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Bulimia effect on dental and oral health

Bulimia is a mental disorder or eating disorder, where a person will consume a lot of food in a short time. Surprisingly, people with this disorder regurgitate food that has just been consumed, even fasting, using laxatives, or extreme exercise to avoid gaining weight.

Many reasons underlie bulimic behavior, one of which is to fulfill the desire to consume all types of food without weight gain. It is known that this disorder occurs most often in women, although it does not rule out the possibility to also occur in men.

Research shows that bulimia can interfere with the health of the heart, kidneys, and other organs. Not only that, this bad habit turns out to also trigger various disorders of the teeth and mouth, such as:

Dental caries

In the case of bulimia, the vomited food will come out along with stomach acid. This acid can dissolve dental minerals, so caries cannot be avoided anymore.

Dental caries is characterized by the presence of brown or white patches on the surface of the tooth. For some time, untreated dental caries can cause cavities.

Teeth are yellow and brittle

Stomach acid is responsible for helping the digestive process of food in the stomach. When this acid rises into the oral cavity, the teeth can experience a yellowish color change. In fact, in some time, exposure to these acids can also cause teeth to become brittle so they break easily.

Salivary gland irritation

The salivary glands function to produce saliva to help digest the food in the mouth, also in the process of swallowing. In addition, saliva also protects your teeth from damage.

With acid exposure from the vomited food, all these functions can experience interference. This is because the acid that comes out with the vomited food can cause irritation to the salivary glands so that the production of saliva will decrease dramatically.

Dry mouth

Irritated salivary glands cannot produce enough saliva. As a result, the balance of bacteria in the oral cavity will be disturbed so that complaints of dry mouth and bad breath are very likely to occur.


Acid from the stomach is corrosive. Therefore, if this substance reaches the oral cavity and affects the oral walls, irritation or thrush cannot be avoided anymore.

Although it looks trivial, canker sores can cause discomfort, especially when eating. In some cases, canker sores can make the sufferer reluctant to open the mouth.

Sensitive teeth

The eroded enamel layer will expose the root of the tooth. This causes the teeth to become sensitive, which will feel sore when exposed to hot or cold foods.


If bone does not get enough calcium intake, bone density can decrease in density. In patients with bulimia, osteoporosis can also occur due to lack of other substances needed such as vitamin D and phosphorus.


Forcing the release of food either by spewing and using the drug will cause electrolyte imbalances that cause heart rhythm or arrhythmias. A study in Japan showed that bulimia sufferers were more likely to experience heart rhythm abnormalities. If this is left for a long time will cause complications of heart disease, including kidney damage.

Menstrual disorders

Shortage of intake for a long time can also cause damage to the reproductive system in women. Because the body tries to survive while maintaining the availability of nutrients amid a lack of intake, an abnormal menstrual cycle occurs. Even the menstrual cycle can not continue and cause women with bulimia have no children.

Chronic constipation

Constipation or constipation disorders in bulimia sufferers are caused by the behavior of removing food either by abuse of laxatives or forcing it to regurgitate. Behavior causes damage to nerve endings in the intestinal muscles as a result the intestine cannot function normally even though the use of laxative has been stopped.

Emotional disturbances

Bulimia not only disrupts the body's balance but also emotional disturbances that may last for the rest of the patient's life. Bulimics tend to feel ashamed of the body they have, as a result of mood disorders and irritability and are too worried about the weight they have.

Here are some of the losses that can occur due to bulimia behavior. If you don't want to experience it, avoid this behavior far away, and keep your oral cavity healthy by brushing your teeth using fluoride toothpaste at least twice a day. Don't forget to control the dentist every six months.


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