Living in D.C. can be stressful, whether you’re dealing with work, family, traffic or the political climate. But have you ever thought about how it’s impacting your teeth?
“Especially in this area, where there’s such high stress about life and work and the environment today. There’s a lot of stresses,” said Chevy Chase dentist Jason Cohen. “Whether it’s at work, or whether it’s home, or whether it’s sitting on the Beltway for 25 minutes when it should be a five-minute drive.”
Cohen said bruxism — which is the grinding, clenching, or gnashing your teeth — has been a consistent problem among his patients ever since opening his Wisconsin Avenue practice more than 20 years ago.
“Sometimes that (stress) manifests itself into the habit of gnashing your teeth together, clenching, grinding, bruxing your teeth together,” he said. “It can create problems with your teeth and the associated musculoskeletal issues surrounding that area.”
Despina Markogiannakis owns Smiles of Chevy Chase and has seen an increase in tooth fractures since the COVID-19 pandemic.
She explained the classic symptoms of bruxism. “Tightness in the jaw, not feeling like you can chew on all your teeth, headaches, neck aches, back pain. Not being able to sleep well at night,” she said. “Touching your jaw and … feeling that tightness there.”
She said bruxism is a subconscious habit that arises from a variety of stressors, including living in a busy metropolitan area.
“Being in the heart of where the entire nation is looking at right now, we’re living the stress daily — day in, day out,” Markogiannakis said. “Oral health plays a key to just overall wellness.”
If bruxism is left untreated, Markogiannakis said the enamel will be worn down “until there’s a hole, and then that hole becomes a crack, and then that crack goes straight through the bone, and that’s what causes infection.”
Some people grind their teeth during the day while focused on activities like reading or working out. Others may grind their teeth while sleeping at night. Both Markogiannakis and Cohen recommend talking to your dentist if you think your stress is causing dental problems.
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