Alcohol Can Lead Your Gums On A Dangerous Path

If you drink regularly or drink large amounts of alcohol at a time, you’ve likely already heard about how it can damage your body, especially your liver. However, you may not have heard how alcohol can affect your gums. Just like other parts of your body, drinking to excess can cause a number of issues.

Alcohol and Gum Disease

Gum disease occurs when your gums become infected. If the infection isn’t dealt with quickly, it will spread and can eventually lead to losing teeth and other problems.

When you drink, your body reacts with the alcohol in a number of different ways, several of which can make existing gum disease worse or leave your body open to new infections. For example, drinking alcohol dries out your mouth. Without a good amount of saliva to wash away bacteria and food debris, your mouth is left open to damage and infection.

Another major way alcohol leads to gum disease is that it can damage your immune system. It leaves your body more open to infection, especially if you drink often and have already started damaging other parts of your body.

Alcohol and Poor Health Habits

When you drink a lot, you may find yourself falling into poor health habits simply because you’re drunk or hung over more often than not. Alcoholics don’t always eat healthy meals, and many also don’t practice good oral health care. This further makes it difficult for the body to fight off infection, and it leaves your mouth full of bacteria and plaque. Before long, you’ll be experiencing gingivitis and, if untreated, periodontitis.

Call Us for Help

If you’re ready to turn things around, give us a call. We’ll examine your mouth and help you create a recovery plan to repair the damage to your gums and teeth. Contact us today to make an appointment.