Alcoholic beverages are a common way to celebrate and unwind. If you are a fan of wine, beer, or cocktails, do you ever wonder how your adult beverage of choice might be affecting your dental health? It’s obvious that drinking too much can cause weight gain and other health troubles, but how does a cocktail harm your dental well-being?
Questions
Q1. True or false – Over 80% of people who abuse alcohol have moderate to severe gum disease, and some degree of tooth decay.
Q2. True or false – Oral cancer is unrelated to alcohol consumption.
Q3. True or false – Dry mouth, a side effect of alcohol consumption, can contribute to tooth decay and gum disease.
Answers
A1. TRUE – About 7.4 % of the population in America are heavy alcohol users or alcoholics. Among that statistic, 80% of them present with dental health issues including periodontal disease and tooth decay.
A2. FALSE – The ethanol in alcohol is a natural irritant to the mouth. This can cause cellular DNA damage to occur. The result is a greater risk of oral/pharyngeal cancer. Oral cancer screenings are a part of regular six month dental exams. Catching oral malignancies early is essential in the fight to survive such a diagnosis. Of the 30,000 people diagnosed with oral cancer this year, around 8,000 will lose the battle.
A3. TRUE – Alcohol can reduce production from your salivary glands. Dry mouth is the name of the condition that occurs when you have insufficient salivary output. Saliva is an important natural oral hygiene tool that we don’t often give much thought to. Without proper salivary production, however, you will not have the benefit of the liquid rinsing away food particles before they have a chance to mix with bacteria and create plaque. Ample saliva can mean the difference between healthy teeth or cavities.
Visit your Downey Family Dentistry
To schedule an appointment with your Downey, CA general dentist, call us at (562) 472-2433. Also, visit our website for services, testimonials, and to learn more about our team. We proudly treat patients from Workman, Hollydale, Norwalk, Santa Fe Springs, Bell Gardens, Cudahy, and surrounding cities.
