Navigating Oral Health During Menopause–Are The Two Related? - Zental
Menopause is a natural phenomenon that women go through, usually around the age of 51 or 52, the range being anywhere from 45 to 55. It marks the end of the reproductive years and is considered a normal part of the ageing process.
The state of transition to menopause is called perimenopause, a biologically chaotic phase leading up to menopause, during which the reproductive cycle makes its final, wavering runs.
This shift, which typically lasts four years, starts near their late 40s when the egg-producing sacs inside the ovaries begin to dwindle down. As a result, some ‘female’ hormones, including estrogen and progesterone, become erratic–spiking and dipping capriciously–sending the bodily systems tailspinning, quite literally, into chaos. Hot flashes. Night sweats. Trouble sleeping. Joint and muscle discomfort. Mood swings. Painful sex. Forgetfulness. Brain fog. You name it.
Historically, menopause has largely been trivialised and stigmatised, keeping many women from openly discussing their symptoms and seeking appropriate treatment. A large survey of perimenopausal and menopausal women in the UK by the Fawcett Society revealed that almost half of them (45%) had not spoken to their general practitioner about their symptoms, and 31% said it took multiple appointments with their GPs before being accurately diagnosed. In the UK alone, there are over 7.2 million women between the ages of 45-60, the years when the symptoms of menopause are most commonly experienced. This translates to around 1.8 million women (the equivalent of the population of Glasgow, a city in Scotland) experiencing problematic symptoms at any one time.
The worst part? This silence around menopause comes at a cost. It puts women’s lives at risk, making them suffer in silence and compromising their quality of life.
You’re probably thinking, ‘Okay, we get that this is a real problem and all, but is there anything we can do to change this?’ Well, improving your understanding of the matter and how it affects your body and mind and then spreading awareness among those around you is great for starters.
Let’s begin with the first bit now, shall we?
Navigating This Change
By the time women reach menopause, their bodies have stopped producing most of their estrogen and progesterone, two hormones produced by their ovaries. A decline in these hormones may explain the symptoms that some women experience during this troublesome time.
The female body goes into a temporary stage of adjustment, or even reinvention, much like a machine that once ran on gas trying to adjust to solar power, struggling to come up with workarounds.
But did you know that menopause can affect your oral health, too?
As far as we’re aware, not many people realise this. According to Delta Dental's 2023 Senior Oral Health and Menopause Report: Breaking the Stigma, a staggering 84% of women are completely oblivious to the association between oral problems and menopause.
If you constitute the aforementioned population, don't worry; we’ll get you up to speed. In this blog, we’re going to be taking a closer look at how this change affects the oral cavity and what can be done about it.
The Link Between Hormones and Female Oral Health
Estrogen is a female sex hormone that plays a critical role in keeping your oral health in check by maintaining healthy gums, teeth, and bone supporting the teeth.
When you reach your fifth decade of life, and your hormones start going haywire, it leaves you vulnerable to quite a few oral health issues.
We’ve listed them below for you.
Gum disease, tooth pain and sensitivity, and more infections
Gum disease remains the leading cause of tooth loss worldwide. A 2010 PubMed research study indicated that more than one in four, almost 28% of post-menopausal women, are likely to lose at least one tooth within five years of menopause.
When you don’t clean your teeth properly, gunk accumulates around your teeth and gums, giving rise to a bacteria-laden layer called plaque. Plaque is primarily what triggers inflammation that ultimately results in damage to the gums and the underlying bone holding your teeth in place.
You may have heard many postmenopausal women complain of inflamed gums that bleed easily. As suggested by a 2022 PubMed research study, during menopause, hormones, mainly estrogen and progesterone, alter the composition of plaque, a change that triggers the surrounding gums to elicit a greater inflammatory response than normal. This, in turn, increases the blood supply to the gum tissue, making it more vulnerable to becoming swollen or bleeding easily.
As estrogen levels go down during menopause, the protective lining of cells around your mouth or the ‘skin’ inside your mouth (the oral mucosa) starts to thin down. This makes it more prone to injury and infections. If you wear removable prosthetic appliances, it may become a bit uncomfortable for you to use them.
Altered taste
3.6% of women report altered taste perception, as reported by a 2024 PubMed study. These women weren’t able to taste sweet and bitter foods as they did before menopause messed up their hormones.
Dry mouth
A vast majority, almost 50% of women going through menopause experience dry mouth. Salivary glands, or the saliva-producing machinery in your mouth, happen to be hormone-dependent, which is why changes in hormones can result in changes in saliva and its consistency.
If you’re wondering what it means for the salivary glands to be ‘hormone-dependent,’ it has to do with them containing receptors for those hormones (particularly estrogen) and thus respond to variations in those hormones.
Low estrogen levels can affect the quality and quantity of saliva in the mouth during menopause. This can be devastating for oral health as saliva plays a very important role in keeping the mouth clean and problems like tooth decay and gum disease at bay. It cleanses your teeth, rinsing cavity-causing bacteria off them, and neutralises the damaging acids produced by plaque.
