Is Alcohol Contributing to Periodontal Disease?

Posted by: Dr. Sirakian Categories: Dentistry

While it is known that alcohol consumption can seriously affect your liver and other organs, what about your mouth?

One study in the Journal of Periodontology, done by Brazilian researchers has found that alcohol can contribute to periodontal disease, commonly known as gum disease. According to the study, drinking can heighten risk factors for periodontitis and make your symptoms far worse for those who already have it.

The findings suggest that drinkers without periodontitis had an increase in gums that bled easily after manipulation, and that they had higher amounts of plaque than those who refrained from drinking. A build up of plaque in your mouth can cause serious harm to your teeth including decay, tooth discoloration, and receding gums.

An increase in plaque occurs because alcohol slows the production of saliva. Saliva helps to neutralize the acids that plaque produces, which help fight decay. A lack of saliva gives acid the opportunity to build up and cause gum disease and decay.

Next time you reach for that glass of wine, think twice about what it is doing to your gums. If you have periodontitis, drinking could be worsening the symptoms and further the disease. If you have healthy gums, try to keep them that way even with the occasional drink, by brushing, flossing, and attending regular dental visits. Otherwise, those occasional cocktail hours could start to do some serious damage to your gums.

Why Do Some Healthy Foods Cause Tooth Decay?

According to a BBC article, one British mother was very unhappy when her five-year-old son needed a tooth pulled. Like many parents, she rarely gave her son soda or fruit juice and couldn’t understand how his teeth had gotten so bad. After asking her dentist, it turned out that the culprit was actually a “healthy” […]

Chew on This: Smaller Bites for Optimal Health

Although our parents always told us to take small bites and to take our time chewing food, we often forget about this sound advice as we wolf down meals in a our fast paced lives. Hopefully, understanding the damage that this may cause can remind us to be more mindful during our next meal. Lacerations […]

The Steps to Becoming a Dentist

If you’ve ever thought that a career in dentistry might be right for you, then read this! To become a dentist, you have to be willing to complete multiple years of school and be patient enough to work with people. How it starts: Complete a bachelors degree Completing a bachelor’s degree is step one in […]

Gum Health: Indicative Of More Than A Healthy Smile

What’s the cause of 90% of tooth loss? According to the ADA, gum disease and tooth decay are the major culprits. However, if we take the correct measures to keep our gums healthy, the future looks much brighter for our smiles… and our bodies. When there is a buildup of bacteria in the mouth, our […]

What’s the Link Between Gum Disease and Your Prostate?

Every year, more than 3 million men suffer from prostatitis. Prostatitis is an inflammation of the prostate that can cause pain, difficulty urinating, and even flu-like symptoms. While this is a fairly common disease, what isn’t as commonly known about it is that prostatitis and gum disease are linked. One study found that men who […]