It’s All In The Mouth

If there is one eating disorder that is most associated with deteriorating dental health, then that would have to be bulimia. Dental problems are very apparent in bulimic patients even during the early stages of the illness. In fact, dentists are the first health professionals to know whether a person is suffering from bulimia or not.

But then, we don’t visit the dentist that often, unless we want to have a root canal or something. However, if we know what to look for, we don’t need a dentist to know if one has a bulimia problem.

A typical bulimic will have calluses on her index finger because she uses her finger to induce vomiting. Her lips are also dry because of decreased saliva, thus you will easily see cracks on or around the lips of a bulimic patient.

The teeth of a person with bulimia have an enamel discoloration due to two reasons: one, because of excessive tooth brushing, and two, because of exposure to the acidic contents of the stomach when vomiting.

If you see these dental problems on someone, don’t just think that it is just a simple dental problem. He or she may be suffering from a bigger problem that is bulimia.