How Do Mental & Oral Health Affect Each Other?

By Author: Roman Kotlarek
Total Articles: 54
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You likely think oral health is only affected by physical things. Whether diet, dental hygiene, or injuries, the material world alone impacts your smile. In reality, though, your mouth is influenced by your mind and vice-versa. If one starts to suffer poor health, so will the other. You'd thus do well to look after both at once. Fortunately, we dentists can help you; here's how mental and oral health shape one another and tips on managing each.

An Ailing Mouth Sours Your Mood
Unfortunately, teeth and gum issues tend to have ripple effects. They often raise a patient’s risk of anxiety and depression over time.

For starters, smile damage can easily lower your confidence and body image. That’s only natural - chipped or missing teeth create awkward social situations. Those incidents can cause trouble with people close to you. As a result, you’d fall into low moods and unstable emotions.

Furthermore, painful conditions like TMJ disorder can trigger depression. Many scientific studies, after all, link pain and depressive feelings. So, aches in your teeth or jaws are a risk to your emotional well-being.

Low ...
... Mood = Damaged Mouth
To be clear, the mental-oral connection isn’t one-sided. Poor dental health can lead to mental problems, but mental issues can also harm your mouth. More specifically, mood disorders could trigger the following outcomes:

Dental Neglect
As you may know, those with depression are less motivated to pursue goals. They may feel there’s no point in striving for them. Unfortunately, this low motivation can reduce a person’s dental hygiene.

One effect of such poor oral care is a higher chance of cavities. By brushing and flossing less, you’re leaving more plaque in your mouth. This substance will then erode your enamel and create tooth holes.

Gum Disease
There’s also a close connection between depression and gum disease. In truth, the former can reduce your mouth’s saliva production. The subsequent dry mouth will cause a great increase in harmful oral bacteria. Should enough of these germs gather, you’ll likely contract gum disease. at

(Truthfully, many gum disease patients also contract depression. The condition’s inflammation of the gums plays a role in depressive symptoms.)

Bruxism (Tooth Grinding)
Ultimately, anxiety disorders can trigger teeth grinding. It’s easy to express stress by clenching your jaw, something that damages your enamel. The habit can even occur while you’re asleep in bed. Plus, you might try to vent your frustration by overbrushing your teeth. In that case, you might suffer from tooth sensitivity and receding gums.

Tips on Managing Mental & Oral Health
Thankfully, you have the power to manage your mental and oral health well. You simply need to adopt the right daily practices. To that end, try using the tips listed below:

• Get Counseling– If you suffer from depression or anxiety, seek out a qualified therapist or counselor. They’ll help diagnose and treat your mood-related problems. As that happens, you’ll be more motivated to care for your teeth and gums.
• Eat Mouth-Healthy Foods – If you eat too much sugar, your smile will decay, and your mind will be unstable. With that said, fill up with mouth-healthy foods instead. Lean proteins, dairy products, and leafy greens will strengthen your teeth and boost your mood.
• Turn Oral Care into Self-Care – Whenever you brush your teeth, say positive things about yourself. Odds are you’ll start linking oral care with a better self-image. Plus, improvements in your teeth will make the self-talk feel justified.

In the end, you should look after oral and mental health at the same time. Therefore, use the tips above and remember to see a dentist regularly!