Stress can cause problems for your mouth, teeth and gums from teeth grinding and clenching, leading to broken and damaged teeth, headaches, neck and jaw pain and a host of other problems.
Advanced Tooth Decay & Cavities
The more vulnerable your teeth are to tooth decay and cavities, and unhygienic oral practices the more likely you are to chip or break a tooth. Besides these, when have teeth grinding an clenching habits, you may get broken teeth and it will impact your oral health.
So, can stress or anxiety cause your teeth to shift/move? The answer is a resounding YES! If feeling stressed or anxious causes you to develop bruxism, over time the regular grinding and clenching of your teeth and the subsequent pressure on them could cause them to alter position slightly.
Your dentist can tell. During routine dental examinations and cleanings, dentists can detect oral symptoms of stress, including orofacial pain, bruxism, temporomandibular disorders (TMJ), mouth sores and gum disease.
Depression, anxiety and other mental health issues often lead to dental problems. Lack of motivation, changes in routine and dry mouth from medication can lead to poor oral hygiene, periodontal (gum) disease, worn and cracked teeth from clenching and grinding, and dental decay.
Vitamin D plays a key role in bone and tooth mineralization, and when levels are unregulated it can lead to the “rachitic tooth”, which is a defective and hypomineralized organ highly susceptible to fracture and decay [35,36].
Periodontitis (per-e-o-don-TIE-tis), also called gum disease, is a serious gum infection that damages the soft tissue around teeth. Without treatment, periodontitis can destroy the bone that supports your teeth. This can cause teeth to loosen or lead to tooth loss. Periodontitis is common but can usually be prevented.
Stress can make you clench and grind your teeth anytime of the day, without you even realizing it. Your dentist will be able to see signs of clenching and teeth grinding during your examination. If you already clench or grind your teeth when you're not stressed, this can make the habit worse.
There are many conditions we can identify during a visual examination of your oral cavity, even if you don't know you suffer from them. This includes mental health problems such as depression. Recent studies suggest that depression conclude depression is closely related to poor oral health.
Nervous tension, anger and frustration can cause people to clench and grind their teeth without even realizing it. Therefore, it is important for you to keep an eye out for the following signs: tips of the teeth appearing flat, tooth enamel that is rubbed off causing extreme sensitivity, and tongue indentations.
Dental anxiety is fear, anxiety or stress associated with a dental setting. Being scared to visit the dentist can result in delaying or avoiding dental treatment. Things like needles, drills or the dental setting in general can trigger dental anxiety.
Oral anxiety is the stress effects on oral health. Stress or anxiety can impact your oral health; when you are stressed, your immune system is compromised, and while the cause of canker sores is not proven, there is some correlation or higher likelihood between lowered immune and those nasty painful canker sores.
Biting and chewing hard foods, such as popcorn kernels, candy, or ice. Bad oral habits, such as opening lids and cans with your teeth, gum chewing, or ice chewing. Large dental fillings or a root canal – these restorations weaken the tooth structure, potentially causing chips and cracks.
Studies have shown that mental health and oral health may be correlated, with associations demonstrated between mental health problems and tooth loss, periodontal disease, and tooth decay.
Poor oral health can make your mental health worse. You might feel embarrassed about your teeth, or you may find it hard to eat or drink when you're with other people. This can cause you to avoid being with people, which can affect your well-being.
Eating Disorders
The most common diagnosis is erosion due to acidic fruit and drinks, as well as the presence of gastric reflux or frequent vomiting. Between 35% and 38% of patients with eating disorders suffer from tooth erosion.
According to researchers, anywhere between 50 and 80% of adults in the United States have some degree of dental anxiety, ranging from mild to severe. More than 20% of dentally anxious patients do not see a dentist regularly, and anywhere from 9 to 15% of anxious patients avoid care altogether.
Your dentist may prescribe anti-anxiety drugs, such as diazepam (Valium), that you can take one hour before a scheduled dental visit. Your dentist may also recommend conscious sedation, such as nitrous oxide (or “laughing gas”), which can help calm nerves.
As a result, people with Sjögren's disease have dry mouth and dry eyes. Dry mouth affects taste, makes chewing and swallowing more difficult, and increases the risk for cavities, tooth loss, and infections in the mouth.
Periodontal disease, characterized by receding gums, wobbly teeth, and deterioration of the jawbone, is the primary culprit in tooth loss among older adults. It gets started when plaque builds up in the shallow trough between the tooth and the gum.
Vitamin C. Vitamin C plays an important role in the synthesis of collagen in dentin, making it a valuable vitamin when it comes to oral health. Vitamin C also plays a vital role in the growth, repair, and maintenance of teeth.
Vitamin D deficiency is connected to increased risk of tooth decay and gum disease in the mouth. Nearly every patient with dental disease, also has vitamin D deficiency. Other symptoms of a vitamin D deficiency in adults include tiredness, aches and pains, and a general sense of not feeling well.