How Stress Affects Your Oral and Dental Health

Unmanaged stress can cause many physiological problems in the individual. Staying under stress for a long time also negatively affects oral and dental health.

Can Stress Cause Toothaches?

If stress management is not provided, the individual may clench his/her teeth without realising it. This situation can be seen as clenching during sleep or daytime clenching. Long-term clenching causes toothaches due to stress. A person with aching teeth should follow whether the patient clenches teeth during the day, and if the patient realises that he/she clenches teeth, the patient should definitely consult a dentist.

In the long term, the individual who has the problem of stress teeth grinding faces issues such as tooth enamel wear, cracking, deterioration in tooth structure, deterioration in crown dental treatments, an increase in tooth crowding, and jaw and joint disorders.

Can stress make your teeth hurt?

In today's world, stress has unfortunately become a part of life. When stress is experienced, various hormones are secreted in our body. These hormones cause tension in our muscles. In individuals who are under intense stress for a long time, especially when the jaw muscle is tightened too much, it causes pain in the jaw. Excessive pressure can be applied to the teeth due to tightening of the jaw muscles. In this case, there is pain in the teeth due to stress.

Stress toothache is usually caused by the problem of clenching teeth caused by stress. The individual who has a problem with stress Teeth grinding may feel pain in his jaw, teeth, and gums because he strains his jaw muscles too much. Individuals who experience clenching problems, especially at night, wake up in the morning with pain in their jaws and teeth.

In cases where the problem of clenching is not eliminated with stress management or bruxism treatment is not applied, deformities, cracking, and fractures can be seen in the teeth due to clenching.

Effects of stress on oral and dental health

Stress, which is a part of modern life, affects physical and psychological health. Stress can also have negative effects on oral and dental health. There are several ways to observe the effects of stress on dental health:

Stress-induced clenching and grinding of teeth (bruxism):

Under stress, many people clench or grind their teeth without realising it. This can damage the tooth enamel and cause wear, cracks or fractures in the teeth. It can also damage the jaw joints (temporomandibular joint - TMJ), leading to problems such as jaw pain, headaches and tension in the facial muscles. Temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) is a condition that needs to be treated. These movements made unconsciously during the night can cause serious problems in the tooth structure in the long term.

Increased canker sores in the mouth:

Stress can weaken the immune system and cause white and painful canker sores in the mouth. Stress can also increase the risk of infection in the mouth.

Reduced saliva

Stress can reduce saliva production by affecting the body's hormonal balance. Saliva is vital for oral health. Saliva protects the teeth, removes food debris, and prevents bacterial growth. When saliva is reduced, dry mouth (xerostomia) occurs, which increases the risk of tooth decay and gum disease. Chronic dry mouth can seriously threaten oral health over time.

Weakening of the immune system:

Stress suppresses the immune system, reducing the body's ability to fight infections. This can increase susceptibility to gum diseases such as gingivitis and the more serious condition periodontitis. Untreated gum diseases can lead to serious consequences, including tooth loss.

The patient may become completely toothless. The patient who loses his/her natural teeth will have difficulty in feeding and speaking. In this case, either removable prosthesis (denture) treatment or whole mouth implant treatments such as all on 4 implants and all on 6 implants are applied to protect the general health of the patient.

Neglect of dental care:

Individuals under stress often neglect oral care habits such as brushing, flossing, and regular dental check-ups. This can lead to an increase in dental caries and other oral health problems. Particularly intense work tempo and daily stress factors can cause individuals to neglect their oral health.

Stress-induced bad habits:

Stress can lead to bad habits like nail biting, pen biting, squeezing hard objects with teeth, and trying to bend them. This situation especially damages the tooth enamel.

Poor eating habits due to stress:

To cope with stress, some individuals turn to harmful habits such as smoking, drinking alcohol, or consuming too much sugary food. Such habits negatively affect both general body health and oral and dental health and pave the way for various diseases.

Increase in the number of decayed teeth due to stress:

The number of decayed teeth goes up when things like stress-related poor nutrition, bad oral hygiene, damaging tooth enamel by clenching teeth, and less saliva are all present at the same time.

Does stress damage teeth?

Stress can damage teeth. Problems such as clenching teeth and neglecting personal care may occur due to stress. In these cases, there may be problems such as tooth decay, tooth fracture, fracture of crowns, jaw and joint disorders, and the sound of a clunking sound from the jaw.

Tips for coping with stress and protecting oral and dental health

It is necessary to know stress management to get rid of all oral and dental health problems, such as toothache from stress, tooth decay from stress, jaw and joint disorders from stress, and teeth grinding from stress.

