The Impact of Stress on Your Oral Health

Stress can significantly impact our physical and mental health, particularly in relation to oral health. Understanding the impact of stress on teeth and gums is crucial, and managing stress effectively is essential for maintaining good oral health.

How Does Stress Affect Your Oral Health?

People respond to stress in various ways; don't expect the classic image of people pulling their hair out, as grinding teeth, known as bruxism, is a more common physical response to stress. We might be conscious of it or not, but bruxism can harm the condition of our teeth, possibly resulting in fractures and cavities, and also causing gum inflammation due to irritation.

Some of us might grind our teeth at night making it challenging to halt the habit. If you are affected by teeth grinding during sleep, consider wearing a mouthguard to safeguard your teeth from friction and potential injury.

You might not even know it, but stress can cause a dry mouth; this is another natural way some bodies deal with stress. Why does this happen? One explanation is that we breathe through our mouths more often when stressed because we're not as calm as usual, and we are forced to breathe out with our mouths more.

Otherwise, stress could lead you not to take as much care of your mouth as usual, resulting in forgetting to floss and brush. You might also begin to eat worse when you're stressed, craving “comfort” food, but this is ill-advised because foods high in sugar, acidic content, and fat can all lead to oral problems.

How to Reduce Stress

It's not easy to overcome stress, depending on your circumstances, but you can do a few things to make your life easier. For example, you should exercise as much as possible to release endorphins, generating positivity in the body so you feel lighter mentally. Pure Smiles practices holistic dentistry and hosts regular workshops to help you meditate, calm anxiety and sleep disorders.

Ensure you maintain a healthy diet to go with that exercise. Stopping smoking, reducing your alcohol intake, eating plenty of vegetables, and cutting out sugar can significantly benefit your well-being and subject your teeth to fewer issues.

Take time to relax now and then; it's good to unwind and not be so stressed about the little things in life - your body will thank you for it! Some people like to meditate, while others want to relax and destress by reducing their workload. Whatever works for you, listen to your body if it feels wrong. Book a dental appointment routinely to ensure your oral health is in good condition.

Pure Smiles provides numerous oral care and lifestyle suggestions that can help improve the health of your teeth and gums. If you're interested, feel free to inquire about our OneDeepBreath.Life seminars and participate either in person or virtually - it's essential to set aside time to relax and look after yourself.