Table of contents:
- How can stress cause teeth to fall out?
- Stress also causes the gums to bleed
- Severe stress makes a person neglect personal hygiene
- But calm down, not everyone who is stressed out their teeth will come out
Everything that happens in life can be stressful for us. Whether it's the financial crisis at the end of the month, office projects, waiting for the thesis trial schedule, to romance and household problems. But it turns out that in addition to causing headaches and rising blood pressure, severe stress can over time make teeth fall out, aka toothless! Why, how come?
How can stress cause teeth to fall out?
Most people unconsciously clench their jaws tightly because their heart is resentful under prolonged stress. Several other people may grind their teeth at the same time. This habit is called bruxism. If done continuously, grinding the teeth vigorously will cause the molars to wear out, loosening the tooth from the gum pocket and the supporting bones being crushed.
The effect of grinding your teeth is not only that your teeth fall out. If this habit continues, your jaw will eventually develop TMJ syndrome. TMJ syndrome is a disorder of the temporomendibular joint in the jaw that causes excruciating pain, which can radiate to the face and ears.
Stress also causes the gums to bleed
Smoking is often used as an outlet to forget about stress for a moment. In addition, severe stress often makes people forget to eat or even lazy because they don't have an appetite. Smoking and deficiency of essential nutrients from food are two risk factors that can trigger bleeding gums. Plus, hormonal changes in the body also play a role in triggering this condition due to the excessive production of the stress hormone cortisol.
High levels of the stress hormone cortisol in the body have long been associated with an increased risk of bleeding gums and gum disease, such as gingivitis. Gum disease (periodontal) is the number one cause in the world for tooth loss problems in adults, and many studies have shown that gum disease can be triggered by stress. This is because stress can weaken the immune system, which makes the body more susceptible to bacterial infections that cause tooth and gum disease.
Severe stress makes a person neglect personal hygiene
People who are under severe stress or even depression generally do not have the enthusiasm for activity, and this can lead to neglect to maintain personal hygiene - including rarely brushing their teeth. You may also feel lazy or reluctant to go to the doctor for a medical check-up. Over time, disease-causing bacteria can build up and eat away at the gums, causing gum inflammation. A 2009 study found that people who neglect their oral care during stress and depression are more likely to experience tooth loss.
But calm down, not everyone who is stressed out their teeth will come out
Reporting from Reader's Digest, Janet Zaiff, DDS, a dentist in New York, said that when you combine the three factors above - grinding teeth, gum disease, and poor dental hygiene - it's not impossible that severe stress can actually cause tooth loss.. However, the dire effects of this stress are rare, and if they do occur, they will not occur suddenly overnight.
This was confirmed by dr. Ronald Burakoff, head of the Department of Dental Health at North Shore University Hospital, New York. Burakof told Live Science that it is true that if someone grinds their teeth due to stress, plus they also have an underlying periodontal disease, this habit can lead to tooth loss. However, “Stress in itself is not a direct cause of tooth loss. You must first have the disease or "talent", "concluded Burakoff.
