Chandler Dentist Advises: Lower Your Stress for Better Dental Health

Stress and Dental HealthLowering stress is excellent advice for a number of reasons, such as lower blood pressure, improved heart health, and a more efficient immune system. While you may not naturally consider some dental issues stress-related, better oral health is also a significant advantage of reduced stress levels. Chandler dentist, Dr. Mark Arooni, explores the connection between stress and your oral health, particularly its effect on your jaw’s joints, or TMJs.

Dental Signs of Excessive Stress

In times of stress and anxiety, your muscles can tense up involuntarily, including those that control the motion of your jaws. The human bite can exert up to 200 lbs. of pressure on your back teeth, and while healthy molars are designed to withstand such pressures when you bite and chew, grinding your teeth at inopportune times can crack, fracture, or excessively wear down the structures of your teeth. Your temporomandibular joints (TMJs), which connect your lower jaw to your skull, can also become damaged or misaligned due to the extra pressure. The discomfort that can result from damaged TMJs is known as TMJ disorder, or TMD, and can manifest itself in a number of ways, including;

  • Chronic jaw pain
  • Migraines
  • Earaches and ringing in the ears
  • Facial fatigue
  • Cracked/fractured teeth

Defeat Stress and TMJ Disorder in Chandler

Not every stressful situation is severe enough to cause obvious physical tension, but elevated stress levels have been attributed to bruxism, the habit of constantly clenching and grinding your teeth, which is a significant contributor to TMD. To help reduce your daily stress exposure, try calming and stress relief techniques such as exercising or taking up a hobby. In moments when you feel overwhelmed, try to find a quiet and secluded place to gather your thoughts and steady your breathing. Even a few minutes alone can do wonders for your self-control and help you regain your focus. If your teeth or TMJs are damaged, or if you’d simply like to learn more about protecting your smile, schedule an appointment with your Chandler dentist by calling our office at 480-855-1200. Located in the 85224 area, Lakeview Dental Care proudly serves patients from Chandler, Gilbert, Ahwatukee, Mesa, Tempe, Phoenix, and all surrounding communities.

By Mark Arooni DDS