{"id":349,"date":"2019-12-10T18:38:44","date_gmt":"2019-12-10T18:38:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jacksonvilledentalspecialists.com\/blog\/?p=349"},"modified":"2019-12-10T18:38:45","modified_gmt":"2019-12-10T18:38:45","slug":"tmj-therapy-and-how-stress-can-impact-oral-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jacksonvilledentalspecialists.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/10\/tmj-therapy-and-how-stress-can-impact-oral-health\/","title":{"rendered":"Holiday Stress? Find Out How It Can Negatively Impact Your Oral Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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No matter how much you enjoy the holidays, it can still\nbe a stressful time. Between shopping malls full of hurried and oftentimes,\nrude shoppers, to family members arguing over politics, you might find yourself\nrubbing your temples and scrambling to find 5 minutes to yourself. Stress has a\nunique way of amplifying problems that already exist within your body and mouth,\neven if you don\u2019t realize it. If you suffer from bruxism or chronic jaw pain, find\nout just how powerful and harmful stress can be on your oral health and how TMJ\nTherapy<\/a> can help you achieve some much-deserved relief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How Can Stress Impact Oral Health?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stress is one of the body\u2019s greatest enemies. Not only can it\nlead to heart attacks, strokes, and other serious and damaging conditions, but\nit can also take a toll on your oral health, especially if you have bruxism or\nTMD (temporomandibular joint disorder). Combine large groups of family and\nfriends, mounds of presents that put you close to your credit card limit, and cooking\nendless dishes to keep everyone happy (and full), and the stress of the\nholidays can have you begging for the new year to arrive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In order to handle all of it, you might notice that you are\ngrinding your teeth move, causing excessive wear and tear on your tooth enamel\nand growing pain in your jaw. Both bruxism and TMJ can be problematic for not\njust your teeth and jawbone but also your head, neck, and shoulders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With each grind or clenching of your teeth or jaw, small\nstress fractures can occur on your smile, resulting in vertical cracks. If seen\nby a dentist, they could easily be mistaken for cavities; however, if you leave\nthem untreated, the fractures can turn into actual cracks that require\nrestorative treatment or one of many cosmetic services to restore your smile to\nits natural beauty. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Can You Relieve Chronic Jaw Pain?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you want to set yourself up for success this holiday\nseason, it is strongly encouraged that you see your dentist for TMJ Therapy. Depending\non your individual case, orthodontic treatment may be able to help realign a bite\nor teeth. Otherwise, an occlusal splint or occlusal adjustment can help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By removing a small portion of the tooth enamel, this can\nimprove your bite. It is also beneficial to wear a mouthguard while sleeping at\nnight to protect your teeth from coming into contact with each other and relax\nyour facial muscles to ease the symptoms of TMD. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, finding ways to reduce your stress will also be\nbeneficial in improving your situation. If you are able, try some of the\nfollowing relaxation techniques:<\/p>\n\n\n\n