Scientists have discovered that sleeping with your mouth open can cause tooth erosion and decay, according to the Daily Mail.
For those of us who catch flies while we sleep, it’s bad news.
Scientists have found that sleeping with the mouth open can be as damaging to teeth as sipping a fizzy drink before bed.
This is because breathing through the mouth dries it out – removing the protective effect of saliva, which has a natural ability to kill the bacteria in the mouth that produce acid.
As acid levels rise through the night, tooth erosion and decay can begin.
The researchers believe the findings help to explain observations of dentists that people who sleep open-mouthed have higher rates of tooth decay.
Tooth decay in mouth sleepers is often worse at the back – this is because the back of the mouth tends to get drier than the front.
