While the winter holidays are truly wonderful, they can also be stressful sometimes. Their various elements – party-planning, get-togethers, gift-giving, and more – leave many people anxious or frazzled. Such facts aren’t good news for your grin; holiday stress harms your smile. To protect your oral health in the coming days, you should monitor your mouth amid the seasonal tension. If you’d like further details, read over this summary from your local Lakewood dentist.
Holiday Stress Can Cause Oral Issues
As much as people love the holidays, the stress they involve can cause various oral issues. The most common of these include:
Gum Disease
Gum disease is caused by plaque buildup, but stress levels can play a role in its severity. People with high anxiety tend to have worse cases that involve harsher symptoms, effects, etc. Given these facts, a lot of holiday stress would leave your infected gums in poorer shape than ever. The latter isn’t something you’d want to face during all the festivities.
Teeth Grinding
Regardless of its source, intense stress is a major cause of teeth grinding. Frayed nerves make many people press their pearly whites together, increasing the risk of chipped, cracked, or fractured enamel. These sorts of oral injuries can then make tooth infections more likely, as well as lower your confidence and quality of life.
TMJ Disorder
If you get really anxious during the holidays, you may develop a TMJ disorder. This condition often occurs when you clench your jaw from stress, leading to jaw joint pain, jaw popping or clicking, etc. Said stress could easily accumulate as you deal with winter parties, family reunions, and so on.
What You Can Do in Response
Despite the points above, holiday stress doesn’t make oral problems inevitable. You can reduce its potential harm to your grin by using the following tips:
- Opt Out as Needed – If a holiday event would really stress you out, don’t hesitate to opt out of it. You’d be doing your smile a favor.
- Find Time to Relax – Even as the holidays proceed, make time to get away and relax.
- Eat & Sleep Well – In many cases, you can manage your stress levels by eating a balanced diet and sleeping 7-9 hours a night.
- Keep Your Smile Clean – To compensate for holiday stress, remember to look after your smile. That means you should brush twice daily, floss once daily, and occasionally rinse with mouthwash.
Holiday stress harms your smile, but you aren’t entirely at its mercy. Stick to the tricks above to keep your oral health strong all season.
About the Practice
Dedicated Dentistry is based in Lakewood, CO. Led by Dr. Tavi Henry, our practice is always here to help patients of all ages and backgrounds. We offer comprehensive dental care that’s geared toward kids, adults, and even seniors, so our team has you covered. Whether you need a dental checkup or dental implants, you can trust us to make your smile thrive! For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (303)-984-1400.