More and more, experts are learning that your emotional state can also affect other areas of your health. Even in the dental care industry, professionals have noticed how stress, anxiety, and similar emotional problems can have an unwanted effect on your smile. At Pediatric Dental Group, serving patients throughout Hawaii, they strive to keep clients informed when it comes to these issues. The same applies when they perform a teeth whitening—they work to ensure you understand all the details.

According to dental care specialists, your emotions can affect your teeth in the following ways:

• Teeth Grinding: People who are chronically stressed often feel on edge throughout the day. This can manifest itself in a number of physical symptoms, one of which is constant teeth grinding. Over time, this can damage both the enamel and the jaw. If the problem is significant enough, a dentist may prescribe a night guard to limit the damage.
• Gum Disease: It has been shown that stress and anxiety can result in a weakened immune system. If this happens, you’ll find yourself more vulnerable to gum disease. As such, during difficult emotional experiences, it’s especially important to practice proper dental care and hygiene.
• General Neglect: If you’re experiencing depression or similar painful emotional states, it’s not uncommon to neglect certain otherwise healthy dental hygiene habits, such as brushing your teeth and flossing as often as necessary. However, when you ignore these issues, you could find yourself developing unwanted health problems which may require treatment more involved than a simple teeth cleaning.

If emotional problems ever affect the dental health of a patient at Pediatric Dental Group, serving the families of Hawaii, the problem will be identified and addressed early to make sure that damage is kept to a minimum. Contact them online to learn more about scheduling an appointment, or call (808) 593-8828.