Experiencing stress can be the cause of many teeth, mouth, gum or jaw problems, but experiencing oral health problems can lead to more stress which then exacerbates the problems. It's therefore crucial to deal with the sources of stress in your life before they can have a chance to impact on your oral health.
Teeth grinding can be caused by a number of triggers, but the most common trigger is stress. When you are stressed, you may unconsciously clench your teeth while you sleep or grind your jaw back and forth. Over time, teeth grinding can cause your teeth to wear down or chip, and it can also wear out your TMJ.
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. If you're feeling tense or anxious, you should keep a watchful eye for signs of the following stress-related disorders.
Acute stress, such as from anxious behavior, is a common cause of random pains in the mouth, jaw, teeth, ears, and sinus cavities.
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.
Results. The research evidence suggests that the causes of dental fear, dental anxiety or dental phobia are related to exogenous factors such as direct learning from traumatic experiences, vicarious learning through significant others and the media, and endogenous factors such as inheritance and personality traits.
The effects of anxiety on oral health
If you're currently feeling anxious and overwhelmed by stress, you might experience these oral conditions: Canker sores. Dry mouth. Lichen planus (lacy white lines, red areas or mouth ulcers on the cheek, gums or tongue)
Yes, a toothache caused by stress is possible. Stress and nerves can cause tension effects on the jaw, with stress often causing a person to grind their teeth. When you are clenching the jaw due to stress you can easily cause aches and pains, which is typically a result of wearing down the enamel.
People with dentophobia, also called odontophobia, have a fear of dentists. Someone with dentophobia may have extreme anxiety at the thought of going to the dentist or while in the dentist's office.
People with chronic stress are more prone to tooth decay.
Both of these habits can make you more prone to cavities in the long run. Those who take medications for chronic stress are also often more at risk for dry mouth.
When you are stressed, your immune system is compromised, making it harder for your body to fight infections. High levels of the stress hormone cortisol triggers protein production in the gums that causes inflammation increasing your chances of developing gum diseases like gingivitis and periodontitis.
“People with mental health issues such as stress, anxiety and depression are more likely to suffer from dental problems,” says Dr Thomas. In fact, one report says that people with severe mental illness have 2.7 times the likelihood of losing all their teeth compared to the general population.
Stress increases your risk of gingivitis and gum disease.
And when you're stressed, you release a hormone called cortisol, which can deplete your immune system and allow bacteria to thrive. These bacteria then wreak havoc on your gums, causing them to become inflamed.
A toothache can be caused by anything from a popcorn hull stuck in your gum to a broken tooth or a bacterial infection. Some toothaches may come from temporary gum irritation. But serious toothaches need treatment by a dental professional to resolve the pain and whatever problem is causing it.
Oral Conditions Caused by Stress
Jaw issues, or disorders of the jaw joint or chewing muscles. These can cause pain around the ear or face. Teeth grinding, or bruxism. This can happen during the day, especially when you're concentrating, or at night. Poor oral hygiene, caused by a lack of good brushing and flossing.
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.
Facial dysmorphia is a mental health condition where the sufferer has a warped perception of the appearance of their face. This commonly includes distorted views on how their nose, skin and teeth look.
Depression can affect oral health as a result of neglecting oral hygiene procedures, cariogenic nutrition, avoidance of necessary dental care which leads to an increased risk of dental caries and periodontal disease.
Individuals suffering from eating disorders typically hide their disease, making it difficult for their doctors to detect. However, a dentist can see the signs that indicate eating disorders, such as ulcers and redness, which patients just can't disguise.
Pulp necrosis is when the pulp tissue inside of your tooth dies. It's usually caused by an infection that develops when bacteria enter the pulp through a cavity or crack. Brushing twice a day, flossing regularly and routine dental visits can help prevent an infection or treat it before it causes necrosis.
Clenching and grinding can be accelerated by stress and is a common cause for tooth-aches and jaw disorders. The added pressure to your teeth when clenching can cause individual or multiple teeth to become “hyper-aware” to other stimuli like temperature, chewing, and brushing.