{"id":981,"date":"2019-08-06T16:46:29","date_gmt":"2019-08-06T16:46:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/?p=981"},"modified":"2019-08-26T16:48:21","modified_gmt":"2019-08-26T16:48:21","slug":"4-ways-stress-impacts-teeth-and-how-to-take-back-your-oral-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/4-ways-stress-impacts-teeth-and-how-to-take-back-your-oral-health\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways Stress Impacts Teeth and How to Take Back Your Oral Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/AdobeStock_128413431__1566835853_35660.jpg\" alt=\"a man under a lot of stress\" class=\"wp-image-982\" width=\"267\" height=\"210\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/AdobeStock_128413431__1566835853_35660.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/AdobeStock_128413431__1566835853_35660-300x236.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/AdobeStock_128413431__1566835853_35660-768x604.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 267px) 100vw, 267px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Oftentimes, stress is a part of life. Whether it is work,\nschool, kids, or other obligations that require time and effort on your part, you\ncan find yourself becoming overwhelmed, overworked, and overly exhausted every\nday. When stress builds, it not only impacts your mind and your overall health,\nbut it can negatively affect your teeth and gums, too. Discover just how much <a href=\"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/restorative-dentistry.html\">stress\nimpacts teeth<\/a> and what you can do to take back your oral health. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Impact of Stress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You hear all the time how important it is to relieve stress\nand maintain a balance in your life. If you\u2019re like most people, you\u2019re probably\nthinking, \u201cYeah, that\u2019s a lot easier said than done.\u201d If you keep pushing your\nstress aside and avoid trying to find a way to alleviate it, it\u2019s eventually\ngoing to catch up to you, and unfortunately, it can be at the cost of your\nsmile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Over the years, researchers have worked to find a connection\nbetween stress and declining oral health. Discovering that there is, in fact, a\nlink, they have discovered several ways stress can impact a person\u2019s teeth.\nHere are 4 of those ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Teeth Grinding: <\/strong>If you battle extreme\nstress, you may lean toward grinding or clenching your teeth. Teeth grinding,\nalso known as Bruxism, can lead to chronic jaw pain, broken or damaged teeth,\nheadaches, and even sleep disorders.<\/li><li><strong>Gum Problems: <\/strong>Stress weakens your body\u2019s\nimmune system, making it harder to fight off infection. If gum disease is\npresent, the infection can spread beneath the gum line and into the\nbloodstream. With your body unable to fight it off, this can lead to serious\nhealth problems such as heart attack or stroke. <\/li><li><strong>TMJ: <\/strong>Many individuals who battle stress\noften complain of severe jaw pain, which can lead to TMJ or Temporomandibular\nJoint Disorder (TMD). It can cause your neck to become stiff, swelling to\noccur, teeth to grind, and your jaw to pop when opening or closing.<\/li><li><strong>Nail Biting<\/strong>: A common habit for many\npeople, nail biting can lead to excessive wear and tear on your tooth enamel,\nas well as a transferring of germs. Not only can it result in a mouth infection\nbecause of germs under your nails going into your oral cavity, but if you have\na bacteria or virus on your hands and put them in your mouth, it can be transmitted\nto your body. <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ways to Relieve Stress<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To prevent any of the above-mentioned conditions from\ndeveloping, it is best if you find ways to relieve and\/or alleviate your\nstress. While it won\u2019t be an overnight remedy, if practiced continually, you\nwill most likely begin to see a difference. The first step is to talk to your doctor\nabout beneficial methods to relieve your stress. They might suggest:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Exercising<\/li><li>Meditation<\/li><li>Talking to a counselor<\/li><li>Spend time with those you love and enjoy<\/li><li>Reduce the amount of caffeine you drink<\/li><li>Keep a journal<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Taking Back Your Oral Health<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While you work to reduce the amount of stress in your life,\nthere are a few things you can do to improve your oral health, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Talking to your dentist about wearing a\nmouthguard at night to keep your teeth from grinding<\/li><li>Keeping a pack of sugarless gum in your pocket or\non your desk to keep from biting your nails<\/li><li>Brushing, flossing, and rinsing your teeth and\ngums as instructed to prevent tooth decay or gum disease from developing<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Don\u2019t let stress get the best of you. There are things\nyou can do to not only improve your oral health but your overall well-being. If\nyou\u2019re unsure how to get started, talk to a loved one or doctor to find a\nsolution that\u2019s right for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>About the Author <\/strong><br>Dr. Rick Cofer opened Premier Family in February 2012. He earned a degree in biology from McMurray University before going on to attend Baylor School of Dentistry. For more than 5 years, he has been associated with Texas Advanced Dental Seminars and Seattle Study Club. Dr. Cofer and his team are equipped to help you take back your oral health if you\u2019ve been suffering from dental problems. Whether it\u2019s poor oral hygiene practices, damage, or stress that\u2019s causing your teeth and gums to decline, he can not only restore your smile but also give you ways to keep it healthy and strong at home. To learn more about our our-services, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/contact.html\">contact<\/a> us at <strong>(254) 732-0309.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oftentimes, stress is a part of life. Whether it is work, school, kids, or other obligations that require time and effort on your part, you can find yourself becoming overwhelmed, overworked, and overly exhausted every day. When stress builds, it not only impacts your mind and your overall health, but it can negatively affect your [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/981","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=981"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/981\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":983,"href":"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/981\/revisions\/983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=981"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=981"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.premierdentalwaco.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=981"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}