To lessen the detrimental effects of stress on dental health, use the following techniques:

• Practicing relaxation techniques: Relaxation techniques such as yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises can help maintain oral and dental health by reducing stress levels.
• Paying attention to sleep patterns: Good quality and adequate sleep can reduce the risk of clenching during the night by reducing stress.
• Use of a night plate: In consultation with the dentist, you can obtain a night plate to protect your teeth if bruxism is an issue.
• Regular dental examinations: To keep the effects of stress on dental health under control and to detect possible problems early, regular dental examinations should be carried out.
• Develop healthy habits: Avoiding harmful habits like smoking, alcohol, frequent snacking, and excessive sugar consumption will protect your oral and dental health.

As a result, the negative effects of stress on dental health can reach serious dimensions. However, regular oral care, healthy habits, and stress management methods can minimise these effects. Staying in contact with your dentist is an important step in both understanding the effects of stress on oral health and taking precautions.

Are there psychological causes of toothache?

It would not be correct to say that the psychological causes of toothache are the following. PPsychological tension and the inability to manage stress indirectly lead to toothache.

Stress causes the release of hormones that make the muscles tense. These hormones affect the whole bodyIt causes jaw muscles to contract and unconsciously clench teeth. As a result of the effects of long-lasting stress on the body, toothache may occur.

Can stress cause tooth decay?

If there is intense stress that takes over a large part of life, this has many effects on the body. Saliva secretion may decrease due to stress. Saliva is a liquid that acts as a natural cleanser and prevents the increase of harmful bacteria in the mouth. Its decrease means that the number of harmful bacteria increases rapidly. Harmful bacteria cause tartar, gum disease, and tooth decay. In patients who apply to the dentist early, tartar cleaning and caries treatment are performed. For the problem of clenching teeth, the patient is advised to use night plates or jaw joint treatments are applied.

Individuals may not pay attention to oral hygiene due to stress. They may neglect regular tooth brushing, flossing, use of an interface brush, and mouthwash. Inadequate oral hygiene leads to caries.

The individual who cannot cope with stress may increase smoking and alcohol use. The individual may eat frequently; fast food consumption may increase; and they may eat unhealthy foods. They may turn to sugary, acidic foods. All these habits can weaken the tooth enamel and lead to a rapid increase in dental caries.

Stress can cause teeth grinding at night. This means pressure on the teeth and gums. As a result of tooth clenching, tooth enamel cracking and tooth fracture can be seen. As a result of all these, teeth may decay. Indirectly, stress can lead to tooth decay.

Tooth decay creates both aesthetic and functional problems. The dentist should be consulted before the decay progresses. Depending on the level of decay, the dentist may apply filling, canal treatment, or dental coating treatment. In the case of unrecoverable decayed teeth, tooth extraction is performed to protect other teeth and for general oral health. In this case, implant treatment can be applied to regain the teeth aesthetically and functionally.

Do teeth ache from stress? Does psychology have an effect on toothache?

Good mental health also supports good physical health. Psychological problems such as anxiety, depression, etc., can cause pain and aches in many parts of the body, as well as a feeling of aching in the teeth.

Psychological factors can cause the individual to experience physical symptoms. When no physical problem is observed by the doctor, it is stated that the symptoms are psychological. The person experiencing somatization should learn stress management. It is possible to achieve oral and dental health with stress management and dentist support.

Do gums swell due to stress?

If the individual could not maintain oral hygiene due to stress (regular tooth brushing, flossing, use of an interface brush, use of mouthwash), if you have bad habits, infection may occur in the mouth, and gums may swell due to stress. The individual can get gum diseases due to stress.

Do gums bleed due to stress?

If the cardiovascular health of the individual is impaired due to stress, the immune system is suppressed, oral hygiene is not ensured, and pressure is applied to the gums with teeth grinding, gum health deteriorates. There may be bleeding gums due to stress.

Does stress cause teeth clenching during sleep?

The most important cause of teeth clenching during sleep is stress. This problem is common in individuals who cannot manage stress. Our dentists recommend the use of a night plaque for the problem of clenching teeth.

Individuals with gum disease should definitely be treated; otherwise, they may experience tooth loss even if their teeth are not decayed.

Do teeth shake from stress? Do teeth fall out from stress?

If the individual has gum diseases with the indirect effect of stress, the teeth may shake and fall out as a result of the progression of the disease. With gum disease, gums recede, tooth roots are exposed, and teeth shake and fall out.

Does stress cause tooth sensitivity?

Many people experience bruxism due to stress. Serious pressure is applied to the tooth enamel and gums. Bruxism can cause tooth sensitivity.

Dental treatments are performed by our experienced dentists. Make an appointment for your check-up at one of our Dentapolitan Oral and Dental Health Hospitals in Turkey, Istanbul.