When your body is stressed, it affects your entire body. Your blood pressure goes up, your veins and arteries can constrict, and even your mouth can have changes going on. Your body uses up the oxygen it takes in differently, and that can make it to where your mouth isn't able to stay as healthy as it once did.

If your life has been really stressful recently, make sure you go in and see your dentist just a little more often so that he or she can keep a close eye on the health of your mouth.

What Stress Does to Your Mouth

Stress can lead to a myriad of emotions. Depression, anxiety, and even loneliness can accompany stress. Each of these emotions can control your body's ability to stay healthy.

Research has found that over half of the people with gum disease come from very stressful daily lives. The more stress they have, the higher their chances of getting gum disease become.

This may be that the body is struggling to keep the gums healthy and the stress under control, or it could be because when you are stressed, you may not be taking as many steps to keep up with your oral hygiene routine. Either way, if you are stressed out regularly, your mouth is feeling the pressure.

Take extra care of your mouth when you are stressed. Brush for the full two minutes, carefully and gently. Don't brush too hard or too fast. Floss each day like you are supposed to. If something feels off in your mouth, it probably is, so go in and get seen.

The best thing you can do is to keep up with your oral health during that time of turmoil. That way, you aren't adding more stress to your life with problems in your mouth.

Please contact our office if you have any questions about stresses effect on your oral health.