Is Stress And Anxiety Affecting Your Teeth And Gums?
Our Acton dental team looks at this ever increasing problem.
There is little doubt that we are, as a nation, more stressed than our ancestors were. Despite the advances in housing, diet and general healthcare, we seem to be able to find a never ending source of things to worry about. The fact that we now have the world at our fingertips hasn’t helped matters either. Although there are undoubted benefits to having access to the information that we do now, it seems that we have also lost the ability to switch off and often indulge in what many call ‘doom scrolling’.
It is widely known that stress and anxiety can have an impact on our overall health, but it may also affect your teeth and gums as well. In today’s blog, we will take a look at this ‘modern’ problem and also offer some suggestions as to how the Acton Vale Dental Centre can help you overcome any problems caused by it.
The impact of stress on our teeth
There are two main issues that can cause damage to our teeth and gums. The first of these can have quite an immediate impact and that is when we grind our teeth together. This is more common than you might think and many people who do it may not even be aware as it tends to happen when we sleep. This has been linked to stress in many cases and can be difficult to control.
Mouth guards are available to help prevent the direct contact between the teeth but longer term treatments may include stress reduction techniques, whether this be meditation, relaxation exercise etc. We can help to maintain your teeth during this phase and minimise any potential damage. There are also a number of treatments available to restore your teeth when you no longer grind them.
Fillings, crowns and even dental implants can be used to restore a set of teeth that have been damaged by grinding them together (also called ‘bruxism’). Please contact us if you feel you may be damaging your teeth in this way.
The other aspect of stress and anxiety that can impact our oral health is in our lifestyle habits. People under duress are more likely to eat junk foods which are higher in sugar and are also more likely to smoke and to drink more alcohol than is good for them. All of these things are likely to have an impact on the teeth and gums whether this be tooth decay or gum disease. It is important that you maintain regular dental check ups during this stressful period.
Dental anxiety
When it comes to stress and anxiety, it is impossible to ignore the direct impact this can have on patients whose stress and fear levels rise significantly when a dental appointment is due. There are many reasons why this might be the case. Some people may have had a bad experience in the past or have perhaps picked up the fear from their parents. One likely theory is that we dislike going to the dentist because the treatment takes part very close to where our senses are. Sight, sound and smell are all located very close to the area where the dentist will be carrying out their work. It is unlikely we would have the same level of fear if the procedure were being done at our feet!
We can’t get away from the fact that dental phobia is very real and affects a great number of people. At best, it makes a visit to the dentist a little uncomfortable for them but, in most cases, these people still attend. For some people though, a fear of the dentist can badly affect them to the point that they may not keep their appointments and get out of the habit of seeing a dentist at all.
Although this avoidance ‘tactic’ may work for them in the short term, the reality is that failing to see your dentist on a regular basis is simply storing up problems for the future. Small fillings that might have been carried out due to early stage tooth decay may well evolve into more serious problems, whether this be a larger filling or even root canal treatment. If you are nervous about having a small filling, it is going to be even worse if you need something like a root canal treatment and as you are likely to be in significant pain at this point, it will be something that you can’t avoid. It is better to face your fears at a lower level than take a ‘head in the sand’ approach to oral care.
You can be sure that when you attend our Acton dental practice, you will be greeted with a friendly smile from our reception team and will be seen by your dentist as soon as possible. Once in the chair, we are sure that you will find that our experienced and friendly team will help you to relax as much as possible and allow you to have any treatment that is needed.
If you do suffer from anxiety, please do let us know when you book an appointment. Although we always do our best to put all of our patients at ease, it is still useful to know if a patient is especially nervous about the clinical environment.
If you would like to talk to us about this or would like to book an appointment, please call the Acton Vale Dental Centre on 020 8749 3267.