How Stress Affects Your Oral Health


Posted May 12, 2017 by pembrokedental

Trust the 25 experience of Pembroke Pines Dental Associates. Our dentists in Pembroke Pines, Florida, offer nurturing, caring dental treatments for your entire dental needs.Call 954-628-5457!

 
Everyday we face countless problems and difficulties while we struggle to live a meaningful life. If these problems or the stressors became too much for us to handle, then we experienced stress. Stress is actually our body’s natural response to demand or threat. However, too much stress can affect our health even our oral health.

Beware of the effects of stress. Here are some oral health issues that may caused by stress:

Bruxism or Teeth Grinding

One major effect of stress is constant worrying and thinking. Even when you are sleeping, your body may still be affected causing you to grind your teeth at night. This condition is called bruxism. Bruxism can alight into a more serious condition, which is known as temporomandibular joint disorder (TMD).

Since teeth grinding often occurs at night while sleeping, you may not be aware of this and the problem will remain untreated. If you are stressed before going to sleep or when you experienced headaches upon waking up, it is highly possible that you may be grinding you teeth. Wearing a night guard will a be a great help to protect your jaw.

Mouth sores

Mouth sores are minor irritation, which causes sores on soft tissues in the mouth including lips, cheeks, gums, and tongue. Canker sores are the most common type of mouth sores. These may not be a serious problem but they can be very painful. They can last from 2 weeks up to 6 weeks.

Gum Disease

Gum disease have two types. These types include gingivitis, the early stage, and the periodontitis, the latter stage. Gingivitis causes the gums to easily bleed upon brushing. In this condition, the gums may be inflamed and irritated. This can be treated by a good oral hygiene or by a professional mouth cleaning.

It is important to note that not all gingivitis can lead to periodontitis. It is only possible when the gingivitis is left untreated. In periodontits, pockets are formed between the teeth and the gum becuase the latter pulls away from the teeth. When these pockets collects debris, that is how the gums became infected leading to periondontitis. This condition destroys the bone that supports our teeth, thus, tooth loss is always observed with patients having gum disease.

Dry Mouth

Having a dry mouth is most often observed if you are extremely nervous or stressed about something that you have to do. Most patients realized that they are having dry mouth when going into a job interview, job or academic presentation, or stressful appointments. If you frequently experience this, the condition might become dangerous such that it can lead to mouth infection and gingivitis because there is a lack of saliva.

Burning Mouth Syndrome
The medical term for recurrent burning sensation in the mouth including on the lips, gums, palate, or throat without an obvious cause is known as burning mouth. This is often accompanied by dry mouth. It can last for months or years. Consult your doctor to see what is the best treatment for you.
As you can see, based on the above examples, stress and oral health are significantly correlated. Althoug indirectly, the stress we experienced causes a lot of issues to our whole mouth. As much as possible, let us try to lessen the level of stress we experienced by dealing with stressors. Try to do something that you enjoy doing and avoid things that can trigger stress. By taking care of our mental and emotional health, we are also taking care of our physical health.
For other oral health concerns, call Dr. Hakan Kinaci of Pembroke Pines Dental Associates at 954-628-5457.



Sources:
Gingivitis and Periodontal Disease (Gum Disease). (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/oral-health/guide/gingivitis-periodontal-disease#1
Mouth Sores: Definition, Treatments, and 31 Causes with Pictures. (2012, September 10). Retrieved from http://www.healthline.com/health/mouth-sores#2
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Issued By Dr. Hakan Kinaci
Phone 954-628-5457
Business Address 1 SW 129th Ave Suite #406, Pembroke Pines, Florida, 33027
Country United States
Categories Business , Health , Services
Tags dental care , dental care in florida , dental health services , dentist in pembroke , dentistry , oral dentist , oral dentist in pembroke , pembroke oral dentist
Last Updated May 12, 2017