If you feel overwhelmed, added stress can make you feel worse. But you might also know that stress can bring medical risks as well, including for your oral health. In the wake of these dangers, you may not realize that increased stress could pose a risk to your smile’s appearance too.
Pay attention to your stress levels and how they impact your behavior to ensure that you do not inadvertently harm the look of your smile. To boost awareness and help you better preserve your smile, read on to learn about three habits that stem from high stress levels which could negatively affect the aesthetics of your smile if you are not careful.
Overconsuming Beverages That Stain
Stress can disrupt your sleep schedule. If you wake up feeling groggy, you might turn to caffeinated beverages like coffee or tea to give you an energy boost that will get you through your busy day.
Tea and coffee get their dark color from substances called tannins. They will transfer to your teeth as you drink them. Then they absorb into your tooth enamel to leave stains on the surface of your smile. Your usual oral hygiene routine cannot reach this dental discoloration to scrub them away.
You can add milk to your beverage or sip through a straw to reduce the chances of staining your smile while consuming these drinks. But these efforts will not eliminate the risks entirely. So you may want to limit the amount of dark-colored substances you ingest.
Keep an eye on your smile’s appearance to ensure your diet does not affect the appearance of your teeth. If you do notice dental stains, talk to your dentist about teeth whitening treatments that can brighten your tooth color.
Grinding and Clenching Your Teeth
Stress will create tension throughout your body, including your jaw. High amounts of stress can initiate or worsen a habit of clenching your teeth. Dentists refer to this behavior as bruxism.
You might not notice that you have this habit because it often manifests during sleep. But the grating of the teeth against each other will put significant pressure on your smile all the same. You could be at risk of cracking or chipping your teeth.
While a dentist can amend this tooth breakage, you should preserve as much of your natural dental structure as you can. Tell your dentist about your bruxism habits before you sustain this damage to your smile.
Skipping Routine Dentist Appointments
If you feel stressed, you might feel tempted to skip routine appointments like teeth cleanings at your dentist’s office. You may think you are avoiding hassle, but missing this preventative oral health care will put your smile in danger.
During a teeth cleaning, the dentist removes harmful plaque and tartar that could weaken your teeth with irreversible damage if it stays on your smile. Your typical oral hygiene regimen cannot reach all parts of your mouth, so you need this attention from your dentist.
Not only could you risk a dental emergency and further stress, but you also make your teeth less able to resist cosmetic dental threats like discoloration. Protect your smile as well as possible by attending your regular dental appointments.