Dr. Snider and Dr. Marr are blogging from Fort Worth, TX today to explain how stress can damage our dental health and how dental implants can help to solve bad dental hygiene issues. We already know that long- term and short- term stress can cause detrimental effects on our mental and physical health, but did you know that we can add oral health to that list as well? Stress, alone, can be the direct result of plenty of dental hygiene issues that lead us to need professional help with our oral cavity.
Stress can creep into our lives through almost anything: family issues, suffering from a loss, work complications, health related issues, relationship hardships, and especially financial problems. It is hard not to let stress get the best of us in these challenging times. We become susceptible to so much pain and grief in times such as these, it is hard to remember the important things; one of those being our dental health. Every morning we should be spending the proper time and care on our teeth to make sure that even if we are going through a hard time, at least our teeth do not have to suffer as well.
Stress can cause periodontal disease. Once our immune systems have been compromised by massive amounts of stress, our oral cavity becomes a victim to infections and contamination very easily. Studies done at the State University of New York at Buffalo, University of South Carolina, and the University of Michigan show that those at greatest risk for periodontal disease were those who were highly emotional in dealing with financial problems. The oral health of those with financial were compared with those who had other pressures, such as stress over the children, spouse, single life or work. People strapped for cash had the most severe periodontal disease.
Stress can cause bad dry mouth. In the relationship between our mouth and our saliva, saliva is our best friend. A lack of saliva leads to fast spreading bacteria, which ruin our dental health if not treated in a timely manner and let’s not forget bad breath. Chronic dryness can be very bad for oral hygiene, we must always make sure to keep our mouths fresh by brushing our teeth and drinking water throughout the day to help eliminate that nasty bacteria.
Stress can easily cause bruxism, better known as teeth- grinding. If we are experiencing difficult times, this can lead to our sleeping habits; people suffering from bruxism may not be able to tell until they see physical damage on their teeth. The more stressed we are, the more we tend to clench our jaw and teeth as a natural habit; this will lead to continuing this habit in your sleep which will cause your teeth to suffer. We cannot even hide from stress in our sleep anymore, if you are suffering from bruxism or suspect that you are, tell your dentist and he will give you a night guard to protect your jaw and teeth.
If any of these dental health issues continue to worsen or your teeth and gums have gotten too worn down, you may want to try dental implants to replace those unhealthy teeth. Dental implants may be able to take away your dental worries, which will help eliminate at least some of the stress you are already experiencing. This simple procedure can help improve your overall dental health and help to prevent further issues in the future. Want to learn more about our dental implant process? Visit our Dental Implant Info page to see if you are a good candidate for this procedure.
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Don’t add your dental hygiene to your stress list anymore, you may be able to solve these issues today with our dental implant procedure. If you are sick of stressing about your oral health, give us a call today at 817- 697- 3488 to get your very own stress- free smile!