If you suffer from acid reflux, there is a chance that your excess stomach acids will travel up into your mouth, possibly damaging your teeth. This process may overload your mouth's ability to manage its acid content and may cause dental erosion. If this happens, the enamel on your teeth may become weakened and may degrade, leaving you with extra-sensitive teeth and less enamel to protect them. If you have acid reflux, you may be able to minimise its negative effects on your mouth by taking extra care of your teeth after an acid reflux attack.
Take Steps to Manage Acid Attacks
If you can recognise the signs of an acid attack, you can take steps to give your teeth some protection from the stomach acids moving into your mouth. For example, you may notice a nasty sour taste in your mouth when acids rise. According to the Better Health Channel, you can help neutralise these acids by trying any of the following tips:
Chewing a piece of sugar-free gum may also help make acids less harmful. Chewing on gum puts more saliva in the mouth, helping to get rid of acids so they can't attack your teeth.
Don't Brush Too Soon
Although it may be tempting to brush your teeth after an acid attack to get rid of the sour taste in your mouth, this may damage your teeth more. When acid gets onto your teeth, their enamel softens. If you brush straight after an acid attack, the brushing itself may further damage the enamel.
According to the Women's and Children's Health Network, it's best to wait at least 30 minutes before you brush your teeth. This gives the enamel time to harden up again. You can, however, get rid of the nasty taste in your mouth and give your teeth a strengthening boost by smearing a small amount of fluoride toothpaste over your teeth after an acid attack.
If your teeth are already suffering from the effects of acid reflux, ask your dentist if you should use a fluoride gel or mousse to strengthen them and help with any sensitivity problems you may be experiencing.
Talk to Your Doctor
If you regularly suffer from acid reflux and haven't yet seen a doctor, it's worth making an appointment to have your acid reflux checked out. While you may be able to minimise damage to your teeth without treating the underlying acid reflux, it's better to try and prevent the acids from rising in the first place. In some cases, acid reflux is a side effect of medications, in which case your doctor may be able to switch you to a medicine that works better for you. However, if you have any questions on better protecting your teeth from the effects of acid reflux, consider contacting a local dentist.
Share10 March 2016
Hi! My name is Sarah, and as a busy professional, I understand the importance of making the most of my time. That includes everything from having productive working lunches to making the most of my dental checkups. I have created this blog to help you maximise your dental checkups. In these posts, you can learn how to prepare for your checkup, which questions to ask during your checkup and more. I am also going to have posts explaining why checkups are critical to your dental health as well as the health of your entire body. Happy reading, and thanks for visiting my blog!
