If you have a good dental hygiene routine and you do everything you’re supposed to do to take care of your teeth and gums, but you still have gum disease, you may want to check your stress levels.
Elevated levels of stress are associated with the development of gum disease and periodontal disease.
Some dental professionals think that the state of your mouth mirrors the state of your overall general health and particularly illnesses that are caused by stress. If your stress is chronic and on-going, it may depress your immune system which in turn can cause an overgrowth of plaque (that is normally kept in check by the immune system). This can lead to the gums becoming inflamed and they may back away from the teeth.
Another reason that stress can cause gum disease is that when people are stressed, they don’t always pay enough attention to the quality of their diet and there may be nutrients lacking that are needed for good oral health. If stress is causing you to comfort-eat high sugar foods, this can result in tooth decay and gum disease.
If you are drinking more alcohol than usual it could reduce the amount of saliva you have. Saliva protects you against gum disease by neutralizing the acid production of plaque bacteria. It also washes away leftover bits of food after you have eaten, reducing the bacteria build up in your mouth, and it re-mineralizes teeth to prevent the initial stages of tooth decay.
The association between stress and gum disease is well-known in medical literature. A study at the Department of Operative Dentistry in Germany found that life-event stress may result in an unfavorable outcome in chronic periodontal disease (the second stage of gum disease, where the jaw bone is eaten away by bacteria).
120 patients with periodontal disease and 122 patients without it were examined and given questionnaires to fill in that used a scoring system, zero being the most positive feelings and ten being the most negative feelings.
Those in the placebo group who had no periodontal disease scored substantially lower scores, indicating that they felt more positive than those who had periodontal disease. It was also found that 37.5 percent of the disease group indicated that there had been significant changes in their family, compared to 22.9 percent of the placebo. (Pistorius)
A later study in Japan found that if people were stressed about their health or their career, they were more likely to get periodontal disease. Stress reduction techniques were suggested as a means of preventing it. (Akhter)
Tips for Reducing Stress
• Luckily, while stress can depress the immune system, positive thoughts can enhance it, so next time you find yourself thinking something bad, change your thoughts to something nice. Keep doing this daily until positive thoughts are second nature. If you need help with this, get a counselor, life coach or biofeedback specialist.
• If you are eating sweets or other sugary "junk" food for comfort, don’t keep any in the house. If they aren’t there, you can’t eat them.
• If you are under high stress, take vitamin supplements, as stress can lead to vitamin deficiencies.
• Make sure you exercise because this will reduce the amount of vitamins depleted in your body and will improve your circulation (including to your gums).
• Limit or stop drinking alcohol and if you smoke, try to give up.
• Try to go to bed earlier. Tired people are always more stressed.
• Be careful with your toothbrush. Stressed people can subconsciously brush too hard and this can cause toothbrush abrasion marks on your gums which can then recede.
• Massage may help you to relax, particularly a facial-based massage such as aromatherapy facial massage. This can be helpful if you are clenching your jaw due to stress. There are also various essential oils that are used as sedatives and relaxants, like chamomile and lavender. Please read the contraindications to any essential oil before you use them, as they aren’t suitable for everyone.
Sources:
Pistorius A et. al. Relationship between stress factors and periodontal disease, Eur J Med Res. 2002 Sep 30;7(9):393-8.
Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12435617
Akhter R et. al. Relationship between stress factor and periodontal disease in a rural area population in Japan, Eur J Med Res. 2005 Aug 17;10(8):352-7. Abstract: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16131477
Saliva, Wrigley Dental Care. Web. 23 November 2011. http://www.wrigleydentalcare.com/orbit_us/general-public-area/inside-the-mouth/saliva/index.htm
Reversing Gum Disease Naturally, Sandra Senzon Dental Hygienist, published by Wiley (2003). ISBN: 978-0-471-22230-9. Authors website: http://www.toothfairyshow.com
Reviewed November 23, 2011
by Michele Blacksberg RN
Edited by Jody Smith