I have been having trouble with my gums bleeding when I brush my teeth. My mother said it is because I drink so many energy drinks. Can those really ruin my teeth? My mom is convinced I’m going to need dentures. I’m a little worried she might be right. I’m only 17. Is it too late?
Cindy
Dear Cindy,
The bleeding gums are an early warning sign of gum disease, if you take it seriously and are careful about your drinks you should be fine. There is bacteria being left in the area. You need to brush and floss much more carefully to do that. Sometimes, when people have bleeding gums, they tend to be more gentle. Instead, they actually need to get in there and really clean the area.
As for the drinks, any type of sugary drinks are going to be bad for your teeth, whether they are energy drinks or sodas. Energy drinks have the additional risk to your body of their high caffeine content, so I would be careful there. Some young people have been known to end up having a stroke from drinking too many. There are ways to protect your teeth from the sugar. There have been studies that have shown that if you drink it in a gulp and not allow it to sit on your teeth, then you will have less risk of the sugar eating away at your tooth enamel.
If you take care of your teeth and get regular check ups, they should last you for many years. If you don’t take the bleeding gums and sugary drinks seriously, then, yes, you could lose your teeth. Whatever you do, if that happens, don’t replace them with dentures. This will lead to bone loss in your jaw. This is a dental condition known as facial collapse. The way to prevent that is to get dental implants placed and then have dentures anchored to them.
However, this should not be necessary and nothing is better than having your own natural teeth.
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