Stress and Your Smile

How Does Stress Affect Your Smile and Your Overall Well-being?

If you’ve ever come through a stressful time at work or in your everyday life, you may already know how stress can affect the body. Emotional and physical exhaustion, weight gain, premature aging, and moodiness are all examples of how stress can change you. But did you know there’s also an oral health component to stress?

You may have never guessed it, but if you experience frequent headaches or have chronic pain in your jaw, shoulders, neck, and face, you could be reacting to the stress in your life by clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth.Both are a natural reaction to stress. In fact, clenching actually contributes to the release of stress hormones. But just because these may be natural reactions, that doesn’t mean they’re good for you. Consistent grinding and clenching can eventually lead to TMJ dysfunction and can do serious damage to your teeth and jaw.

At Stonebriar Smile Design, Dr. Jill Wade can help you relieve your painful and exhausting symptoms with a full arch occlusal guard or an NTI-tss device. With each of these custom-made oral devices, Dr. Wade can put a stop to the clenching and grinding that’s destroying your smile.

Have you been experiencing painful symptoms as a result of stress? Call Stonebriar Smile Design today to schedule an appointment with Dr. Wade. Our office is conveniently located in Frisco and serves patients from Plano, McKinney, Allen, Dallas, and The Colony.