Stress is not good. It negatively affects your physical and mental health capacity. This explains why stressed people have common denominator. They have low self-esteem, poor interaction with people, sleeping problems, can’t even drink or eat appropriately and many more. Because stress is becoming more and more alarming today, health specialists and even dental experts undergo interactive patient education to educate people about stress and its implications to their overall health.
According to research, stress can trigger a lot of health problems. It can even poorly trigger lifestyle changes that can be detrimental to your oral health; and though stress effects vary from person to person, this extreme condition is not as easy as ABC to solve even by medical professionals.
Dentists and oral healthcare specialists even have a hard time handling this problem. There are many dental problems associated with stress, including the ones below.
- Bruxism or commonly known as teeth grinding is one of the major setbacks of having too much stress. Majority of individuals who undergo through this suffer from sleep disorder and abnormal bite caused by crooked or missing tooth. Teeth grinding usually happen to people who go through so much frustration, anger, tension and anxiety. Dentists prefer to call bruxism as an unconscious reaction to stressful situations. Excessive and prolonged grinding can flatten your teeth and cause enamel erosion. Thankfully, many dental appliances can help reduce the impact of teeth clenching and grinding. Early appointments with your dentist can address the bruxism issue.
- Gum disease is an early set off case of periodontitis – a periodontal disorder that might be intricate to resolve when diagnosed at a late stage. The condition affects the tissues due to intense build-up of plaques and bacteria which can result in gum infection that can destroy the bones that support your teeth. Researchers proved gum disease’s connection towards emotional trauma and stress; courtesy of statistics level between non-stress and super stress individuals. Gum disease isn’t like other dental problems that naturally go away. It requires professional care.
- Canker sores are mouth ulcers that exist inside your mouth. People who go through stress unconsciously do things that can harm their oral health which usually results to sores. Canker sores may stem from unconscious biting of cheeks and excessive brushing of teeth – common habits that stress people do.
- Dry mouth is a condition of having low saliva production. This lowers your chances of neutralizing acids caused by plaque and bad bacteria. Stress is the common factor of having this condition. Some medications prescribed against stress cause dry mouth.
- Oral cavities or tooth decay is a result of poor dental hygiene. A stress person often binge eats unhealthy food and drinks without practicing basic oral care after. When stress takes over, this leads to higher risks of cavities that can lead to tooth loss.
It takes a strong person to identify himself as having too much stress. If you think you have been off lately and not really yourself, you need professional treatment to avoid dental emergencies. Stress is more than just taking a toll of your oral health. This can induce mental illness. Your personal healthcare specialist is your best shot of addressing this problem.