Is Stress Negatively Affecting Your Oral Heatlh?

Does stress affect your teeth? Yes—although you may not realize it, stress causes many side effects that can have a detrimental impact on your oral health. Chronic stress weakens your immune system, leaving you vulnerable to the infections that cause cavities and gum disease. If you have stress-related tooth decay, the dentists at Sunrise Dental in Peoria will help you get the treatment you need.

How does stress affect your teeth?

Stress might make you grind your teeth or clench your jaw, causing unintentional damage to your teeth. It triggers many negative side effects like headaches, teeth grinding, jaw clenching, TMJ, nail biting, and even canker sores. Chronic stress also weakens your body’s ability to fight infections and makes you more susceptible to diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis. 

Stress can lead to bad habits like smoking cigarettes or drinking sugary beverages that cause tooth decay. Germs from nail biting cause oral infections, and so can stress-related mouth ulcers. High stress levels even disrupt your daily routines—people under a lot of stress might forget to brush or spend less time taking care of their teeth and gums than they normally would.

Tooth Pain from Stress

Tooth pain from anxiety or stress is usually caused by bruxism, or teeth grinding. Many people grind their teeth unconsciously from time to time while they are awake, but the majority of teeth grinding happens while you sleep. Teeth grinding causes enamel damage, breakage, and even tooth loss in severe cases. You might not be aware that the symptoms you’ve been experiencing are related to bruxism until your dentist spots the signs.

For teeth grinding caused by stress, night guards can help. Teeth grinding guards cushion your teeth and ease the pressure on your jaw while you sleep. They protect your teeth from damage and also relieve the jaw pain, headaches, and other symptoms caused by bruxism. At Sunrise Dental, we can recommend the most comfortable, most effective mouth guards and even fit you for a custom guard.

Contact Us

Stress does affect your teeth, but we can help. At Sunrise Dental in Peoria, we specialize in keeping dental care as stress-free as possible. Our friendly dentists Dr. Timothy Mettler, Dr. Victoria Griego, and Dr. Andrew Mikhail are committed to providing the highest level of dental care. If you need treatment for stress-related teeth grinding or gum disease, call us at 623-487-4870 or visit our website to request an appointment today.

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