If you are sleeping with your mouth open, however, this is not happening. The saliva is getting dried out, and your teeth are getting damaged. Even just sleeping with your mouth open one night here and there can cause lasting damage to your teeth.
What Happens When Your Mouth Dries Out
Sleeping with your mouth open allows all of the tissues in your mouth to dry out. This means that the saliva isn't able to wash any of the debris out of the crevices in your mouth.
This also means that your teeth are not getting minerals and vitamins put back in. Your mouth needs that saliva to heal the minor issues that happen during the day.
When you chew up foods, the inside of your mouth gets cut up a little bit, and then heals again at night. If your mouth is open when you sleep, it is drying out, and not able to heal. This could leave you not only facing increased tooth decay, but also mouth sores that take much longer to heal.
There are things that can be done to help you sleep with your mouth closed, such as sleeping on your side or stomach, and sleeping with a mouth guard in place.
All of these options can be discussed with your dentist at your next visit, because then they can look at any damage that may be visible in your mouth and give you their ideas on how to fix the problem. contact our office how they think you should handle sleeping with your mouth closed during your next exam!
