Can Insomnia Harm Your Oral Health?

woman grinding teeth during sleepDo you struggle to sleep at night? If so, it could be doing a number on your teeth. The inability to sleep can do a lot of damage to your teeth. Your mouth does its best healing at night. When you don’t sleep, your mouth struggles to heal.

This means your mouth may go from being relatively healthy to struggling to maintain its health all because you couldn't sleep.

If you can’t sleep, you may want to get help, if nothing else, then for the sake of your teeth.

What Lack of Sleep Can Do to Your Teeth

During your sleep, your mouth heals. That’s when it is able to work best. The saliva you produce in your sleep helps to lower the pH from acids you ate all day long, and it coats your teeth in calcium. This lets your teeth get strong, and avoid damage caused by acid.

If you aren't sleeping, this healing process doesn't happen as much, sometimes not at all. This can leave your teeth exposed to a wide range of problems, including gum disease, tooth decay, and even tooth loss.

If you are struggling with the inability to sleep, you need to call both your doctor and your dentist. Your doctor needs to know what is going on so that changes can be made that may help you sleep.

Your dentist needs to be informed so that he or she is able to monitor the health of your teeth. They may want to see you more often so they can watch your teeth until you start sleeping regularly again.

Contact our office today and find out from them what you can do to protect your teeth from insomnia. They may have a few tips that can keep your teeth from suffering the brunt of this ailment.

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