Do You Have an Anxiety Disorder? It Might Be Taking Its Toll on Your Dental Health
The best thing you can do to improve your oral health is to brush and floss on a regular basis. A close second is seeing your dentist twice a year for a dental exam and cleaning. Unfortunately, there are several variables that can impair your oral health, regardless of how thoroughly you brush or how frequently you visit your dentist. It is important that you are aware of them. That’s why we’ve come to teach you how anxiety problems can have an impact on your dental health.
Anxiety disorders can result in a range of dental issues
Let’s start with a definition of anxiety disorders. Any phobia, panic attack, PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), or generalized anxiety is covered. All of these are major disorders that might have a detrimental influence on your dental health.
Anxiety disorders are connected to oral health issues
The most common oral health disorders among those who suffer from anxiety are canker sores, burning mouth syndrome, temporomandibular joint abnormalities (TMJ), dry mouth, and Lichen Planus, which shows as lacy white lines, mouth ulcers, or red areas in the mouth.
Anxiety frequently takes precedence over oral health
A person suffering from anxiety may just lack the mental health space to brush and floss on a regular basis, in addition to the aforementioned problems. This, of course, can lead to more cavities, a greater risk of gum disease, and tooth grinding (otherwise known as bruxism).
Medications might potentially exacerbate the situation
Some medications, on the other hand, might aggravate these issues. Because saliva is present for a reason – to protect your teeth – any drug that is known to cause dry mouth should be avoided. If you don’t have enough saliva, tooth decay and gum disease are far more likely.
If you’re taking medicine that makes you unwell, the vomit could be eroding your teeth’s enamel and creating tooth rot. Other medications might induce anemia or increase bleeding, both of which are bad for your teeth.
What should you do if you’re anxious?
Is this to mean that if you’re worried, you’ll have no choice but to put your oral health on the back burner? Clearly not. The first step is to inform your dentist about your predicament. We can be more careful in ensuring that any further support you require is accessible if we have more information.
Call California Dental Group right now at (800) 407-0161 if you’re worried that your anxiety is keeping you from having a happy smile. We are kind, knowledgeable, and willing to help you in any manner possible. We can help you whether you’ve just seen a dentist recently or your anxiety has kept you away for a decade. Call (800) 407-0161 today to set up an appointment and let’s see what we can do to make you feel better.
