COVID-19 Stress and Your Oral Health

Dealing with COVID-19 and all the changes that come with it can cause a lot of stress. That stress often translates into other health issues, including your oral health.

With many dental offices that were closed during the height of the pandemic across the country, preventative care has taken a back seat. The delay in care combined with stress has resulted in an increase in dental issues for many Americans.

At Dental365, we are well versed in both preventive and urgent care dentistry, and everything in between. We strive to make each appointment as comfortable as possible with our team of compassionate providers.

Types of Stress-Induced Dental Issues

Normally, patients are able to visit their dentist for their dental cleanings and exams every 6 months (or more often if recommended). In March of 2020, with the exception of emergencies, patients had to delay their routine dental visits because of COVID-19. Routine visits are important in preventing dental issues from progressing and can help save patients from more costly procedures down the line. As a result, their teeth could be suffering from one or more of these issues.

• Teeth Grinding: Can cause damage to teeth and enamel or headaches and jaw soreness. A majority of patients grind their teeth at night and some may not even know they do it. Mask wearing may also contribute to jaw issues from moving the mouth and lower jaw forward as a normal way of breathing with an open mouth.
• Gum Disease: Stress lowers your immune system and increases your risk for infection, even in your mouth.
• Dry Mouth: Saliva protects the mouth against many things. When stress or stress medication causes a dry mouth bacteria can take over and result in tooth decay, gum disease, or infection. Wearing a mask may also contribute to dry mouth.
• Canker Sores: They may be harmless but canker sores are still painful and uncomfortable. These white spots in your mouth can take 1-2 weeks to disappear.
• Cracked Teeth: Teeth can crack under the pressure of many things. Patients that are holding tension in their jaw or neglecting their oral hygiene can suffer from a cracked tooth.

One of these issues can even be the cause of another. Founder and CEO of Dental365, Dr. Asnis spoke to WebMD about how teeth grinding, a misaligned bite, a large filling, or weakened enamel from cavities can cause a cracked tooth.

Don’t Delay Emergency Dental Treatment

It is important for patients that are struggling during the pandemic to not push through the pain. Dental365’s SVP of Clinical Affairs, Dr. Fleischer spoke to USA Today about dental health during the pandemic. “With dentistry, things only get worse.” Patients should not delay treatment due to the pandemic. The longer they wait the more damage they can cause and they will likely have to spend more money to fix it.

Don’t Stress with Dental365!

Across all of our New York and Connecticut offices Dental365 saw over 50,000 emergency cases since the COVID-19 pandemic struck in March. Take away your oral health stress by coming in for a cleaning or emergency visit. Contact us at (844) 365-DENTAL for more information or to schedule an appointment.