Summer Diets
Shedding summer pounds can harm your teeth
With summer just around the corner, many people are dieting and shedding a few pounds before trying on swimsuits and heading to the beach. Actions taken to control your weight may affect more than your suit size, they can put your teeth in danger, reports the Academy of General Dentistry, an organization of general dentists dedicated to continuing dental education.
Crash diets, eliminating meat or fatty foods, appetite suppressants and extreme behaviors such as fasting and binging and purging harm teeth. “People need to be aware of how their dieting actions affect their oral health,” says Heidi Hausauer, DDS, FAGD, spokesperson for the Academy of General Dentistry.
Diet pills may decrease salivary flow and cause dry mouth which is devastating to oral health, says Dr. Hausauer. “Fasting can cause a decrease of necessary minerals, including calcium, and anorexia can lead to a deficiency of vitamins and minerals needed to maintain a healthy body and oral health.”
Diet is an important part of an individual’s medical history, and patients should always inform their dentist and physician if they adhere to a diet plan, dieting behavior or undertake drastic dieting actions. Dr. Hausauer reports the following behaviors and their potential impact on teeth:
Dieting Actions | Health/Oral Health Implications | Dental Advice. What Can Do You? |
Vegetarian Lifestyle |
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Diet Pills |
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Fasting/ Anorexia |
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Bulimia/ Binging and Purging |
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