Stress can creep up on us in our day-to-day lives, whether it be the daily commute, an important meeting or your personal life, we all feel stressed from time to time. However, sometimes we express our stress in ways that can be damaging to our oral health. As April is Stress Awareness Month, we aim to raise awareness about how stress habits can affect your oral health and some remedies:
Stress habit #1 – grinding teeth
We show signs of stress even when we sleep and some people often wake up with sore jaws from grinding their teeth during the night, which can wear down teeth over time and can be quite painful. As this is a habit happens while your asleep it makes it a hard habit to control!
Remedy:
Custom made mouth-guards will prevent grinding. Come and see us for a consultation and a fitting for your own.
Stress habit #2 – chewing on pencils/pens
Chewing on the ends of pencils or pens is a common habit that many people don’t even realise they’re doing when they’re stressed. However, the continuous nature of grinding on pens or pencils can wear your teeth down, which can cause your teeth to look ragged or uneven and in some cases it can even cause chipping or cracks in your teeth!
Remedy:
Instead try chewing sugar-free gum as it increases the saliva flow in your mouth, which helps to wash away bacteria.
Stress habit #3 – biting nails
A common habit in children but also adults, this habit can lead to long-term jaw pain and uneven teeth tips.
Remedy:
Find other ways to occupy your hands, for example, holding a cup of tea or coffee or even painting your nails, as you won’t want to ruin that nice, new manicure!
