Does anyone know how to protect your teeth and gums from the stomach acid? I have heard cleaning your teeth after vomiting actually eats away at the enamel. Would a good mouthwash work. My gums are staring to recede and I am really worried about losing my teeth.
I am not really Bulimic but sometimes I feel really sick after overeating and I make myself vomit. I would just like some advice about how to protect my teeth in the meantime.
Thank you


[This message has been edited by joey11 (edited 03-28-2002).]

Hi Joey,
I'm not sure what works here. When I was throwing up alot my teeth did get prity stained. My dentist was able to clean them off. But I also smoke so I'm not sure what the stains were from. Mouthwash may be useful I used to drink alot of water after which seemed to help and floss. You should get some medical advice on this one. If you are not throwing up very often maybe your gum problems are from something else. I would see a dentist for a check and clean because gum problems are commom and could be due to lots of reasons.
Mel

Hi joey,
There is no way to protect your teeth from stomach acid. Obvious things like brushing often will help slightly, but as long as you binge and purge, expect to damage your teeth and gums.

Brushing your teeth with baking soda once in a while may help a little, but stomach acid is so strong that I know from experience there isn't anything that can stop it from dissolving the enamel.

Take care.

I realize you do not feel you are bulimic, but vomiting after overeating is definitely bulimia. As for you gums and teeth, I recommend going to a endodonist. A dentist that specializes in treating gum disease. Brushing your teeth after vomiting is going to ruin your teeth no matter what you do. Brushing makes it worse. I know from experience.Almost all my teeth are crowns, something that happens after years of purging. The only thing I can suggest if you are going to continue to vomit after meals, is to do so immediately after eating when the stomach has the least amount of acid in it. But the best suggestion is to get help with your overeating and then you will not need to feel like you have to vomit. It is hard but I have faith in you. good luck

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candybell-41

i too have been worried about my teeth; i also heard that thing about not brushing b cos it does more harm than good. ugh, even the threat of losing all my teeth will not deter me! makes me sad

Joey,

I’m in the same position. The way I figure, I already need help with one thing so why create another problem too? (probably what you were thinking as well when you posted your question here on the boards) So I did research on how to protect my teeth and ran across the following which you might also find useful >>

“Preventive measures can be taken to help protect teeth. Patients with eating disorders are advised to not brush right away after vomiting because it can accelerate tooth enamel erosion. According to the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), the most effective treatment is to rinse with a fluoride rinse, then use a counter-acting paste, such as baking soda and water, and rub it on the teeth after vomiting to neutralize the acid. After 30 seconds, rinse the paste off, brush, floss, and use a mouthwash to freshen the mouth. If this routine is not possible, rinse the mouth with warm water after purging. If you have already suffered damage to your teeth as a result of bulimia, your dentist can restore them with bonding materials once the purging episodes have stopped.”

Source: http://www.irandental.org/teeth/teeth_about.htm

Please take care of yourself (and I don’t mean just your teeth http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/redface.gif) Best of luck and have a great weekend.

Most kindly,
daybreak6876

P.S. That red emoticon in my last post was supposed to be a smilie. I suppose my inserting the nose made it come out as something different haha Take care.