God sends meat, and the devil sends cooks (John Taylor)

Quite a few of the rich and famous suffer(ed) or have died from an eating disorder. The most famous are Karen Carpenter who died from anorexia at the age of 32 and TV-host Ophrah Winfrey, who always seems to struggle with the jo-jo effect.

Others are three of the Spice Girls (including, of course,Victoria Beckham), actress Jane Fonda and Princess Diana. Although there is a large female majority, men also suffer from anorexia or bulimia. Elton John is one of them.

An eating disorder not only destroys (a part of) someone's life, but also his or her teeth. Acid erosion, caused by sport and energy drinks and juices but mainly by vomiting, can lead to toothache, loss of enamel and discolouration. Brushing after vomiting only makes things worse and, unfortunately, once enamel is damaged it does not grow back. A dry mouth (another side-effect) can lead to a gum infection.

Crowns and bridges can help damaged teeth to survive, but the eating disorder must be under control. This is extremely difficult, but can be done. It requires patience, guts, a good and specialized therapist and supportive spouses, relatives and friends. I think http://www.b-eat.co.uk/ is a very good website.

Do not worry about what our dentist will say. Many of our patients did not visit a dentist for years. Having an eating disorder is just one of numerous reasons.