The COVID-19 pandemic has changed your life in all ways except good. With everyone at home and all of your future plans on hold, it is understandable to have increased anxiety levels. Unfortunately, many people find themselves indulging in unhealthy activities to reduce their stress. This can compromise your overall health, including the health of your smile. It’s important to avoid bad dental habits, especially in times of stress in order to maintain your oral health. Here are a few harmful habits to avoid and a few other ways you can relieve stress.
What Bad Habits Hurt My Smile?
There are a variety of habits that people find themselves doing in order to unwind. Some of these activities can have a negative effect on your oral health. Here are a few habits to try to avoid during quarantine:
- Smoking: Especially during stressful situations, many people turn to smoking to relieve the tension of the day. However, this unhealthy habit greatly affects your oral health. Regular smoking can lead to an increase in plaque, teeth staining, bad breath, poor blood circulation, and chances of developing oral cancer.
- Nail biting: This is a common nervous habit that is extremely difficult to break. Biting nails can ultimately cause chipped teeth. In addition to being bad for your teeth, the act of biting your nails puts your jaw under a lot of pressure which can lead to dysfunction and pain.
- Constant snacking: Many of us are known to graze through the pantry when we’re under higher levels of stress than normal. Constant snacking, especially on sugary foods and beverages, puts you at higher risk of developing cavities.
- Teeth grinding and clenching: Also known as “bruxism,” clenching and grinding your teeth can cause chipping, cracking, muscle tenderness, and joint pain. While this condition can have several causes, a couple possibilities are stress and situational anxiety.
What Are Some Healthy Ways to Relieve Stress?
Fortunately, there are several healthy ways to reduce stress that won’t have a negative impact on your mouth. Here are just a few:
- Meditation or yoga: The intention of meditation is to produce a deep state of relaxation. By focusing your attention and eliminating stress-causing thoughts, you may be able to reduce your anxieties. Resources like podcasts, meditation apps, and YouTube videos are great way to get started.
- Regular exercise: Exercising produces endorphins. These are chemicals in the brain that naturally reduce pain and improves your quality of sleep. This can help you alleviate your stress levels as well.
- Eating healthy, well balanced meals: Consuming complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, causes the brain to increase serotonin production and stabilize blood pressure levels. In turn, this can help reduce stress.
- Getting enough sleep: By ensuring that you are getting enough sleep at night, you avoid tiredness during the day which can lead to easy agitation.
- A positive attitude: It’s easier said than done, but maintaining positive thoughts and avoiding a negative outlook is known to reduce your stress and even increase your life span. Try listening to upbeat music, spending time doing your favorite hobbies, and staying active.
With so many sudden changes at once, it is very understandable to have higher stress levels. There are a variety of techniques to reduce your anxieties. By dealing with your stress in a healthy way, your teeth will thank you in the long run. By practicing positive habits now and visiting your dentist regularly, you will save yourself from avoidable dental issues, giving you one less thing to stress about.
About the Practice
At Advanced Smile Design, Dr. Patel, Dr. Isdaner, and the rest of the team know that taking care of your teeth at home is just as important as visiting the office. They would be happy to provide more useful tips and information that you can apply today. They emphasize the importance of healthy dental habits to increase the longevity of your smile. For more information, visit their website or call (215) 659-3334.
