How Stress Can Affect Your Teeth, Gums, and Overall Oral Health

When most people hear about stress, they immediately think of such things as headaches, exhaustion or difficulty falling asleep, but there is one more problem caused by stress – oral health issues. Chronic stress can impact people's everyday routines and health in such a way that can result in various dental problems.

First of all, stress can lead to teeth grinding, which is called bruxism. It often happens while people sleep and they do not even notice it. As a result, it can cause wearing away of the teeth enamel, their sensitivity, jaw pain and even broken teeth. Also, the muscles of the jaw may become tense due to stress causing jaw soreness and TMJ-related symptoms.

The immune system can also be affected by stress and the body's ability to resist infections will decrease. Besides, some medications that people take in order to cope with stress can cause dry mouth, and the lack of saliva causes tooth decay and bad breath.