Holiday Stress and Your Teeth

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and Carolina’s Dental Choice loves the holiday season. Spending time with our family and friends, enjoying good food, and giving gifts are part of what makes the holidays fun. But the holiday season can also be stressful. With so many gifts to buy, holiday shopping is a nightmare. And even though we love them, sometimes our family makes us want to pull our hair out. But did you know that the effects stress can also show signs on your teeth? Be careful this holiday season that your stress doesn’t affect your teeth. Here are a few ways that stress can make its way into your mouth and affect your oral health.

Bruxism

What is Bruxism? This is the term dentists use to refer to the grinding of teeth or the clenching of the jaws. Everyone knows that grinding your teeth isn’t great for them and many things can be causing it, but one of the major causes of this is stress. Most often, people don’t even realize they are grinding their teeth because often it happens while you’re asleep. That doesn’t mean you can be clenching your teeth while you’re awake but many people suffer from sleep bruxism.

Studies have shown that people with high levels of stress in their lives are more likely to suffer bruxism. This is dangerous because bruxism wears down your teeth. This causes tooth sensitivity and can even lead to loose teeth or fractured teeth, which are not easy fixes.  Not only is this bad for your teeth, this can lead to head aches, a sore jaw, and TMD disorders.

This holiday season. Make sure you are taking care to monitor your stress levels. Take some time to yourself to relax and unwind. Just because you have a lot of holiday shopping to finish doesn’t mean you should risk your oral health. If you think you might be suffering from sleep bruxism, we can fit you for a night guard to protect your teeth.

TMD Disorders

Temporomandibular (TMD) disorders affect the joints that allow your jaw to open, chew, and talk. A common symptom of stress is the clenching of the jaw, which will negatively affect our oral health if it persists. Some symptoms of TMD disorders are:

·         Pain/tenderness of the jaw

·         Pain in either of the temporomandibular joints

·         Pain or an ache in the ear

·         Having a hard time or experiencing pain while chewing

·         Aching pain in the face

·         Difficulty opening and closing the mouth

·         A clicking or grating sensation when opening the mouth

If left untreated, a TMD disorder can cause your jaw to become increasingly difficult to open and close. There are also all the same risks to your teeth as there are with bruxism: wearing down of the teeth, tooth sensitivity, headaches. This holiday season, schedule a dental appointment if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.

Canker Sores

Another way that stress can affect your oral health is the development of canker sores. These sore develop on the inside of your cheeks or the base of the gums. These sores aren’t contagious but they can be painful and annoying to deal with. When people experience high levels of stress, they tend to engage in behavior such as biting the insides of their cheeks which can directly lead to canker sores.

Although they can get confused sometimes, canker sores are not the same thing as cold sores. Cold sores are caused by a virus and are extremely contagious. They occur around the outside of the mouth and canker sores appear inside the cheeks and on the gums.

Over the holidays, high levels of stress are likely to cause simple canker sores. This type of sore usually last around a week. Another type of canker sore is a complex canker sore. This sore occurs less commonly but shows up more often for those who have had canker sores in the past.

Be careful this holiday season and watch your stress level. Canker sores often make it uncomfortable to eat and talk, which is the last thing anyone wants over the holidays. Canker sores are no fun!

Dry Mouth

While this isn’t the first symptom that you think of when you are stressed, dry mouth is common in those experiencing high levels of stress. Stress can inhibit the saliva glands production which is how dry mouth occurs. Not only that, dry mouth is often listed as a symptom on prescription drugs used to help people with their stress levels. Dry mouth is an uncomfortable condition and can lead to further dental issues like tooth decay and gum disease.

 Some things you can do to reduce your risk for dry mouth are:

·         Drink Water: It is suggested that you drink about 3 liters of water a day so that you stay properly hydrated.

·         Chew Sugar-Free Gum: Sugar-free candies or gum are shown to stimulate the flow of saliva, simply due to the act of chewing.

·         Avoid Caffeine: Caffeine actually dries out the mouth which will not help your dry mouth symptoms. Consider drinking a caffeine-free alternative to coffee, tea, or soda instead.

·         Try To Stop Mouth-Breathing: Breathing through your mouth can cause the air flow to dry out your mouth. When you’re face is resting, try breathing through your nose to reduce exposure to air.

·         Use a Humidifier: Because dry air can be a factor in drying out your mouth, using a humidifier to add moisture to the room is a good idea.

Dry mouth puts you at a bigger risk for developing tooth decay and gum disease. To avoid this, take these precautions to treat your dry mouth and don’t forget to brush and floss your teeth at least twice a day this holiday season.

Gum Disease

There is evidence linking stress to the development of periodontal (gum) disease. Studies have shown that there is a link between negative emotions, such as stress, distress, anxiety, depression, and loneliness, and gum disease. Tensions and emotions tend to run high during the holiday season so be careful this month that you are taking care of your teeth properly.

When stressed, the body produces excess levels of the hormone cortisol. This essentially lower the body’s immunity and puts you at a higher risk for gum disease. Stress isn’t the only factor that contributes to the development of gum disease but this holiday season take extra care with your oral health. We all have a lot to stress about this time of year.

Don’t let the extra stress of the holiday season show up on your teeth. Being extra diligent in your oral hygiene this month could save you pain in the future. Make sure you’re brushing and flossing daily and if you have questions have more questions about how to reduce the effects of stress on your teeth, schedule an appointment on our website or call us at (704) 289-9519.