Stressing out Takes Its Toll on Your Teeth
Posted by Dr. Alan Pressman (dr.p.dmd) on Nov 12 2010
Blog >> 2010
People seem to work twice as hard today compared with 5 years ago to earn the same living. In many families, both spouses work just to make ends meet. We live in a stressful world.
Stress’s toll on your body may manifest in many ways: lack of sleep, binge eating, drinking, or clenching your teeth and bruxism (grinding your teeth). Increasingly, people come to my office complaining of soreness, or headaches, tooth pain (sensitivity to temperature, or even pain on eating), or just broken teeth. Or they complain they have TMJ (temporomandibular joint) dysfunction, because their jaw pops and clicks when they chew. All of these can be the result of teeth clenching and bruxism.
When you clench or grind your teeth, little microfragments of enamel fly away. This opens a more direct pathway to the nerve, hence cold sensitivity. This can be alleviated with the use of fluoride gels and rinses. Another way to fix the problem is to place a tooth-colored filling in the open spaces.
A simple way to avoid the problem is through stress management. Exercise should be considered first—it can remove those negative emotions and improve self-esteem, simply by walking or going to the gym. Exercise not only relieves stress but improves your general health.
A night guard–type appliance may help reteach your chewing muscles not to clench and grind. It is best if it is made of a hard plastic and can be custom made by your dentist. Sometimes, “stock” versions may be found at the local pharmacy. Although they cost less, they usually don’t fit as well and fail to provide the intended result. 
Prescription muscle relaxants can keep jaw muscles from tensing, but these drugs shouldn’t be taken frequently, as they have many other, unwanted effects. 
A softer diet may also help, as it takes a lot less jaw pressure and ligament wear and tear to eat a banana than it does to eat an apple, for example. For those patients with extreme cold sensitivity, a prescription strength fluoride rinse or gel may alleviate the problem. 
However, the underlying cause of the jaw popping, muscle tensing, teeth clenching, and bruxism must be stopped—relieve some of that stress and enjoy life a lot more.

Last changed: Nov 12 2010 at 7:01 PM

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