Do we puke stomach acid alongside the substances that our stomach doesn’t want to digest? If we do, does our esophagus, teeth, tongue etc. get damaged in the process? If we don’t, how and why?
In: Biology
Yes and yes! Your pyloric sphincter at the bottom of your stomach opens too, which is why you can see food that you ate several hours ago. Your body gets rid of everything when it needs to
>Do we puke stomach acid alongside the substances that our stomach doesn’t want to digest? If we do, does our esophagus, teeth, tongue etc. get damaged in the process?
You absolutely do and they absolutely suffer. Make sure to drink lots of water (if circumstances allow) after throwing up to counteract the adverse effects.
We certainly do vomit acid sometimes and it will damage some parts with continued exposure. People who suffer from chronic vomiting or bulemia are often at a higher risk for tooth gum and esophageal damage.
Yes and yes. When you vomit, you vomit *all* of your stomach contents, and that includes stomach acid. While an occasional incident of vomiting is not enough to cause any damage, repeated, frequent vomiting, such us in people with eating disorders who cause themselves to vomit on purpose on a regular basis, long-term damage to the teeth and esophagus can occur.
We do, and that’s the reason why your mouth fills with saliva when you start feeling like you’re about to vomit. It’s your body’s attempt at protecting you from the stomach acid.
Yes to both, if you vomit rarely it doesn’t make enough damage for it to be relevant so it’s fine.
But when you vomit frequently, for example people suffering from bulimia or other eating disorders, you will damage your oesophagus and the enamel of your teeth.
You do! And they do!!
You can get all kinds of awful, long-term damage from repeated vomiting – from enamel erosion on your teeth to oesophageal cancer.
It’s a serious problem if you have a medical condition that makes you vomit a lot, like bulimia or gastroparesis.
The saliva in your mouth acts as a protective coating to add a layer between your exposed mouth and the acid. It’s why your mouth fills with saliva before you puke. But it’s not a magic forcefield, so over time if you vomit more than would be reasonably accounted for by your body (coming from an ex bulimic) your teeth do noticeably begin to errode.
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