Can Stress Weaken your Teeth?

Have you ever wondered whether or not stress can weaken your teeth? The answer is yes. Too much stress can wreak havoc on your gums, teeth and mouth. You can take a few steps to keep your overall health under control while you are under stress, however, and this includes your mouth. By now you probably already know that your overall health is indeed affected by stress. What most folks don’t realize is that their pearly whites are affected as well. As you work on lessening the levels of your stress, here are a few things to keep in mind.

Neglect

Teeth can become neglected when a person is stressed out. This can be related to depression or sadness and often results in the neglect of personal hygiene. When you are stressed out, it can become hard to handle or manage regular everyday things. Not brushing your teeth may be a result and this leads to tooth decay. You might also stop seeing your dental hygiene provider for consistent checkups. Dry mouth can also be a result of anti depression drugs. This aggravates existing dental problems or is the forerunner of them if you don’t have it yet. The reason for this is that in the prevention of tooth decay, saliva is important. Pay attention to when your mouth seems to be more dry than usual and see your dentist about possible solutions for this. After all, as you get yourself together, you don’t want to add tooth decay to your future issues.

Teeth Grinding

Teeth grinding can be caused by nutrition as well as stress. This is usually accompanied by bruxism or jaw clenching. When you grind your jaw as you sleep and are stressed, this is common. Often, this is unconsciously done so even if you are conscious, you may unknowingly be doing it as well. For those who are already jaw clenchers, stress tends to aggravate the condition. This can lead to teeth fractures, cracks or even worn down molars. It can also lead to TMJ which is a syndrome that has to do with your joints being painful due to all the clenching.  You get pain in your ear, face and jaw. If you have a problem with tooth grinding and jaw clenching, see your dentist immediately.

Fever Blisters and Canker Sores

Of all the mouth problems to go through while you are under stress, the most visible happens to be fever blisters and canker sores in your mouth. An outbreak of fever blisters contagious and are caused by a bodily virus called herpes simplex. These water filled blisters appear in clusters around the mouth. Lack of sleep and stress often trigger this condition. There are available treatments for conditions such as these and the moment you see something that does not look or feel right, see your dentist.

What are canker sores? These are white or gray small ulcers appearing in the mouth and cannot be passed from one person to another. These can however be embarrassing and painful. Doctors and dentists know that stress triggers these conditions.