Acid reflux is incredibly painful. In addition to the damage it can do to your health, acid reflux can also severely damage your teeth. The acid from reflux will rise into your throat and mouth and wear down your tooth enamel. Over time, you will notice a breakdown in the health of the teeth. Here are some things you can do to mitigate damage from acid reflux.

Remove the Acid

The best way to prevent the breakdown of the enamel is to remove the acid as fast as possible. To do this, you can drink a glass of water right after an acid reflux attack. You could also swish some mouthwash around your mouth as well. While rinsing will not completely remove all of the damage caused by acid, this will help drastically reduce the amount of damage to the teeth.

Have Your Molars Repaired

The molars are the most vulnerable to damage due to acid reflux. For this reason, you may need repair done to the molars. You can also do preventative maintenance by adding some orthodontics to keep the breakdown of the back teeth from occurring. Your molars are important, so keeping them in good physical shape is ideal. If the teeth start to erode away, you can have them bonded or crowned to protect them from further damage.

Seek Treatment for the Acid Reflux

The best way to prevent damage to the teeth is to start at the source of the problem. If your case of acid reflux is so bad that it is affecting your teeth, you should seek aggressive treatment for your condition. Treatment levels vary based on the severity of your acid reflux. If your acid reflux has an impact on your family life, you should see your doctor for prescription medication treatment. If your issue is more mild, you may be able to treat it with over-the-counter medicine.

You can also take steps to prevent the acid attacks by changing your diet. Keeping acid-rich items out of your diet, such as citrus, sugar, tomato products, and carbonation, will drastically decrease acid reflux attacks.

Dealing with acid reflux is quite painful and can cause a host of medical issues. It can cause major issues for your digestive system, but can also impact your oral health. While you seek acid reflux treatment, you should also be seeing your dentist regularly to ensure your teeth are healthy and not going to break at any point due to acid.

Talk to a dentist like Thomas Krull, DDS, PC to learn more.