There are various factors that unknowingly affect our oral health. Our dental health is not only affected by unhealthy eating and poor oral hygiene habits but also due to stress. Your body tries to respond to some kind of demand or threat by activating your emergency stress system. This can weaken your immune system, making you vulnerable to various diseases.
The way each body reacts to stress is different. The only way to treat stress-related issues is to treat the base cause. Listed below are some impacts of stress that you need to be aware of to prevent dental complications.
Bruxism
Stress often makes you worry a lot. This knowingly or unknowingly results in you grinding your teeth. There may be a possibility that you clench your jaw too. This is called bruxism. Headaches after waking up are a common sign that you grind and clench your teeth at night. Increase in stress level worsens bruxism.
A dentist might suggest a night guard that protects your upper and lower teeth. This will decrease the pressure on your teeth while grinding. Visit a dentist in Northside Edmonton to learn more about treating bruxism due to stress.
Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) Problems
The jaw joint is a complex joint that is controlled by a network of muscles, ligaments and other soft tissues. Clicking or pain around the jaw joint may be a symptom of TMJ disorder. Stress results in making the TMJ pain worse as it makes the muscle tense and sore. As your pain increases, you get more stressed, making the problem more severe. This vicious cycle may continue if the stress is not controlled properly.
Chronic Bad Breath
Stress increases the stomach acid in the body. This results in acid reflux, making the bacteria travel up towards the mouth. This results in bad breath and can be very embarrassing while speaking to others. Also, this acid works as an agent for weakening the tooth enamel, making your teeth vulnerable to cavities.
Dry Mouth
Dry mouth is fear induced. Stress reduces the saliva production making your mouth dry. Saliva helps in washing away the plaque and other bacteria from our mouth. Hence, reduction in the production of saliva can create problems like bad breath, cavities, and more. Certain medications prescribed to tackle stress can also make your mouth dry.
Some other stress-related problems are mouth sores, gum diseases, cheek biting and many more. It is important for any individual to learn how to manage stress. According to dentist in Northside Edmonton stress can induce various dental problems. Getting a regular dental check-up is very important. Book an online appointment with the dental expert for all your oral health issues.