Why You Need to Sleep with Your Mouth Closed Posted on 1/15/2017 by Sundberg Office Sleeping with your mouth open is a host of all sorts of trouble. First, you could get pranked, second, you could snore, and third, it hurts your teeth. While pranking is no big deal, snoring can become a problem, and damage to your teeth is never a good thing. Sleeping with your mouth closed allows your teeth to be kept safe at night. The saliva in your mouth protects those teeth and helps promote a healthier mouth overall. Sleeping with your mouth open, however, can leave your teeth at risk.
The Dangers of Your Mouth Drying Out at Night
Dry mouth has been shown to increase the chances of having tooth decay. Your teeth need that consistent bath in saliva. It helps restore minerals and vitamins that your teeth lose on a regular basis. It also helps to neutralize the pH of your mouth, which can easily be thrown off by drinking or eating something acidic. If you sleep with your mouth open, all of the tissues in your mouth, plus the teeth themselves, do not get this benefit. That means, if you did eat something acidic, it is sitting on your enamel and eroding it. If your teeth lost more minerals that day, nothing is being restored. The food is not getting washed off, which means your teeth are far more likely to suffer from decay. For people that regularly sleep with their mouths open, you need to seek out advice from your dentist. It can be normal to sleep with your mouth open a little while at a time. However, if it is a regular, all night, type of problem, your dentist may need to fit you with a mouth guard to help keep your teeth safer at night. Find out more by contacting our office today!