Without this natural defence system, your teeth and gums are left unprotected and extremely vulnerable to attack by toxins. Plaque starts building up quickly, increasing your chances of developing cavities, and this gives off a foul odour, also known as halitosis.
Oral dryness can also make tasks like eating and speaking difficult and, by decreasing lubrication, may predispose you to wounds and infections.
Burning mouth syndrome
Being just as unpleasant as it sounds, burning mouth syndrome causes burning, pain, and tenderness around your mouth area, including the lips, tongue, and sometimes even the cheeks.
Bone loss in the jaw
Your jawbone holds your teeth upright and provides them the support they need to withstand all the forces they’re exposed to while you feast on your favourite foods.
Without adequate bone support, you might become more prone to tooth loss–the worst oral consequence of hormonal fluctuations.
You may notice your gums receding when you suffer some bone loss in the jaw. Gum recession makes your teeth appear longer than usual and exposes more tooth structure.
Is that bad?
Well, in addition to elongating the look of your teeth, this can actually also encourage cavities, especially if you have a dry mouth. This is because when your gums pull back, they expose the tooth roots, which aren’t protected by enamel and are thus more susceptible to decay.
Decreased bone density could also worsen existing gum disease.
You’re probably thinking, ‘Sure, all these problems add to the exhaustive list of post-menopausal symptoms, but why is it so important to highlight these issues?’
Ailments of the mouth don’t just disrupt your oral function but can take a toll on your emotional and mental health, too. We know all too well what that means—poor quality of life.
Living with postmenopausal symptoms isn’t easy, and knowing that it’s natural sometimes isn’t consolation enough. Especially when they disrupt your normal life in a terribly intrusive way and send you frantically searching for answers to how bizarrely your body is behaving.
All of this is to say that considering a significant portion of a woman’s life, almost one-third of their life is spent after menopause, the importance of maintaining a good quality of life during this time cannot be overstated.
What Can We Do About It?
Ward Off the Menopause Blues With a Strict Oral Care Regimen
As your mouth becomes super sensitive to even the tiniest bit of plaque or tartar that accumulates on your teeth and gums, the best and most important strategy to combat oral problems is clear–maintain meticulous oral hygiene.
This will reduce the overall bacterial load inside your mouth and keep your mouth disease-free.
We’ve put together a list of some tips for preventing oral health problems like gum disease and tooth decay. These include:
Brushing your teeth at least twice a day, using the right technique with fluoride-containing toothpaste. (If you’re unsure how to brush properly to effectively get rid of those pesky pathogens, ask your dentist to teach you.)
Visiting your dentist twice a year for a professional oral examination and cleaning.
Flossing between the teeth and around the gum line to lower your chances of developing decay and gum disease.
Eating a well-balanced diet.
Avoiding sugary or starchy snacks as the bacteria loooove feeding on them!
Now that we know how to protect ourselves, let’s move on to dealing with the real problem here: hormones.
Strive for Hormonal Harmony
Keeping the hormones in check isn’t as difficult as you might think. It’s actually much like keeping your general health and wellness in check.
But why do you need to do it? Isn’t that the job of our bodies?
Well, it is, but with increasing age, your body needs a little more help from you with getting it done.
The human body is beautifully complex, composed of many different organs and systems. While each system performs a different role, all the systems work together to keep life-sustaining processes running smoothly and to keep you healthy and strong.
As everything within your body is so interconnected, viewing and addressing malfunctioning within it from a holistic perspective is the key to helping it heal completely.
As Robert Uric beautifully stated, “A healthy outside starts from the inside.” Holistic approaches, which consider the body as a whole instead of focusing on a specific area of interest, aim to address the root causes of conditions, promote self-care, and blend together various forms of treatment to achieve optimal health outcomes and improve quality of life.
Several science-backed holistic practices have been shown to help manage the symptoms of menopause. These practices are supported by research for their effectiveness in helping with various menopause-related challenges, such as hot flashes, mood swings, sleep disturbances, and hormonal imbalances. Here are some that are scientifically proven:
Mindfulness and Meditation:
Self-love is gold. Take a break, and meditate.
Studies have shown that mindfulness meditation can help reduce stress, improve mood, and manage anxiety, which are common symptoms during menopause. Regular meditation can also help improve sleep and reduce the severity of hot flashes.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT):
Research shows that CBT, a form of psychotherapy, can help manage mood swings, depression, and anxiety during menopause. It works by helping women identify and change negative thought patterns, ultimately leading to improved emotional well-being.
Yoga:
Scientific studies support yoga as an effective practice for reducing hot flashes, improving sleep quality, and managing stress. Yoga can also help with mood swings, anxiety, and overall physical and mental health.
Acupuncture:
Acupuncture works by stimulating specific points in the body to help balance hormones and improve blood circulation.
Physical Activity and Exercise:
Regular exercise, including aerobic activity, strength training, and walking, has been proven to reduce the severity of hot flashes, improve mood, support cardiovascular health, and prevent bone loss (osteoporosis) during menopause.
