In honor of International Self Care Day, it is important for us all to take a step back and make sure we are taking care of our stress levels and prioritizing self care. Certain lifestyle factors can significantly impact total body wellness, but how does this relate to your teeth? Exposure to stressful situations, especially those causing excessive stress, increases cortisol levels and creates physiological changes in our bodies and our mouths. Being in a “heightened” state of alert for long periods of time causes our bodies to break down, resulting in illness, teeth grinding and even cold sores and canker sores.

Much research has been done on the benefits of managing stress, such as breathing exercises, physical exercise and mindfulness. Cortisol is a critical hormone in our bodies that regulates blood sugar, assists in the metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates and regulates inflammation. However, in consistently high doses, it can suppress your immune system, making you more susceptible to illness, elevate your blood sugar, breakdown muscle and much more.  

Each individual person handles stress differently and your stress level and response is a personal experience. Developing effective stress coping and management skills is essential and will lead to better whole body health, including your teeth. 

Things to consider:

• Do you consider your life stressful? What kind of stress relief do you allow yourself on a daily basis? 

• Do you periodically have cold sores, canker sores or other sores in your mouth from time to time and do you notice they pop up during time periods of extreme stress?
• Have you noticed any soreness of your teeth due to grinding? Do you have a nightguard or retainers that you can wear at night to help limit the amount of force being placed on your teeth while that is happening? 
• Do you wake up with a sore jaw when you first open and close your mouth in the morning?
• Do you practice any mindfulness techniques such as those listed above? 

While there can be other causes of nighttime grinding, cold sores and jaw pain, it is important to evaluate your body and health where you can. For most of us, this can start with an honest self-evaluation of stress. 

If you are noticing extra stress being put on your teeth, do not hesitate to call to talk about options personalized for you. And, as always, schedule regular dental hygiene visits so we can continue to monitor your overall dental health.