According to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than one in five people lives with mental health conditions of some kind in the United States.[1] However, not everyone realizes that mental health and oral health have a connection. Your oral health can suffer if you have mental health concerns, and in some cases, it can even contribute to the distress you feel. Learn more about dental care in Webster.
Psychological Benefits of Dental Care in Webster and Oral Health
One of the ways dental care can help your psychological well-being is by helping you maintain a healthy smile, which, in turn, means a boost to your self-esteem and confidence levels.
Socialization
If you have poor oral health, you can experience problems chewing, smiling, and speaking, which could impact your socialization. Isolating yourself so that others don’t see your oral health problems can have significant adverse effects on your well-being. Isolation can even make structural changes to the brain that could spark a mental illness.[2] It can trigger general health conditions as well.
Positive Mood
When you know you have a nice smile, you’ll be more likely to show it off, which also impacts your mental health. Smiling increases mood-enhancing hormones while decreasing stress-enhancing ones like adrenaline and cortisol.[3]
Healthier Diet
What you eat can also impact your mental health, so having oral issues that don’t allow you to consume a full diet is often problematic. Having strong teeth that make eating everything your body needs dramatically benefits your mental and overall health.
Overall Health
Dental care also helps improve your overall health, which plays a role in mental health. If you’re struggling with health issues, you have a significantly higher risk of struggling with mental illnesses. You can experience stress, anxiety, and depression, among many other types of mental distress.
Additionally, oral health can affect your overall health in many ways, including causing systemic inflammation that could weaken your heart and lead to other diseases.
Body Image and Confidence
Although wearing braces can be stressful initially, they can improve overall mental health.[4] They can give you a boost in self-esteem and improve your body image.
Mental Health Problems: How They Can Worsen Oral Health
Mental health includes your psychological, emotional, and social well-being. It impacts how you act, feels, and even think.
How Depression and Anxiety Affect Your Oral Health
If you have mental disorders, your oral health can suffer. People who struggle with depression, for example, can find it very difficult to brush and floss regularly. They may also not eat correctly but stick to fast food or options with high sugar content. These complications make oral health issues much more likely to occur and could lead to tooth decay.
If you’re struggling through your days because of mental illness, going to dental appointments could be the last thing on your mind. If you have anxiety, you can also experience dental anxiety, which makes it challenging to get the help you need.
How Coping Strategies Affect Your Mental Health
People with conditions like obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) might even wear away at their enamel from over-brushing.
Mental health concerns can also lead you to consume substances like alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs. These all put a strain on your oral health and could result in significant issues, including gum disease and tooth decay.
Something else that can lead mental health concerns to affect your oral health negatively is the medications you may combine with behavioral health therapy sessions to treat the condition. Many antidepressants cause dry mouth issues, which means you won’t have the necessary levels of saliva that your mouth needs to kill off bacteria and work at its best.
How Good Dental Care Habits Make a Difference
Developing good dental habits is essential to avoid falling into a cycle of poor oral health that impacts mental health and vice versa.
Going to the dentist regularly is crucial. It can offer some structure and help with any dental anxieties. The more you confront your fears, the less power they have over you. So, making and keeping your dental appointments makes a difference.
You must also stick to a daily routine of brushing and flossing your teeth twice daily. On the days when you’re struggling with mental health, having a routine in place can help. Something as simple as brushing your teeth can give you a sense of control over your life, which helps with mental health concerns.
Getting Dental Care in Webster
At Empire Dental Care, we offer dental services that help you maintain your oral health and contribute to better mental health. We provide general dentistry and cosmetic dentistry services like teeth whitening in Webster, NY, to help you feel better about yourself and maintain beautiful-looking teeth.
Because we know how difficult it can be to come to appointments if you have a mental illness that has worsened your existing dental anxiety, we focus on gentle care at Empire Dental Care. Our entire team is here to make the experience positive, so you won’t hesitate to attend your next appointment.
Don’t wait to improve your oral health. Turn to Empire Dental Care by calling 585-671-1650.
Sources:
[1] https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/mental-illness
[2] https://elifesciences.org/articles/83660
[3] https://www.waldenu.edu/online-bachelors-programs/bs-in-psychology/resource/the-power-of-smiling
