Sore mouth and stress, what relationship?

1. What is stress?

2. What is the relationship between stress and toothache?

3. How is stress characterized in the mouth?

4. What are the solutions to reduce mouth pain?

Very common today, stress attacks on average one person in 4 of the world's population. And this is due to the different situations we face on a daily basis. Divorce, death of a loved one, loss of job, illness, financial problems and many other situations are easily caused. 😥

But when this happens, we don't really pay attention to how it affects our body and in particular our oral health . While in many people, stress manifests itself through several oral and dental pathologies such as inflammation of the temporomandibular joint and bruxism. Discover here the relationship between stress and oral health, its symptoms and the treatment it requires. 😉

Stress is a set of physical and physiological reactions of the human body to situations called stressors or stressful situations. Coming from the Latin “Stringere” the word means “to make stiff”. 😬

It is the cause of many problems in humans. In particular, fatigue, impaired memory or difficulty concentrating, nervousness, appetite and sleep disturbances, muscle contractions, irritability and also teething problems.

In addition to these problems, the human immune system , considered the only defense system against pathogens, is also affected by stress. Which then increases the risk of contracting many diseases. Including stomatitis, cavities, canker sores , and many other oral conditions. 👄

As we just said, stress has a lot of harmful effects on our body. The latter can manifest themselves in different ways in the body. Generally speaking, we experience dental pain. When a person is under stress, they experience recurring periods of anxiety. Which can have a direct effect on the nerves and cause discomfort (ache) in their jaw, teeth, tongue, gums and throat. 👅

Which gets worse over time if no solution is found since stress and toothache come hand in hand. ✌️

These stress-related toothaches are usually caused by certain bad behaviors that patients have when they are going through a period of anxiety . One of the main ones being grinding your teeth or putting pressure on your teeth by clenching your jaw very hard. The problem is that we are not necessarily aware of these bad habits which are capable of causing quite a few oral problems over time. 🕰

Aside from teeth grinding, stress can also be the cause of neglecting oral care. For example, neglecting your diet, not taking care of your sensitive gums , avoiding consulting a dentist. 🩺 Or even not following regular dental treatment, not changing your toothbrush often enough or not brushing your teeth properly . Also, most people have the habit of smoking when they are stressed, which has a very negative impact on their oral health and can cause more serious pain .

Normally, the upper and lower arches of the mouth should remain separated to avoid any sort of tension on the surfaces and joints of the teeth. This helps keep the teeth in good condition and protects them from any harm. Unfortunately, anxiety often causes the upper teeth to remain in more contact with the lower teeth. 😷

And because the two arches remain in contact for a long time, not only do they put pressure on each other, there is also friction between them. However, with each friction, the dental enamel gradually wears away and over time, this causes an increase in the sensitivity of the teeth to touch, for example. 💥 In addition to making teeth more sensitive, this wear increases the chances of formation of cavities and exposure of dentin, and therefore, the appearance of dental pain .

Stress can cause dental diseases in several ways and to prevent them, it is important to pay attention to its manifestations in the oral cavity. You need to go to the dentist regularly for rapid detection of stress symptoms.

Referring to an involuntary and repetitive action of the teeth outside of chewing, bruxism is the most common effect of anxiety on oral health. This is the grinding of teeth that many patients suffer from without even knowing it when they are repeatedly stressed. It can come in several forms including:

Regardless of the form of grinding, note that it can cause serious damage to your teeth if it persists. And as damage we have: tooth attrition and enamel deterioration which is the cause of increased tooth sensitivity. This makes teeth very fragile and facilitates their deterioration.

Over time, this can lead to tooth loss, and for good reason, under high pressure, teeth can become loose and more easily removed. 🥴 In the worst cases, grinding your teeth can cause dislocation of the jaw or a painful sensation when you eat food, or even severe migraines.

In addition to teeth grinding, the onset of periodontal disease is also one of the most common stress-related disorders. Gingivitis or inflammation of the gums is one of those periodontal diseases which over time turns into chronic inflammation and spreads to the structures supporting the periodontium (tooth) and causes degradation of the bone and sometimes loosening of the gums. teeth . 🦴

This process of transformation into chronic pain is manifested by bleeding, constant discomfort in the mouth and red gums. Gum recession is also a symptom of gingivitis , and in most cases causes the exposure of dentin and therefore increases the sensitivity of the teeth in the affected person.

In addition, it creates pain in the throat and prevents you from calmly ingesting all kinds of food that you want. 🥐

Mouth ulcers or ulcers on the gum occur in the event of a prolonged period of anxiety. This is explained by the increase in cortisol levels beyond normal. Note that cortisol is considered the stress hormone. 🧪

Its increase directly affects the body's defense system (immune system), thus increasing the risk of mouth ulcers or oral lesions on the tongue, oral mucosa and gums. Not only does a canker sore cause painful sensations in the mouth, it also prevents you from feeling the taste of food.

These various oral and dental problems or rounded and whitish stomatitis make several activities that we carry out on a daily basis difficult, even annoying. In particular speaking, having oral hygiene or swallowing food. 🤭

To counter bacteria in the mouth , saliva represents the first line of defense. It acts as a cleaner and rids the mouth of food residue, keeps the breath fresh and facilitates digestion. However, since dry mouth or xerostomia is usually caused by stress, affected patients are left without a sufficient amount of saliva in their mouth. 💦

Worse still, most medications that dentists or doctors prescribe to alleviate stress-related pain cause xerostomia . Which increases the risk of tooth decay , infection or dental disease.
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Having a dry mouth can also lead to whitening of your tongue , which could be a sign of something more serious. So don't hesitate to consult!

To alleviate mouth soreness or take care of your gums, you have several solutions. Dentists highly recommend using an electric toothbrush, which has many benefits .

This brush allows you to effectively maintain your teeth. To make the purchase, MyVariations offers you electric toothbrushes with sonic technology that are more delicate than the rotary one, whose bristles make between 31,000 and 40,000 vertical micro-movements depending on the brushing mode chosen (the brushes have 5) .

They are well suited to all types of people and teeth, including the most sensitive, or people prone to conditions such as bleeding gums , or even gingivitis and periodontitis (which can degenerate into severe periodontitis to be treated immediately). emergency in some cases!). 😁

However, it is possible to reduce the risks of this disease by knowing the foods to avoid to prevent periodontitis.

You can therefore choose the intensity according to the sensitivity of your teeth, although all 5 modes are extremely effective against dental plaque . 💎

Discover our toothbrushes

In order to provide better treatment to your teeth and relieve your gum or mouth pain , you can also use a well-chosen mouthwash with protective properties. 🧪 However, you also have the option of turning to dental floss or interdental brushes to make your teeth prettier. 🧶

Learn about the correct way to use interdental brushes beforehand.

Leaving aside these different solutions, you can also find different ways to relax when stressed. For example, listening to good relaxing music in the morning. You also have the choice between wearing an anti-bruxism splint at night to sleep or eating raw organic dark chocolate to de-stress or protect yourself against tooth decay . 🧘‍♀️

By following each of these tips, it is clear that you will prevent any kind of pain or stomatitis in your mouth. However, to have precise information on which device to use to protect your teeth, it is best to consult a doctor. 🪥