Dental care following Bulimia

Maria_C

Hi All
I was hoping to get some feedback from recovering/Bulimic sufferers who have approached dentists for care in Ireland, what have your experiences been and from a dentists perspective how regular do you come across such occurrences, I have found much information internationally but not so much from the Irish perspective, just have an awful fear of going to a dentist, I know I have to and will as part of my recovery but wondering if they will be very judgemental at the level of deterioration

Thanks in advance
Maria

eth0_

You don't have to be specific about having bulimia - you could just tell your dentist that you were suffering from a chronic illness that resulted in you vomiting regularly. Maybe ask your consultant for a referral? Dental damage is such a big side effect of bulimia, i'm sure your clinic will have some contacts who are sympathetic.

But definitely get your teeth looked at, not just for health reasons but your confidence will be boosted when your teeth are looking their best again!

Big_G

I couldn't agree less with eth0 about not being specific about bulimia to your dentist. Giving and receiving healthcare is about trust, which works in both directions. Give your dentist enough respect to tell him/her the truth. If they don't respond in a like manner, with respect, then find a new dentist. Most dentists will know straight away by looking at the level of erosion on your teeth (depending on how extensive the damage is) and by looking at other signs. However, if you don't feel comfortable telling your dentist you could both deal with each other by not talking about the elephant in the room.

Depending on the level of damage to your teeth, you may need specialist attention in order to both restore individual teeth and optimise your biting relationships. This is a common presentation, many general dentists will have seen it before, in fact some may have been the first to suspect an eating disorder in a patient, so you should see a general dentist first.

Teeth should not be repaired in most cases until the source of acid is controlled (in your case it should be).

Good luck.

Maria_C

eth0_ and Big_G thanks for the advise, really needed and appreciated
thanks

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Severe dental problems are quite common in Ireland due to acid regurgitation, due to eating disorders, alcoholism, chronic gastric reflux and of course taking in acid from drinks very frequently can cause similar problems.

The damage caused from erosion is difficult, time consuming and expensive to fix when severe, however if it is mild not treatment is often necessary. Go to a dentist and get a consultation and/or appropriate referral to a restorative specialist of the Dublin Dental Hospital.

Don't worry or be embarrassed when talking to the dentist, he/she has many other patients with the same problem.

DrIndy

And also remember dentist, like doctors, your history is strictly confidential.

mynamewith69

Hey, congrats on getting help and becoming a "recovering bulimic". I'm hoping some day I've the courage and will power to be like you.

My teeth used to be the only thing I liked about myself but now they are being affected by the disease that is bulimia. I would give my right arm to be in your position and be capable of stopping what started when I was young and naiive... thinking being thin was the be all and end all of life. It escalates to something that's so much more but words can rarely describe why I still do it.

I have the same problem with my teeth now - there is noticable erosion and I hate my smile. I would love to have something done with them to prevent further damage. I don't "purge" as much as I used to and hope this is my path to freedom from this horrendous burden I carry in every day life. In some respects I want to get something done with my teeth now that will give me the push I need to curb being sick and give me the incentive necessary to stop all together. Given that I no longer am vomitting purely to be thin, maybe I can attempt to stop for the sake of the one thing I like about myself..

If anyone knows of someone to contact or a dentist that is both understanding and non judgmental please give details! Thanks a mill

davo10

Myname, most dentists will have treated patients with varying degrees of erosion, do not be concerned about attending a dentist.
In my experience people who have eating disorders tend to have very good oral hygiene and take great care of their teeth. The erosion tends to be more pronounced on the backs of the front teeth and biting surfaces of the back teeth leading to a slight loss of vertical dimension when teeth are in contact (teeth get a little shorter). Crowns are often necessary to replace enamel/dentine lost but the preperation of the teeth for the crowns is a little different to normal.
Unfortunately treating the teeth can be the easy part, it should be an adjunct to treatment of the eating disorder, otherwise dental problems will recur in the future. Having said that, you should seek a dentist's advise asap to limit the damage done, temporary coverings can be placed on certain areas to teeth to protect erosive loss of enamel/dentine.

last year i treated a patient who was bulimic, she looked fantastic and i was surprised when she told me her medical history. The one thing that she was still unhappy about was her teeth. She showed me a photo of her teeth before she began "purging", I prepared her teeth for crowns and sent photo to lab, they were able to create crowns which looked exactly like her pre-condition natural teeth. Icing on the cake.