How Stress and Oral Health Are Connected Posted on 5/29/2020 by Sundberg Office Stress can affect every area of our lives, including our oral health. It can often be overlooked, but should be considered, amongst other possibilities, when there is a sudden change in your oral health.
Common Oral Health Issues Which Can Occur During Stressful Times
Stress can wreak havoc on our health lives. Not only can it affect us emotionally, but it also affects us physically. Often when we think of the physical side, we forget that includes our mouths and everything inside of them. Things like canker sores, cold sores, teeth grinding, and all around poor oral hygiene might increase during a stressful time of life. Canker sores and cold sores, (cold sores are also known as fever blisters), can erupt at any time for reasons unknown. But if you are prone to them and pay attention to the timing, you may notice they are more likely to appear during a bout of stress. Fortunately, since stress is often beyond our control in life, there are remedies that can be used to ease the discomfort of cold sores and canker sores. The staff in our office is here to help you choose the best remedy for you. Teeth grinding will often increase or begin happening during stressful times. The added stress in life can sometimes cause us to clench our jaw and start grinding our teeth without even knowing it. It can lead to the deterioration of your teeth enamel, so it should be taken seriously. When life gets extra stressful, sometimes something has to give. Unfortunately for our teeth, it may be our oral hygiene that gives. Maybe we are extra tired, or our mind is filled with other thoughts… so we skip flossing, brushing, or don't take the time to see a dentist. There is a good chance, when stress isn't a factor, those things get done. Our office is here to help. We can't relieve all of your stress, but we can help relieve any concerns you have about your oral health.