The process of chewing food in the mouth is called mastication. It is a mechanical process and has to be done the right way. Digestion does not just start in the stomach, but in your mouth through different sets of teeth.
The mouth plays an integral role in the digestive process as it’s here that the physical and chemical digestive processes begin. That means the condition of your teeth and gums can have an impact on your digestive health. It’s also interesting to note that gastrointestinal disorders can similarly affect your oral health.
Here are some reasons why missing teeth adversely affect digestion of food:
Missing teeth affect production of saliva
Saliva is only produced once we start chewing food. If there are missing teeth in the mouth, there will be a deficiency in the production of saliva and this is detrimental to digestion as a whole. Saliva is instrumental in the digestion process. It contains salivary amylase and lingual lipase which is secreted by glands located at the root of the tongue. This two enzymes are very important in the digestion of starch and lipids respectively. If enough saliva is not produced therefore, the target nutrients will go to waste and will not be fully utilized. Lack of enough saliva will also affect the movement of food down the esophagus. Saliva acts as a lubricant and makes it easy for food to move down the channels. Missing teeth are therefore a very big hindrance as far as digestion is concerned.
Difficulties in swallowing food
Missing teeth will affect the way you chew your food and swallowing problems will arise as a result. If food is not properly chewed and broken down into very small pieces, swallowing will be a big problem and this affects the entire digestive system. The reason why most children have swallowing problems have swallowing problems is because they don’t have fully developed teeth. This is exactly what happens to adults with missing teeth. Some chunks of food will end up being swallowed whole and this is very dangerous.
Chewing of food relaxes the lower stomach muscles
Chewing is directly connected to the movement of food in the digestive tract. Chewing particularly counts affects the movement of food from the stomach to the ileum. The pylorus is a small muscle at the distal end of the stomach which acts as a gate for food to pass down from the stomach into the small intestines. Production of saliva resulting from proper chewing helps the pylorus to relax and let food to move through your digestive tract as required. If you are missing some teeth, the chewing process will obviously be hindered and the movement of food will not be as required.
Missing teeth promote the growth of bacteria
When food is not well chewed and the fragments are not broken down to the right size, it becomes hard for the enzymes to take action resulting in incomplete digestion. The nutrients are therefore not fully utilized from the food you ingest and this is wasteful. Undigested food also becomes good replenishment for bacteria and other disease causing organisms. They thrive on these undigested food particles and will affect your health. All this is as a result of missing teeth.
Acid Reflux affects on teeth (GERD)
GERD is a simpler way to refer to gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Typical manifestations of GERD are heartburn, regurgitation, dysphagia, and retrosternal pain. Atypical manifestations, such as asthma, chronic cough, hoarseness, noncardiac chest pain, and dental erosion, are often underappreciated and poorly understood. Dental Surgeon’s are commonly the first to diagnose GERD through erosion of teeth because most people are not aware of the presence of the disease.
Dental erosion is defined as the loss of tooth substance by chemical processes (acid exposure) not involving bacteria. Repeated or prolonged exposure of teeth to acid leads to selective dissolution of specific components of the tooth surface, with eventual loss of tooth substance, hypersensitivity, functional impairment, and even tooth fracture. The severity of dental erosion due to GERD is related to the duration of the disease frequency of reflux, the pH and type of acid, and the quality and quantity of saliva. However, if enamel demineralization is detected sufficiently early before the damage becomes irreversible, the enamel framework can be remineralized using oral regimes and preventative modifications in diet, behavior, or medication.
Don’t let missing teeth come in the way of proper food digestion. There are very many viable options available for replacing missing teeth and will emulate natural teeth. Dentures and dental implants are some of the best treatment options you can use to replace missing teeth.
Author is a Dental Surgeon