Terrific Olympian Smiles
If you’ve been glued to the television for the past few weeks like many have, you will have noticed the beautiful healthy-looking smiles from many of the Olympian athletes in Beijing. Surprisingly, many studies have shown that athletes often have a poor level of oral health due to factors such as diet, time/priorities, and financial pressures. Behind the terrific teeth and excited smiles, there is often tooth pain and other oral issues.
What’s Really Happening With Athlete’s Teeth
Despite having better than average brushing and flossing habits, most Olympian athlete’s are consuming energy drinks, energy bars and energy gels, which are known to damage teeth. The sugar in these products increases the risk of tooth decay and the level of acidity in them increases the risk of erosion. Plaque uses sugar and starches as food and expels acid as a by-product. If plaque is not removed regularly by brushing and flossing, the build-up can lead to additional decalcification, cavities, gum disease and loss of the bone that holds teeth in place.
Importance of a Healthy Mouth
Increased inflammation and tooth decay can affect the athlete’s performance and could lead to inflammation and infection in both the mouth and in other body systems. Periodontal diseases can directly affect muscle recovery and consequently sports performance, especially in high-performance athletes. It’s important that everyone, not just athletes, maintains a healthy mouth as we can see that our oral health has a greater affect on our overall health than what we may believe.
What is Malocclusion?
Another consideration that could impact performance is malocclusion. The way our teeth come together can cause posture problems, pain in the jaw, neck, back, as well as breathing problems if teeth are misaligned. Examples of malocclusion are: crowded teeth, cross-bite, overbite, underbite or open bite. Teeth may not perform vital functions well, like chewing, if they’re misaligned.
How do we Avoid These Issues?
These are all things that can affect any of us, and can be addressed through good nutrition, good oral habits of brushing and flossing, and visiting the dentist regularly. It’s extremely important to take care of your teeth as we only have one set, and we want them to last us as long as possible before we need to resort to secondary options such as false teeth. As exciting as a gold medal is for an athlete, “Going for the gold” is not really the goal when it comes to your teeth!