How Stress Can Affect Your Oral Health?
Stress is not enjoyable, and no one wants to be in stress. However, it is important to note that it is not just unpleasant and uncomfortable; it can also have severe adverse effects on your body and oral health. Stress leads to various associated issues in the body, and oral health is a part of this effect.
In this article, we will discuss how stress can affect your oral health and how you can save yourself from the effects of these stress elements. You can take some steps to protect your dental health and also to reduce your stress. However, if you are facing any dental issues in Ottawa, then there are Ottawa dentist with whom you can consult and find the solutions to your problems.
How Does Stress Affect Your Oral Health?
Stress is not good for your mental health as it deteriorates your ability to work effectively. It has various impacts on other parts of the body, and oral health is one part of it. Let’s find out the severe effects of stress on your oral health.
Clenched Jaws
Muscle tension is what follows when we are more stressed. It is one of the natural responses to stress, or it is a reflex reaction of the body when we are under stress. If there is chronic stress, then it can lead to extremely tight muscles in the jaws and lead to pain or temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMJD). It is a condition that severely affects the jaw joints. It can cause jaw pain, popping sounds while talking or eating, dizziness, or migraines. You can face difficulty in opening your mouth, chewing, or even while talking.
Bruxism
When there is increased muscle tension, then it can lead to teeth-grinding issues, which is also known as bruxism. It is an issue that happens during the day and also while you are sleeping. Some people are unaware of the fact that they are grinding their teeth even while sleeping, and thus, it affects their teeth severely. It can cause significant damage by wearing down the enamel, increasing tooth sensitivity, loosening teeth, chipped or cracked teeth, and other such issues. You experience soreness in your jaw, facial muscles, and neck, or there can be frequent headaches due to bruxism. It is harder to detect such a bruxism problem, especially while sleeping.
Canker Sores
Canker sores are small white spots on the soft tissues of the mouth. It is considered a harmless sore, but it can sometimes be painful. These sores can make it difficult for you to eat and talk properly. It happens when a person is under severe stress, and there is a compromise with the body’s immune system, and the body becomes susceptible to developing cankers. These cankers can wither away in one or two weeks, but some cankers remain for a long period.
Dry mouth
The serious effect of stress is dry mouth. It can affect a person’s nervous system and disrupt saliva production, leading to dry mouth situations. It is essential to have saliva production in your mouth, but when there is a problem with your salivary gland, and it reduces the saliva production, then it can lead to a dry mouth situation. Saliva is very important because it helps reduce bacteria formation in the mouth and washes away food particles and sugar residue in the mouth.
Gum Infection
There can be gum infection, inflammation, and other diseases that can occur due to a weak immune system as a result of stress. When there is a compromised immune system, then you can have a hard time fighting for the infection. The stressed body releases the hormones called cortisol that can trigger the production of proteins in the gums, leading to inflammation. Gradually, this chronic gum inflammation can lead to gingivitis or periodontitis issues for the person. It is also possible that due to stress, a person is unable to take care of their oral health, which leads to bacteria formation and gum infection.
Tooth decay, gum infection, bruxism, and other such issues become common problems if there is a high level of stress in the body. So, you should understand the relationship between stress and oral health and try to reduce your stress by practicing mindfulness or meditation. Get enough sleep and also reduce caffeine intake to deal with stressful situations.
