What are the risks?

Are you trying to lose weight? Has the glimpse of sunshine re-motivated you to get back on your diet and health kick?

If that is the case, you're probably thinking about your calories, exercise regimen and the way your clothes fit, not your smile.

The problem is, weight loss can have quite a big impact on your dental health and it is important to understand how different ways of dieting can affect your smile.

A Low-Fat Diet

Eating long-term with low-fat dieting in mind can actually impact on important vitamins being absorbed into the body. Certain vitamins like vitamin A, D, E and K are all important for the health of the body. Vitamin D however, is very important for dental health because it enables the body to take in calcium effectively. If you cannot absorb calcium effectively then your teeth and bones will start to suffer. Fat also has a role to play in helping you with mood boosting chemical dopamine, so when fat is reduced you can feel more stressed, which may cause you to grind your teeth more when you sleep. You may also find that you are consuming more sugar without realising because low fat items often have a high sugar content which is sneakily hidden from the main product advertising.

Low-Carb

When you have been on a low-carb diet for a while, your breath begins to smell like nail varnish remover. It is a strong smell produced by the body when you burn fat instead of carbohydrates. This means bad breath, which isn't much fun when you are chatting to others and can cause self consciousness. Although you can reduce this issue with extra brushing, flossing and sugar free chewing gum, the only real solution is consuming carbohydrates again.

Low-Calorie

Cutting down on calories will help anyone to lose weight, but cutting the calories too far can have a detrimental effect on health. It starves the body of the nutrition that it needs which can cause all kinds of dental issues like jawbone problems, tooth enamel problems and gum issues.

Juicing

Consuming a lot of juice that consists mainly of fruits means you are exposing your teeth to high levels of sugar and acid. This can leave your teeth vulnerable to tooth decay and damage the enamel on your teeth. So take care and moderate your intake.

Book A Checkup With Your Egham Dentist

Here at your Egham dentist we do not condone or support any fad diets or diet methods and strongly recommend you consult your GP if you intend to radically change your diet to lose weight. Regardless of the path to health you choose, please do come and see us for a checkup so we can check your new diet is not affecting your teeth negatively. The sooner we can diagnose any issues, the sooner we can treat them and help you prevent any further problems. Call us on 01784432641 and we will be more than happy to book you an appointment at a time to suit you.