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The past year or so has been… interesting, to say the least. With lockdowns, working from home, schooling from home, and everything in between, it’s only normal to feel more stressed than usual. But during these times of increased stress, it’s more important than ever to take care of your health. After all, stress can put us at increased risk for health problems such as heart disease, gastrointestinal issues, and a less effective immune system. But that’s not all. Stress can also put your oral health at risk and require a visit to your dentist in Reno.
How Stress Relates to Oral Health
There was an article published in the New York Times that details one dentist’s experience with seeing an increase in patients with dental damage during the pandemic. Now, while a pandemic is certainly a good reason to stress, there are other everyday stressors that can also cause problems with your oral health, with or without a pandemic.
Teeth Clenching & Grinding – When we become stressed, we may notice an increased heart rate or feelings of anxiety. But what we may not notice, at least not right away, is how we clench our teeth together tightly or grind them back and forth against each other. But these two habits that often occur subconsciously can cause some serious problems in your mouth. Repeatedly clenching or grinding your teeth can cause teeth to chip, break, or crack, requiring restorative dentistry treatment from your dentist in Reno. What’s more, that repetitive movement and pressure of clenching and grinding your teeth can put excessive stress on the jaw joint. Over time, this can cause TMD (temporomandibular disorder), a painful condition that causes jaw popping, jaw pain, or clicking of the jaw.
Gum Disease – High stress levels may also increase the risk of developing gum disease. Gum disease is a serious infection in the mouth that can lead to tooth loss and other problems throughout the body including heart disease, kidney disease, and even some cancers. Gum disease can be treated and reversed if caught early, but in its more advanced stages, it becomes irreversible. Gum disease is usually the result of poor oral hygiene, but stress can also put you at risk for this concerning problem. If you notice signs of gum disease including red swollen gums, bleeding when your brush or floss, or chronic bad breath, schedule an appointment with your dentist in Reno.
Canker Sores – We’re all pretty familiar with canker sores — those painful lip sores that seem to pop up from nowhere. While there is no concrete cause behind these pesky pimple-like sores, research conducted by the Academy of General Dentistry suggests a possible correlation between stress and the development of canker sores. Even though these sores can be painful, they’re not contagious and should go away on their own.
Lower Stress, Protect Your Health
Whenever you’re feeling stressed out, it’s important to try some stress-reducing activities to ease your mind and protect your oral and overall health. Some things you can try include:
- Sleeping. Aim to get 8 hours of sleep a night to refresh your mind and body.
- Exercising. A quick sweat session can release feel-good hormones called endorphins and lower stress.
- Meditating. There’s a ton of value in simply taking a few quiet minutes to just breathe. Focusing on your breath can lower your heart rate and make you feel more relaxed.
Now more than ever, it’s important to do everything we can to manage stress to keep ourselves healthy. So get some sleep, get sweaty, and breathe it out.
Why is it so important to take action when you have periodontal troubles? When you suffer a cavity, the damage that results from decay can cause serious complications. You can reach a point where an infection spreads to your pulp, damages the living tissue housed in this space, and continues to spread to your jawbone. What happens when you let periodontal troubles escalate? You might not realize it, but the biggest risk factor when it comes to adult tooth loss concerns your gum health. Advanced periodontal infections lead to the destruction of bone and soft tissue that support your teeth. If you want to make sure that your gums stay healthy – and that your smile stays complete – make sure to 
Are you worried about the health of your gums? There are several signs that can let you know you might have a problem – you could bleed easily when you brush and floss, or notice that the tissue appears red, or swollen. Taking care of your gums can have a significant impact on your overall health. If you think you might need to do something about an infection, let your dentist know. 
A mouth that is cavity-free is not always a mouth that could be considered problem-free. 
Gum disease can lead to a recession of your gum line, cause bad breath, and make you more prone to bleeding when you clean your teeth. What you need to know is that your teeth can be jeopardized by an advanced infection, too. As gum disease worsens, it can developed into its advanced form, periodontitis. At this stage, your gum disease can break down the tissues keeping your teeth firmly in place – this is capable of loosening teeth to the point that they fall out, or have to be removed. While the earlier stage of gum disease, gingivitis, can be reversed, periodontitis is something that can only be managed. 
When you brush and floss your teeth effectively, you can be confident that your teeth are being cared for. However, you may be unsure of what you need to do to protect your gums from harm. Periodontal care is no minor concern – gum disease has been linked to other health problems, and can make your risk for adult tooth loss elevate sharply. The good news is that general preventive care at home through brushing and flossing can have a positive impact. 
What would it take you to schedule a trip to see your dentist? Hopefully, you are keeping up with regular dental visits, and already have a future appointment set. Unfortunately, not everyone maintains that commitment to their oral health. For some, a trip to the dentist is only necessary when they have a problem, and are worried about a cavity. A cavity certainly does call for your dentist’s attention, but it is not the only condition they can help with. You should also be watching your gums for signs of periodontal disease. As a condition starts to develop, 
A healthy set of teeth is vital to good oral health, but there are other problems that can hurt your condition. One problem you should be concerned about is poor gum health. The early stages of gum disease can be expressed through symptoms like reddened periodontal tissue, swelling, or bleeding. You could start to see a recession in your gum line, and you may suffer chronic bad breath. As the condition grows severe, bone and soft tissue damage can create more complicated problems, and increase your risk for tooth loss! Your dentist can offer help for your poor periodontal condition by 
Losing a tooth can make you uncomfortable with your smile, and complicate simple tasks like biting and chewing. It can cause you to place extra wear and tear on surrounding teeth, and even put you at risk for further tooth loss. Your dentist can offer a stable, durable replacement for a lost tooth. Many people will elect to 
Problems with your oral health do not necessarily stop at your oral health. Certain issues can carry over and affect your larger health. You should also know that if you have a change in your general health, it may have an effect on your oral health. One condition that can cause a number of complications is gum disease. Gum disease has been linked to heart disease, which means an existing risk can become even steeper. It can also make preexisting diabetes more difficult to manage. A 
