Unhealthy Teeth May Cause Weight Gain

Weight gain is one of the most pressing issues today. Certain diseases, eating and exercise habits are causes of weight gain. Among these reasons are oral and dental health problems that many of us are not fully aware of. Various conditions ranging from tooth decay to inflammation inside the mouth can lead to weight gain. Moreover, like the question "does the chicken come from the egg or the egg from the chicken," poor oral and dental health can lead to weight gain, while excess weight can in turn damage oral and dental health. Hatice Ağan, Dental Surgeon and Prosthetics Specialist from Acıbadem Altunizade Hospital, pointed out the close relationship between excess weight gain or obesity and oral and dental health, providing important information.

Watch out for diabetes and advanced age!

Digestion begins in the mouth. When chewing cannot be done adequately due to missing or decayed teeth, food is not sufficiently broken down in the mouth. For proper digestion to begin, a single mouthful of food should be chewed at least 20 times. Particularly in older individuals and diabetes patients, impairment of chewing function can occur. With age, the reduction in the number of teeth or poor fit of dentures prevents the chewing function from being performed. In this case, food preferences shift to soft, easily chewable, high-carbohydrate foods. Hatice Ağan, Dental Surgeon and Prosthetics Specialist from Acıbadem Altunizade Hospital, states: "Chewing-intensive, protein-rich foods such as meat, chicken, or fibrous vegetables and fruits are replaced by carbohydrates that can be softened with saliva and swallowed. For an elderly patient or one with diabetes, if their chewing function is insufficient, consuming a bowl of chicken salad with greens is much more difficult than eating a pastry."

If your child has decayed teeth…

Excessive carbohydrate consumption is a leading cause of tooth decay. High consumption of sticky, sugary, starch-containing products leads to increased tooth decay. Decayed teeth cause pain and cannot play an active role in the digestive process. When primary teeth are loose and/or painful decayed teeth are present, children tend to consume more easily chewed carbohydrate-rich and sugary foods rather than hard, healthy foods. In the fight against obesity, protecting children's teeth from decay becomes important for overall health—by keeping them away from sugary foods, maintaining oral hygiene, developing brushing habits, and ensuring regular dental check-ups.

If inflammation develops in your mouth…

Dental Surgeon Ağan, explaining that inflammation is a major part of the interaction between obesity, diabetes, and oral health, states: "Inflammatory proteins are important signals in your body's immune response. Therefore, when there is a chronic infection such as gum disease, your body releases far more inflammatory compounds. These prevent important hormones like leptin, which help regulate your body's energy usage and weight loss, from functioning. Before food energy is converted, it is stored as fat." However, this is only one side of the coin. On the other side, the fat cells produced also secrete the same inflammatory proteins. These proteins not only cause weight gain but also accelerate immune response against bacteria in the mouth, leading to deterioration of oral health. Consequently, obesity-related excess fat tissue negatively affects oral health.

Gum disease makes exercise difficult

Gum diseases reduce the energy a person expends for physical activity. "We can think of gum disease as a never-ending cold or flu—it is a chronic infection. When you try to exercise while having flu or a cold, you notice you get tired very quickly. The situation is the same with gum disease, except you experience it every day. Inflammation in the gums can contribute to chronic fatigue, making exercise difficult or unsustainable," says Dental Surgeon Hatice Ağan, noting that this condition is even more impactful in diabetes patients. Indeed, diabetes is a factor that increases the risk of gum disease. However, gum disease in turn worsens diabetes. Diabetes impairs the way your body processes and utilizes energy obtained from food. Therefore, even with normal nutrition, the body cannot convert it to energy, leaving the person feeling weak and tired. In this case, physical capacity decreases. Lack of movement makes weight gain easier.

Obesity negatively affects oral and dental health

Hatice Ağan, who states that obesity has negative effects on oral and dental health, says: "Studies have shown a marked increase in tooth decay and gingivitis in obese patients. As a result, bad breath can develop in these individuals. Additionally, due to reflux seen in obese individuals, increased acidity in the mouth also increases enamel erosion and wear of teeth, causing tooth sensitivity. An increase in dry mouth is also observed in these individuals."