Dental Health Following Bariatric Surgery
When you decided to have bariatric surgery, the thought of losing weight and getting the body you always dreamed of was probably rather enticing. Now imagine you’re working your way toward that dream body – hitting the gym and making consciences dietary choices – when you notice you smile is starting to look a bit different.
Your teeth don’t seem as healthy – they’ve lost their sheen and are looking weak and dull. The next thing you know, you bite into a firm piece of food and half of a tooth breaks off. As time goes on, a few more teeth chip and maybe even a few fall out.
Tooth decay, following surgery, is an unfortunate reality that too many bariatric patients have to deal with. And there are a few reasons why this happens:
A higher level of acidity in the mouth following surgery:
- Many bariatric patients experience increased frequency of vomiting following surgery. According to Healthline, vomit contains toxic stomach acids that are corrosive the enamel that protects your teeth. This can lead to cavities and weaken the teeth immensely if they are exposed to acid for too long.
- Following surgery, dry mouth due to dehydration is common due to the feeling that your tied off stomach cannot handle as much liquid. This leads to a lack saliva in the mouth that helps protect your teeth from corrosive acids.
A lack of calcium and other vitamins in the diet following surgery:
- Calcium is the essential vitamin for bone growth and is a mineral that assists in strengthening teeth. Following bypass surgery, the section of your stomach that is bypassed makes its difficult to absorb nutrients like calcium that you would get from your diet.
- As mentioned, following bypass, you’re unable to absorb as many nutrients – this includes Vitamin D. This vitamin is essential to the body’s ability to absorb calcium that keeps your teeth healthy and strong.
What can you do to keep your teeth healthy following surgery?
- Take steps to reduce vomiting and dehydration post surgery. This can include monitoring the pace you are eating and making sure that you’re consuming foods that are easier on the stomach. It’s also important to make sure that you’re staying hydrated by consuming healthy liquid sources to combat dry mouth.
- It is absolutely essential to make a quality multivitamin supplement part of your dietary regimen following weight loss surgery. As mentioned, the bypassed portion of the stomach limits your body’s ability to absorb essential nutrients at the levels necessary your body needs to maintain optimal health.
Vita4Life Multivitamins contain optimal levels of calcium and vitamin D that your body needs to maintain healthy teeth following bariatric surgery. Vita4Life offers an excellent Calcium Malate Chelate supplement to further support teeth health. Vita4Life Multivitamins and Supplements contain no fillers and are engineered with with bariatric patients in mind. Make Vita4Life Multivitamins and supplements part of your daily health regimen today!