Tooth enamel?!
Question: i was at a party yesterday. drinking was involved and i and ended up vomiting. problem is, i didn't wash out my mouth, and today my teeth dont feel normal. usually they feel glossy and slippy when i run my tongue over them, but now theyre really.. well not ROUGH, but theyre not slippery anymore.
I think it's because the enamel has been eaten away by my stomach acid... is this correct?
should i go to the dentist or will the enamel 'grow back'? kinda worried, i hate cavities.
Answers: i was at a party yesterday. drinking was involved and i and ended up vomiting. problem is, i didn't wash out my mouth, and today my teeth dont feel normal. usually they feel glossy and slippy when i run my tongue over them, but now theyre really.. well not ROUGH, but theyre not slippery anymore.
I think it's because the enamel has been eaten away by my stomach acid... is this correct?
should i go to the dentist or will the enamel 'grow back'? kinda worried, i hate cavities.
I'm a dentist.
I'm saddened by the fact that you know more than the dental assistant who posted a response above mine. Her answer was, put bluntly, moronic. She should know better.
Basically, you are close.
Vomit contains stomach acid (hydrochloric acid, to be specific), which etches the enamel.
Believe it or not, when we place tooth-colored fillings, we etch the tooth with phosphoric acid.
What etching does is remove the biofilm covering your teeth and open up microscopic pores in the enamel by removing surface minerals--hence the rough feeling after you vomit.
With time (a few hours) and exposure to saliva and thus remineralization, as well as re-establishment of the biofilm, your teeth will feel smooth again.
In the meantime, fluoride rinse (ACT or Plax) would be appropriate.
brush your teeth and use act restoring mouthwash
nothing can make enamel grow. it can be strengthen but it will never be new again. what you are feeling is plaque built up from feeding on the bacteria in your vomit. the best thing for you to do is brush your teeth and use listerine. the listerine will kill the germs that feed on the plaque and the brushing will get rid of the plaque altogether.