Whether we enjoy exercising or not, we know that there are many benefits to exercising your bodies. It can provide stress relief, build strong muscles, improve your cardiac health. Did you know that exercise can also have an impact on your dental health (good and bad?). Let’s dig in to learn more about this!
Dental Issues Among Athletes
Let’s start with the bad. It is not that the act of exercise is the root cause of dental issues. There are actually quite a lot of benefits of exercising (see below). However, one must be mindful about other issues that can occur when someone is intensely engaging in physical activity.
- Sports Drinks – We think that our bodies are being “refueled” by the intake of instant carbohydrates (in the form of sugar), vitamins & electrolytes. Simply put, studies have shown an increase risk of tooth decay and dental erosion is due to the FREQUENCY of drinking of sports drinks. Sipping sugary & acidic drinks in small amounts repeatedly, actually means you are leaving the acid and the sugar on your teeth for a LONGER period of time. It gives your teeth less time to remineralize so they are more prone to decay.
- Open Mouth Breathing – During rigorous and intense exercise, people tend to breathe heavily with their mouths open! Continuous mouth breathing for long periods of time can reduce salivary flow, it can dry the mouth and provides an environment in which acidic bacteria can thrive!
The Benefits of Exercise on Oral Health
- Lower chances of contracting severe Periodontitis (Gum disease) – Engaging in the exercises can also help improve your dental health! Periodontitis, or gum disease, is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the supporting bone and tissues around the teeth. Gum disease is a major cause of tooth loss in adults. Physical activity can lower your chances of other chronic inflammatory conditions such as heart diseases, diabetes, it can lower your chances of getting gum disease as well!
How can you take care of your oral health while exercising?
- Stay hydrated by drinking water. Drink coconut water if you feel the need to be “refueled” from lost electrolytes.
- Take frequent breaks to sip on water.
- Breathe through your nose as much as possible while you are exercising.
- You can chew on sugar free gum to increase salivary flow (if needed).
- If you end up drinking energy/sports drinks, drink it in one go! Do not keep “sipping” on it for long periods of time. Do not brush for at least 30 minutes if you drink anything acidic (you will distribute the acid on the teeth)
- Keep going! Every movement counts!
Smile and have fun while exercising!