We believe that our diet has a significant impact on our dental health. What about when we restrict our eating window? Essentially we limit our dietary intake, so this must impact our dental health. This article will explore how fasting affects oral health.
Why Fast?
Religious Obligations: Muslims observe a whole month of fasting in Ramadan. Fasting lasts between sunrise and sunset, which means fasting usually lasts for more than 12 hours. However, the exact fasting time depends on the geographical location. Fast in Ramazan is a dry fast, which means during fast, Muslims neither intake solid foods nor water.
Intermittent Fasting: The primary goal of intermittent fasting is to lose weight and control calories. Thus, several individuals following this dietary fad are oblivious of the oral impact of fasting. Generally, fasting is observed in a 16:8 window. This means 16 hour fast followed by an eight-hour eating window. Some individuals might take fasting up a notch to the 20:4 window. Regardless of the type, intermittent fasting is not dry fasting.
Positive Impacts Of Fasting On Your Oral Health.
When you eat for a limited time frame in a day, your teeth breathe a sigh of relief. When eating throughout the day, your teeth confront a constant flood of sugars from a steady food stream. This eventually causes plaque formation leading to cavities and decay if oral hygiene is not top-notch.
Consequently, during fasting, teeth get a break from sugars in the diet. This can lower plaque and cavity formation. It will reduce the chances of developing gum diseases. Moreover, fasting may help you regulate the mouth’s PH levels. This is because sugar in the diet gets metabolized to form acid, weakening your teeth. Hence, in a nutshell, more sugar means more acid leading to lower PH that can be detrimental to your oral health.
On the other hand, during fasting, you cut down the sugars, so there is no more acid formation. This will help neutralize the PH in your mouth and help maintain an optimum PH that ensures efficient working and excellent oral health. All of the above discussion is backed by studies, and researchers have shown that fasting does positively impact oral health.
Some Unpleasant Side Effects:
During fasting, saliva levels may plunge in some individuals causing the problem of bad breath. Halitosis or bad breath may be caused by other reasons but is heightened due to fasting. Hence, do inform your dentist about extreme cases of bad breath. Other problems may include jaw clenching caused by your jaw mimicking the act of eating during fasting hours. Jaw clenching leads to teeth grinding, stiff jaws, and toothaches.
Therefore, if your oral health seems under the weather, contact a dentist as soon as possible. You can also contact Brookshire Family Dental for a professional and long-lasting cure. You can call us at 281-934-1010 to learn more about how we can help?