We all know that stress can play a major role in our health and wellbeing.
From promoting weight gain, to causing anxiety, to affecting our quality of sleep, stress has a way of working itself into nearly every aspect of our lives. Our oral health is no exception.
Particularly at a time when much of the world is experiencing higher levels of stress than normal, it’s important to understand how stress can increase the chance for issues with your mouth, teeth, and gums.
Over time, stress can lead to everything from mouth sores to gum disease to TMJ, but there are things you can do to address these problems and mitigate your risk.
Stress got your smile less than sparkling? Use our 'Find a Dentist' tool to find a provider that's right for you!
Find a Dentist
6 Ways Stress Can Impact Your Smile
Canker Sores
When our body is under high levels of stress, it produces a greater amount of the hormone cortisol, which can wreak some serious havoc on the immune system.
Often, stress and lower immunity manifest in the form of canker sores in various parts of the mouth. While canker sores aren’t contagious, they have the potential to be very painful. This can be addressed with an over-the-counter numbing gel, or your dentist might prescribe a steroid if you get canker sores often. They typically go away on their own in roughly a week to 10 days.
Cold Sores
Unlike canker sores, which aren’t associated with a virus, cold sores (also known as fever blisters) appear on the outside of the mouth and are caused by the herpes simplex virus.
While cold sores are incredibly common — an estimated 90% of U.S. adults have been exposed to the virus by age 50 — they can be embarrassing, painful, and highly contagious. They usually go away on their own in one to two weeks but can heal faster with an over-the-counter medication or antiviral prescription.
Dry Mouth
When you suffer from stress, you have a greater risk for developing dry mouth. Dry mouth can also be a side effect of medications used to treat stress, anxiety, and depression.
While the day-to-day effect is mostly just an uncomfortable feeling, over time dry mouth can lead to tooth decay and gum disease because the lack of saliva lowers the body’s defense against bacteria and fungi in the mouth. If you suffer from dry mouth, your dentist might be able to prescribe a saliva substitute.
Gum Disease
Long-term stress can weaken the body’s ability to fight off infection and lead to an increased risk for gum disease and ultimately tooth loss.
Infections in the mouth can further lower the immune system, encouraging harmful bacteria to spread its way through the body. What’s more, stress can often lead people to make unhealthy lifestyle choices such as eating a lot of highly processed or sugary foods, consuming too much alcohol, or using tobacco — all of which could contribute to gum disease.
Nail Biting
Nail biting may be a common and seemingly harmless reaction to stress, but it can actually affect your oral health.
Germs from your hands and nails can cause infections in the mouth and lead to bacteria and viruses working their way into the rest of your body. For anyone with warts on their hands, biting your nails can potentially transfer those warts to your mouth.
Teeth Grinding and Jaw Clenching (Bruxism)
Feeling stressed out sends a message to our muscles to tense up, often causing us to clench our jaws and grind our teeth.
Though this can happen at any time of the day or night, it most commonly occurs while we’re sleeping and don’t even realize it’s happening. This can cause a host of issues including chipped teeth and horrible headaches. It can also lead to TMJ, resulting in chronic swelling, pain, and locking in the jaw. Your dentist will likely recommend a night guard to be worn while you sleep.
How to Reduce Stress for Better Oral Health
Finding ways to reduce your stress will have a significant impact on your overall health, as well as that of your teeth and gums. Get plenty of sleep, focus on eating a healthy diet, find ways to laugh and smile each day, and get some stress-blasting endorphins with a regular exercise routine.
It also should come as no surprise that maintaining your oral healthcare routine is the #1 way to stay on top of your oral wellbeing, especially during times of increased stress. Brush your teeth twice a day for two minutes each, floss once a day, use an antibacterial mouthwash, and don’t forget to pay a visit to your dentist once every six months. Not only will you be doing a your mouth a favor, but studies have shown that maintaining good oral health is linked to greater confidence and self-esteem.
You may not be able to completely eliminate your stress, but you can certainly take steps to lower the affect that stress has on your mouth, and ultimately the rest of you too.
Stress got your smile less than sparkling? Use our 'Find a Dentist' tool to find a provider that's right for you!
Find a Dentist
