Menopause and Oral Health

Ladies, we all know that menopause can cause many unexpected things to happen to our bodies.  With the drop in estrogen, we all have heard and possibly even experienced the dreaded hot flashes, night sweats and expanding waistline, but did you know that menopause can also impact oral health in several ways?  

With the drop in estrogen levels during menopause, this can lead to painful gums, sensitive teeth, receding gum line, tooth decay, and burning mouth syndrome, among other things.  And due to this sudden shift in hormones, we can experience dry mouth, which in turn can increase the likelihood of gum inflammation and even periodontal disease.  This was a symptom of menopause that caught me by surprise.  I actually found myself in the grocery aisle searching for remedies for dry mouth.

But not to fear, a change in habits like limiting alcohol intake and sugary foods, along with regularly scheduled dentist visits can lessen our chances of menopause 

negatively affecting our teeth and oral health.  In addition to the at-home remedies, I found my biggest source of information and comfort came directly from talking to my dentist.  Delta Dental's 2024 Oral Health and Menopause Survey says  84% of dentists are comfortable discussing menopause and oral health but 53% of dentists prefer not to discuss it unless the patients bring it up first.  This tells us that most dentists are willing to talk about menopause but are hesitant to bring it up.  While it was certainly a bit awkward brooching the subject with my male dentist, I found a quick template that helped me feel more relaxed covering the topic of oral health and menopause, and it was super easy - cut, paste, fill in a few details and hit "Send."  Click here to get the email template created by Delta Dental that I used so you can get the conversation started and help normalize this topic,