Acid and teeth: is there any hope for my teeth?
Question:
Would it be useless to ask about whitening? My teeth are very yellow. I suspect that a lot of the enamel has worn away over the years, which probably contributes to the cavities.
I'm very worried about the health of my teeth. I don't think they're that healthy...
Answers:
People often make the mistake of thinking of their teeth as a separate part of their body. In truth, teeth, hair, fingernails, skin, heart, lungs, brain....all are connected and make up our overall "health".
You cannot separate what is happening to your teeth from what is happening with your bulemia.
You say, "I am very worried about the health of my teeth..." but you do not indicate you are willing to do anything about your bulemia. Unless you get help for that part of your health, your teeth won't matter much.
Many people just like you have been cured of this illness. You can get help if you only ask.
Until then, there isn't much your dentist can do for you, other than try to preserve the teeth you have.
Edited to add: The above was not meant as a "lecture". We see people every day whose dental problems are the result of an underlying condition. It would be irresponsible and even illegal for us to treat the tooth without treating the condition. We see women and kids who have obvious trauma injuries to the mouth - should we fix the teeth and ignore what we know is the real problem? Good dentists look at the whole person, not just their mouth. 99% of them are caring individuals who do what they do because they like improving lives.
Good luck to you.
Other Answers:
Unless you are cured of the bulemia, it would be a waste of money to have your teeth whitened by a dentist or otherwise. It is the acid contained in your vomitus that is destroying your teeth.
professional whitening can whiten your teeth, but you also have to do your part to main its whiteness. since it's due to acid (yes, vomit is really acidic), you have to neutralize it. the easiest way to do it is to gargle and drink some water (whichever order is fine). also, to make your teeth healthy, you have to eat too, since it's in food where your teeth gets its nutrition. milk, brocolli, seafoods, are just some of the foods rich in calcium. the more you should eat healthy since you also have an underlying heart condition (which is actually the long term effect of inducing yourself to vomit). i wish you good luck and the best of health. hope this one really helps.
Most likely your enamel has been damaged by the acid. Whitening is not recommended in that case. If the damage is beyond repair, veeners could fix the problem. Anyways, only a dentist can decide that. Do inform your dentist about your medical history. There is nothing to be ashamed about. He needs to be provided information so he can choose the best treatment for you and he is obliged to keep all your information confidental.
Caps are an alternative but expensive.
If you truely have acid damage on your teeth you do not need to apply dental "bleach" to them. The enamel on your teeth is what protects the hightly sensitive dentin from being exposed. If the dentin is already exposed the bleaching will be very painful for you and would probably not work. You need to use fluoride. This will help keep the dentin from developing decay if it hasnt already.
There are many excellent answers above. Add them all together and you have a good start to a term paper on the dental effects of bulimia.
The inner layer of the tooth is quite a bit darker than the enamel outer layer, so if you erode away the enamel, the darker parts show through more and your teeth look darker.
It's true that you can get veneers or crowns to restore the shape and color of your teeth, but if you do not treat the bulimia, even they won't last for too long. The acid will erode away the teeth at the point where the crowns or veneers end and then you'll have a whole different sort of problem with breaking teeth.
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