Research shows that exercise is one of the most effective non-pharmacological ways to alleviate menopause symptoms and improve overall health.
Hydration and Dietary Changes:
Drink plenty of water throughout the day to help relieve symptoms of a dry mouth. Include probiotics in your diet (e.g., fermented foods like kimchi and yoghurt) to maintain a healthy balance of oral and gut bacteria, which can improve gum health and reduce bad breath.
Increase the intake of foods like soy, flaxseeds, and lentils containing phytoestrogens, which can help balance estrogen levels. Diets rich in phytoestrogens can reduce hot flashes and support hormonal balance.
Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish, nuts, and seeds have been shown to reduce inflammation and improve mood and cardiovascular health, making it easier to manage menopause symptoms.
Adequate intake of calcium and vitamin D is critical for bone health, especially during menopause when the risk of osteoporosis increases. Studies support the role of these nutrients in preventing bone loss and fractures.
Zental is a holistic dental practice that promotes and practices holistic dentistry to make you look and feel good from the inside out. Holistic dentists at Zental focus on creating tailored treatment plans for you that respect the relationship of the mouth with the rest of the body–and use it to provide remarkable results. Curious to learn more? Speak to an expert here.
Can Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Help?
While there does remain a lot of controversy and uncertainty around the use of HRT to help with the symptoms of menopause, there is plenty of emerging evidence that considers this treatment to be the most effective solution.
Research shows that the risk of tooth loss is lowered with the use of hormones. A PubMed study suggests that estrogen helps protect against tooth loss by strengthening the support system of the teeth, or the ‘periodontal attachment’ as the dentist folk call it.
According to the Oral Health Foundation, a 44% improvement in gum health was observed in their study sample of women receiving HRT. It has also been shown to lower the risk of gum disease in postmenopausal women, as reported by a BMC Oral Health study. A 2021 PubMed study showed that HRT successfully relieved symptoms of oral dryness by restoring normal levels of estrogen in the saliva.
While HRT could mitigate some painful oral symptoms during and after menopause, it is extremely important to continue maintaining a good oral health and hygiene routine during this time.
Nothing Beats Expert Dental Guidance When Addressing Matters Of The Mouth
While it’s great for you to adopt holistic practices and integrate them into your everyday life, nothing can beat professional help from a dental expert when it comes to managing oral health problems in the most effective way possible.
Addressing menopause-related oral health issues depends on the specific condition you’re experiencing. Not all postmenopausal women experience every oral symptom linked to hormonal disturbances.
We’ve gathered some tips from the dental experts at Zental and listed them below.
Gum disease (periodontitis):
Professional cleaning sessions (dental scaling and root planing) paired with good at-home oral hygiene practices are essential to controlling and preventing the disease from progressing.
The importance of regular dental checkups cannot be emphasised enough. These can help catch any issues early on and allow your dentist to treat them before they get serious.
Additionally, women can also use fluoride toothpaste or mouthwash to help prevent tooth decay and strengthen their tooth enamel. Strong enamel can boost your tooth’s ability to withstand decay and damage.
Dry mouth:
Drinking plenty of water, using sugar-free gum or lozenges to stimulate saliva production, and saliva substitutes like artificial saliva or mouth rinses can help keep your mouth nicely wet and moist.
Sensitive teeth:
Use desensitising toothpaste or fluoride treatments to reduce tooth sensitivity. If you continue to experience sensitivity, your dentist will rule out any other possible issues like tooth decay, gum disease, or cracks and treat them appropriately.
Sore or burning mouth:
Treating the symptoms of burning mouth syndrome or preventing the discomfort from feeling worse may require medication or changes in diet and lifestyle.
Drinking plenty of water and sucking on ice chips, limiting spicy and acidic foods, reducing tobacco, and using medicines like alpha lipoic acid and topical capsaicin, a pain reliever extracted from chilli peppers, have been shown to help.
Rehabilitation after tooth loss:
In the unfortunate instance of losing teeth to the consequences of hormonal fluctuations during menopause, there are a variety of oral rehabilitation options available.
These include fixed options like dental implants, dentures and bridges and removable prosthetics like dentures. To find out which one is best for you, click here to talk to an expert at Zental.
Prioritising Your Oral Health During These Unpredictable Years
With women experiencing so many significant and unpredictable changes in their bodies during this time that have such a substantial impact on their day-to-day lives, they might consider their oral health worsening to be the least of their worries and quite possibly overlook it.
As Socrates wisely said, 'The unexamined life is not worth living.' Neglecting to understand the effects of menopause on your oral health can lead you to bear unnecessary discomfort and suffer long-term complications. Educating yourself on this matter and how it impacts your teeth and gums can enable you to take proactive steps to protect your oral health during this phase of your life.
I think we can all agree that there is nothing more important than good health. Are you ready to prioritise your health with a holistic perspective? Click here to book a consultation with holistic experts at Zental and take your first step to live life to the fullest.
