Although it is now a common sight to see people walking around carrying bottles of water, in reality a great number of us are continually dehydrated to some degree. Although we may not feel it at the time, being dehydrated can cause a number of medical issues.

The most severe of these of course is organ failure although this generally only occurs with levels of dehydration that we are unlikely to meet apart from in the most extreme of circumstances such as being stuck in the middle of a dessert with no water. Extreme exercise though can bring us close to these conditions and it is important to keep taking water on board as this helps also to flush the toxins from our systems.

One surprising side effect of dehydration is the effect that it has on our oral health. Most of us will have at some point in our lives suffered from a dry mouth. Often this is temporary and may be caused after a night out on the town when alcohol will dry out our mouths.

Some people though do suffer from a dry mouth, this group includes smokers and regular drinkers. For them, it is doubly important to ensure that they are adequately hydrated to ensure their health and their oral health especially remains in good condition.

Img: dry mouth, source: 1

Oral Health and Dry Mouth

Waking up with a dry mouth is not a pleasant feeling but after a cup of tea we usually feel much better. However, the fact that our mouths have been dry for most of the night means that the environment for bacterial growth in the mouth is just right.

These are the bacteria which not only cause halitosis when built up but also attack the gums in our mouth and cause gum disease. This is easily avoided and treated if caught early but those who choose not to visit a dentist regularly put themselves at extra risk of the gum disease turning into something much more serious such as periodontitis which is where the disease is severe and attacks the bones in the jaw often causing a loss of a number of teeth.

Whilst most early stages of gum disease can be treated sometimes purely by an improvement in brushing and flossing or at most by a professional ‘scrape and polish’ to rid the teeth of the bacteria, once periodontitis has occurred, the only realistic option left is to treat it with antibiotics to rid the mouth of the disease and then replace the lost teeth with dentures or dental implants.

To let gum disease advance to this stage though is quite frankly, careless and simply by ensuring that you are sufficiently hydrated and that you clean your teeth everyday on a regular basis, you should be able to avoid gum disease to any significant extent.

You should however, still visit your dentist on a regular basis as they will be able to monitor your oral health and can also remove some built up deposits of plaque which accumulate in the areas that we find difficult to reach when cleaning our teeth; one of the most common of these areas being the rear of our back teeth.

About the Author: Tony Felinn, the author is an ex smoker who suffered from a dry mouth and had to undergo a significant deep clean at his local dentist to eliminate the halitosis which it caused.