After a stressful day of planning holiday dinners for dozens of people and going all-out on decorating your house for the season, the time crunch of getting everything you need done before your family arrives from all around the country is stressful. When you lay your head on your pillow at the end of the night to fall asleep, your body is still tense, and the built-up tension from the day can manifest into harmful conditions like bruxism, or teeth grinding and clenching. Read on to learn how to protect your oral health from the stress of the holidays.
What Oral Health Concerns Are Caused By Stress?
The endless planning, organizing, and hosting involved during the holidays can impact your mental and oral health. Several studies have linked stress to oral health conditions that can result in the need for dental treatments. These include:
- Oral Sores: one of the primary causes for canker and cold sores is emotional stress.
- Bruxism: constant worry, stress, and anxiety can cause you to clench and grind your teeth at night.
- Gum Disease: studies have shown that stress impacts your immune system, making it more difficult to fight off infections and harmful diseases.
- Dry Mouth: stress can cause dry mouth, which allows for the accumulation of harmful oral bacteria and food particles.
If you know you’re stressed, it’s important to be able to spot the signs of these oral health concerns before they cause permanent damage to your mouth. When you visit your dentist, they can develop customized treatments and give you preventive care to help avoid the formation of additional problems.
Dealing With Your Stress During the Holidays
You can help handle your stress over the holidays by developing different techniques and habits. It also never hurts to speak to someone about what’s causing your worry and anxiety. Here are some ways you can handle stress:
- Develop techniques to manage yourself in stressful situations, such as reciting a mantra, taking yourself out of the stressful environment if possible, or journaling.
- Get your recommended amount of sleep.
- Eat a healthy and nutritious diet.
- Stay active by exercising.
- Manage your time.
Protecting Your Teeth
Attempting to manage your stress may not always immediately provide protection for your teeth, especially if you notice signs of gum disease or bruxism. Luckily, your dentist offers customized nightguards that keep your teeth from rubbing against each other and wearing down enamel. They also provide gum disease treatment that keeps the issue from becoming more severe. The best way to keep these problems from ruining your holidays is to immediately notify your dentist about them. With the proper preventive techniques and measures in place, you’ll be able to keep oral health problems from popping up during an already stressful time of the year.
About the Author
Dr. Dhavalkumar Rana has been a dentist for nearly a decade. He is committed to improving the oral health of his patients and ensuring that they have the proper tools and preventive treatments to keep small issues from becoming more serious. He has mastered several advanced dental treatments and has completed a periodontal honors program and extensive dental implant training. For questions or to learn how your mouth is being impacted by holiday stress, visit TrueCare Dentistry’s website or call 469-399-7288.