oil to reduce acidity if you donât have access to mouthwash. even just water will help.
use mouthwash/rinses after vomiting or eating, but not after brushing. mouthwash has less fluoride than toothpaste, and will wash away the fluoride you just applied to your teeth when brushing. obviously, water and other rinses will do the same. donât swish after brushing at all.
online pro-ed spaces love to sing the praises of black coffee and diet coke. but who knew, bathing your teeth in acidic liquids often is pretty bad for them! so if you drink multiple cups of coffee or any soda a day, drink it with a straw to save your teeth a bit. pour your coffee over ice cubes if you only have plastic straws (or if drinking hot coffee with a straw is weird to you). swish with water when youâre done, if youâre able.
something that might be helpful: because the acidity situation is similar, view consuming coffee, sodas, and high sugar binges similarly to how you view self induced vomiting in terms of aftercare. that means swish with something immediately after, and donât brush for at least an hour later.
another thing people with eds love: gum. so if youâre a gum chewer, make sure you choose a sugarless gum with xylitol to help your teeth a bit. xylitol gum can be helpful because it promotes salivary flow, which will also help a bit with dry mouth. hard candies are effective with this too.
about dry mouth: dry mouth can expedite the formation of cavities, and dry mouth is an effect of most disordered eating behaviors. if you have dry mouth, swish water around in your mouth a little bit when drinking if you can remember to. if you can swish semi frequently with mouthwash (alcohol free), thatâs even better! they also make rinses with xylitol for this express purpose.
donât use a whitening toothpaste or mouthwashes with alcohol. theyâre abrasive, and will exacerbate the sensitivity you likely already feel. use a desensitizing toothpaste if you can, and an alcohol free fluoride mouthwash.
people with eating disorders are often embarrassed to go to the dentist because theyâre afraid theyâll be called out for their ed behaviors, because dentists can often notice the affects of disordered eating before anyone else can and are the first line of defense. you might also feel a little guilty at the dentist because of significant effects on the mouth from ed behaviorsâ like bad breath, sensitivity, and tooth erosion. please donât let these be deterrents to seeking dental care! especially if recovery isnât at the front of your agenda, dental care really is extremely important. donât hide from your dentist, tell them whatâs going on so they can help you properly.
lastly! this is just general advice, but if you struggle to remember how long to brush for, something that was really fun and helpful for me was creating a brushing playlist! go through your spotify library, and add songs (or maybe a few stand up comedy bits for zest) that are roughly 2 minutes and some change! then when itâs time to brush you have a timer that isnât totally boring!
if you can find it in you to care about protecting yourself from health hazards, even if youâre not ready to recover yetâthatâs a valuable step towards caring for yourself fully. so if youâre scared of the ways disordered eating has harmed your teeth, and feel compulsed to take care of your health, thatâs great! any step towards learning to care for yourself is valuable part of the journey. i hope youâre finding ways to offer yourself love and keep yourself safe, in whatever form they come in. the recovery community is here to support you, no matter what point in process youâre in.
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