Do you know how important your teeth are to digestion?

Digestion can be broken down into separate parts– the first of which begins in the mouth with CHEWING! The chewing action breaks food into smaller portions, enabling it to move down the esophagus, with the help of digestive enzymes in our saliva. Given adequate time during chewing, our saliva breaks down and absorbs nutritional elements otherwise lost if swallowed too quickly. Many times dental distress during chewing can cause us to rush the process and ultimately rob our bodies of beneficial nutrients as well as cause other problems.

Benefits of Chewing

• Chewing helps us to absorb essential nutrients and retain energy.

When you’re chewing there is more going on than tasting flavors and grinding up our food. The more we chew our food, the more it’s broken down into elements we can absorb and use. When we swallow minimally chewed food, some of the nutrients and energy remains locked in—making it more difficult to enter our bodies.

• Chewing is a simple act that aides in digestion.

The food we eat begins to digest before we even swallow it when saliva mixes with that same food. The digestive enzymes contained in saliva that begin breaking our food down right away. Digestive discomfort can be often be attributed to un-chewed pieces of food.

• Chewing gives time for the brain to tell the body it is full.

When we inhale our food, we usually end-up eating more than we would if we’d waited for our body to give us the satisfaction signal that we’re officially full. Eating slower can help us control our portions and feel more satisfied.

Your BITE could be the cause of improper chewing.

When you’re not chewing your food properly, your bite or the way in which your teeth naturally fall into place when they touch could be the reason. Malocclusion (an uneven bite), as well as missing teeth, poorly fitting dentures, and even tooth sensitivity can be causes for improper chewing. If chewing is uncomfortable you might also wallow food earlier than would be nutritionally beneficial for your body. Some of the healthiest foods might even be totally avoided due to their requirement for more efficient chewing action.

Breakdowns in our oral health start to affect our overall health. If your teeth aren’t doing their job helping you chew, digest, and absorb nutrition from your food, don’t ignore the problem. Talk with us about it. We can get your teeth back into shape so they can better do their job.

Contact Cocoa Beach Dentist Vevera Family Dental today at (321) 236-6606