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Dental Blog Dr. Seo is offering this educational blog to help our patients and the community. Our Hope at PDX Center for Dentistry is that this blog will cover topics that you may be interested in.
If you indulge in alcohol during a night out with your friends, or even a margarita with your dinner of Mexican food, you may have more problems on your mind. You may have to pay a price for that drink or two. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that at least 25% of adults have one night of moderate to heavy drinking each year. One of the problems with moderate or heavy drinking is a dry mouth. While a dry mouth might not seem to be a big deal, it can cause issues with your dental health. Why Does Alcohol Cause a Dry Mouth? Alcohol is a diuretic. That means as alcohol breaks down, it removes the water from your body, including your mouth and sending it out of your body as urine to filter out the effects of alcohol. The more you drink, the more dehydrated, your body can become. In fact, heavy drinkers suffer from massive dehydration issues. The Problems with Dry Mouth Saliva is vital to the health of your teeth and gums. It works to control the pH balance in your mouth, which is important to your overall oral health. Saliva also works to wash out the residue from food, which means that you have fewer chances of cavities. Saliva also contains antimicrobial properties to prevent cavities. All of these things can help you with your oral hygiene. However, when you drink, and your mouth gets dry, you are ridding your mouth of essential properties that help get rid of plaque. You can help your dry mouth if you hydrate immediately after drinking. There are also products you can use to keep your mouth moist if you have dry mouth, so that you can keep your oral health. Do you have questions about drinking and oral health? Give us a call and let us talk to you about your oral health.... Read more...
