Tiredness And The Affect On Our Teeth And Gums

Insufficient sleep can make us less careful with our oral health.

Are you tired right now? If you are, it may simply because because you had a late night last night, perhaps going out to a party or similar. If these are rare occasions, we usually soon catch back up on our sleep, and any neglect to our teeth, caused by being tired, is usually resolved when we get back to our normal routine.

If you are permanently tired though, or have a lifestyle that results in a lot of late nights, this could be having an ongoing negative effect on the health of your teeth and gums which may result in the need for treatment by our Confidental Clinic team.

Skipping or sloppy brushing

Many of us will have, at one time or another, gone to bed without brushing our teeth, or giving them a brush so quick that the only benefit is being left with a minty taste in the mouth. Whilst not ideal, this usually causes no long term harm, provided that it is a one off occasion. Where we are permanently tired though, or go to bed very late, there is every chance that our brushing routine is much less effective than it should be. Flossing too, an important part of everyday oral health care, is likely to go out of the window as well.

Poor diet

Although it is just as easy to prepare a healthy salad; most of us, if lacking energy, will probably unwrap a chocolate bar or prepare a ready meal. Whilst chocolate will nearly always have more sugar, some convenience foods are also very high in sugar, especially compared to food that we cook ourselves. A regular diet like this can soon speed up harm to our teeth!

Energy boosters

If we have to go to work and feel tired, there is a chance that we may turn to some form of energy booster, simply to get us through the day. It is hard to think of a good energy booster that won’t harm your teeth. Energy drinks tend to be high in both caffeine and sugar and are definitely not good for your teeth. Snacking on sugary foods throughout the day may help to keep you awake, but the constant snacking is very harmful to your teeth, and will soon quickly damage the enamel, making tooth decay more likely to happen.

The humble coffee

The best friend of someone who is tired is often coffee. This well known stimulant can help to keep you awake, but again, do watch for sugars in it. If you make the coffee yourself, you can control the amount of sugar. Many of those bought at coffee outlets though, often contain extremely large quantities of sugar and are best avoided or at least moderated.

Get more sleep

Ultimately, we do need our sleep. A good night’s sleep will help you to feel refreshed and allow your body to heal and recover from the previous day. It is beyond the remit of this blog to suggest sleep remedies, but most people find that if they have a regular routine, they find that this helps.

At the Confidental Clinic in Greenwich, we can’t help you to sleep, but we can help you to keep your teeth in better health through regular checkups, and any necessary treatment. So don’t sleepwalk your way to poor oral health and make sure that you have an appointment booked with us!

If you haven’t, you can do so by calling our Greenwich dental practice on 020 8858 1422. Our team are on standby and waiting to help you!