Sirius Project - Dental Care for Bulimics

These tips were provided by Terra on the Sirius Project message boards. Thanks, Terra.

These are some tips on taking care of your mouth and teeth that I got from my dentist on Monday.

1 After you vomit, rinse your mouth with water and baking soda. Stomach acid is, well, acidic, and baking soda is basic, and so the two neutralize one another, thus removing some of the risk to the enamel of your teeth.

2 Get mouth-wash with fluoride. Apparently it helps to re-calcify teeth, or something along those lines. Make sure it is alcohol free though, cause alcohol will dry out your mouth, which is not healthy. In Canada and perhaps the US (maybe overseas too, not sure) you can get one called Fluororinse from Oral B... it says weekly use on the bottle, but the dentist said it was ok to use daily.

3 Floss very slowly and carefully. Don't just pop the floss in and then out - bring it up and down along the side of each tooth from the very tip of the tooth to just under the gumline (be gentle though!)

4 Use and soft bristled tooth brush.... if you're bulimic and already have soft enamel, or even if your enamel is ok, don't brush too hard, especially around the gums - your gums can actually begin to erode exposing the neck and root portion of your tooth. If your gums are already receding, use your toothbrush to gently encourage them to come back up. Brush gently at the gumline side to side to side and then up, tugging gently on the gum with the bristles of your brush

5 See the dentist every six months.... I know how expensive it is, but it will pay off by preventing more complicated and serious things to develop (which are much more expensive)

6 Ask your dentist about a payment plan. See if you can pay an affordable amount per month until it is all paid off. (I'm currently working on this one with my dentist... wish me luck!)

7 And sometimes, even if you brush and floss well, problems happen (I brush and floss like a maniac, and my teeth are still in rough shape). If your dental problems are due to your bulimia, you may be able to get funds from a health plan/government fund. Your doctor or psychiatrist is the best person to ask about that. Also, you may be able to claim the expense of dental work on your taxes. (At least here in Canada.)