Whether the craziness of the holiday season is getting to you, or you simply have a lot on your plate on a regular basis, chronic stress can do more than just affect your mental health in the long term. In fact, you may notice unpleasant symptoms in your mouth because of your stress levels. What are these oral health problems, and what can you do about them? Continue reading to learn the answers!
Oral Problems from Stress
Several issues can occur in your mouth resulting from chronic stress. If these problems aren’t addressed, your smile can suffer irreversible damage.
Clenching or Grinding
When you concentrate, experience anxiety, or even sleep, you may clench or grind your upper and lower teeth together. This excessive pressure can wear down the enamel, eventually leading to chips or cracks. With weaker teeth, you can’t bite and chew comfortably, and you’re more likely to feel dental pain.
Jaw Pain
While you grind or clench your teeth, your jaw joint can feel tight while forced closed. As a result, opening and closing your mouth can become painful or difficult. Every once in a while, jaw pain may not be a huge concern, but if it happens chronically, it can indicate a more significant problem with your bite.
Canker Sores
Studies have found that stress as well as a Vitamin B deficiency can trigger these soft tissue sores, and they can be painful and annoying.
Poor Oral Hygiene
Distracted by the cause of your stress, you may fail to maintain appropriate hygiene, including brushing and flossing every day. However, these little habits prevent bacteria from building up and creating problems like gum disease and cavities.
Ways to Protect Your Teeth While Stressed
Fortunately, you don’t have to sit back and simply watch the havoc stress can wreak on your smile. Although treatments like dental crowns can fix issues after the fact, you can take preventive action to stop damage to your teeth.
Visit Your Dentist Regularly
Seeing your dentist at least every six months offers two benefits. The first is a chance for the dentist to spot and treat harm before it gets worse. The second is the opportunity to have a professional clean your teeth with specialized tools. This cleaning can remove hardened plaque and reduce the chances of gum disease and cavities in the future.
Practice Healthy At-Home Habits
No matter what occurs in life, certain self-care steps need to happen every day to ensure your well-being. Oral hygiene fits into this category. Devote two minutes twice per day to brushing and remove debris and plaque between your teeth through flossing to limit the impact bacteria can have in your mouth.
Get a Nightguard
If you clench or grind your teeth during sleep, your dentist can provide a customized mouthguard that separates the upper and lower arches. With this buffer, they can’t damage each other. In addition, specialized mouthguards can also ease the tension in the jaw joint.
Learn Healthy Ways to Cope with Stress
Although you can’t eliminate sources of stress completely, you can build resilience and cope with this natural feeling. Relaxation exercises, meditation, counseling, and deep breathing can all decrease the effect of stress on your body.
Unfortunately, stress is an inevitable part of life, but it doesn’t have to harm your smile. You could simply treat the outcomes afterward, or you can be proactive and get ahead of stress, protecting your teeth from permanent damage. That way, you’re ready to face whatever comes next!
About Williamsburg Dental
Williamsburg Dental may have six locations throughout the Lincoln area, but that doesn’t mean we’re not engrained in the communities we inhabit. We’re locally owned and operated, which means we not only take time to form relationships based on trust, but we also customize treatment to each patient’s needs. We offer comprehensive services, so you don’t have to go to specialist offices for most procedures. If you would like to schedule an appointment with us, select your preferred location and give us a call!