Is Exercise Bad For Your Dental Health?

By Jessica Stafford

That sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Exercising being bad for teeth!

But, it’s true. Although, not all forms of exercise fall into this category; instead, exercising too heavily can lead to teeth issues (although the chances aren’t high).

Still, there is a possibility of such issues appearing so we’ll be covering that as well.

On the other hand, regular exercise is beneficial for teeth health, so you’ll need to learn when to stop. There’s a common thought that pushing yourself far beyond your limits is a good thing, but it isn’t. You need to increase the severity of exercises slowly, but not instantly.

Anyway, let’s talk about this!

How Exercise is Good for Teeth Health

Normal exercise has a couple of benefits for your teeth, although it sounds unlikely. Teeth aren’t exactly muscles that can increase in mass and get stronger when you’re working out, but it’s how it is.

Regular Exercise Lowers the Risk of Gum Disease

Circulation of saliva in your mouth while working out is important for teeth health. I’ll talk about the saliva issue with heavy exercising a bit later in the article, so stay tuned.

As far as the benefits, gum diseases can be a major issue if left untreated. By exercising and pushing your body into higher gear, the mouth gets ‘filled’ with saliva. You wouldn’t believe how small the shift between good chemical composition in saliva and bad is. So, if you want to prevent gum disease from developing (any kind), start working out in your free time. You’ll get healthy and strong!

Also, white teeth are something that people are looking to get, and one of the best new ways of doing so is through the use of charcoal toothpaste.

Not Exercising May Lead to Poor Oral Health

If you don’t do any exercise in your life, there’s no way your mouth can stay clean and healthy. See, when you eat food or drink coffee (or soft drinks), certain changes happen in the mouth. Lemonade is acidic, and too much of it can cause teeth issues. Coffee is well-known to be relatively bad for teeth.

Lack of exercise can’t keep saliva circulation in your mouth (and, in turn, prevents cleaning) which has the effect of worsening your oral health. Even a small amount of exercise can do wonders for your teeth!

Heavy Exercise May Not be Good for Teeth Health

Now, let’s talk about why exercising too much can be bad for teeth health. This is easily remedied by not pushing yourself too much, but it’s still important you know why these issues arise.

Decreased Saliva Production

Saliva has a protective role when it comes to oral health; it’s how our teeth and mouth stay clean and bacteria-free. If there’s no saliva, there’s an increased danger of having dangerous bacteria in your mouth.

A study was conducted on athletes with the purpose of figuring out what exactly happens during a heavy workout. It’s been found that the amount of saliva in the mouth shifts to almost none (causing dry mouth). The chemical composition of the saliva changes to being more alkaline which has the effect of contributing to tartar plaque development on teeth (amongst other issues).

Heavy Breathing Dries the Mouth Which Can Lead to Tooth Loss

When you’re working out heavily, you breathe more which causes your mouth to dry out. This effect is similar to what you experience when you catch a cold, and your nose gets blocked, so you breathe through your mouth when sleeping.
Again, the lack of saliva contributes to oral health issues appearing.

Teeth loss is also something that might happen due to increased strain on your teeth and mouth. If you’re working out like a madman for months on end, don’t be surprised if your teeth start falling out! Do your best to control how much you’re exercising and not to overdo it. You want your teeth, and your mouth, in one piece!

Heavy Exercise Leads to Teeth Cavities

And lastly, we have cavities. Now, as mentioned before, saliva has a protective role in our mouths. Without it, our teeth are almost defenceless. So, in this case, even a small amount of sweets can be terrible for your teeth.

It takes a lot less to develop cavities when you’re exercising too hard than when you’re not exercising at all or when you’re doing it just right. And no one likes cavities; they’re annoying, can cause your teeth to get ruined completely, and they generally mean a dentist’s appointment. If you’re someone who doesn’t like going to the dentist, you’d be wise to exercise properly. There are plenty of sources online that go into detail on how you should exercise so be sure to explore and investigate!

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