Cracked teeth annoy dentists in a pandemic

Victoria-As stress and anxiety associated with an ongoing COVID-19 pandemic appear in people’s mouths, we report an increasing number of patients with cracked, damaged, or injured teeth over the past 20 months. Says the dentist who is.

Bruce Ward, a dentist in the Vancouver area, said he noticed that pandemic pressure was causing more and more people to unknowingly clench their jaws and brush their teeth with extreme force during sleep.

“It’s like rubbing two ivory together,” Ward said, explaining the grinding noise that others often notice first.

The signs of bruxism are morning jaw pain, headaches, and tooth pain, but sometimes even worse, he said.

“I (recently) pulled two teeth, which were separated in the middle and just below the opposite side, just outside,” Ward said of the patient’s teeth weakened by crushing.

Ward, a former president of the British Columbia Dental Association, said he was attending a zoom meeting with a colleague who said he recently saw more damaged teeth as a result of bruxism, a condition known as bruxism.

“Especially over the last year and a half, we’ve seen a big rise in our business as a whole,” he said.

Clenching teeth and clenching jaws are usually associated with stress, and people’s stress levels increased during the pandemic, Ward said.

He said that teeth are designed to withstand masticatory pressure, but unwilling crushing dramatically enhances function and can cause teeth to crack, chip, or loosen.

“It’s very harmful to your joints, and it really stresses your muscles,” Ward said. “It also stresses your teeth. It’s a great force on your teeth.”

Dentists usually recommend that patients use special mouthpieces at night to protect their teeth and take steps to reduce the stress of life.

“Many people tell me,’How can I stop it?'” Ward said. “And I’m going,’Go to Fiji, sell everything you have and lie on the beach all day long.'”

Vancouver’s addiction and mental health counselor, Nirmala Laniga, said the pandemic puts extra stress on people and can manifest themselves in many different shapes and locations, including people’s mouths.

“Stress causes problems in the mouth, which can clench and grind at night, which causes headaches and migraines,” she said. “It causes fractures in your teeth and padding.”

Raniga said night bruxism, bruxism, and sleep-talking are signs of physical attempts to deal with emotional problems.

“It’s a way to relieve stress,” she said. “Your body releases stress by grinding, so the idea is how to release your stress by working through these painful memories.”

The Canadian Dentist Association said that while evidence of increased bruxism problems during a pandemic is anecdotal, delaying oral health care can lead to health problems.

“The COVID-19 pandemic can affect the lives of many people and interfere with good habits and daily lives of individuals,” said Dr. Aaron Barry, Deputy CEO of the Association. It is stated in.

“More frequent snacks, consumption of sweeter foods and drinks, not keeping up with regular dental practice, and not keeping up with regular toothpaste and dental floss can lead to results,” he says. I did.

The Dentists Association quoted the March 2021 report of the Institute of Health Policy of the American Dentists Association. More than 70% of the dentists surveyed say that the number of patients with bruxism, bruxism, and stress-related conditions is increasing.

The non-profit organization represents 163,000 dentist members and is the largest dentist association in the United States.

In April last year, McGill University published a study concluding that good oral health reduced the risk of death from COVID-19.

Researchers found that patients with COVID-19 with periodontal disease were 3.5 times more likely to enter the intensive care unit, 4.5 times more likely to require a ventilator, and died than patients without periodontal disease. Reported that it is almost 9 times more likely to do.

The Canadian Dental Association website suggests consulting your dentist about bruxism and relaxation techniques to use during the day and before bedtime.

“Practice stress-relieving activities such as staying active, yoga and meditation, deep breathing exercises, massage therapy, listening to music and bathing,” the website says.

A nutritious diet and restrictions on caffeine and alcohol have also been proposed as ways to reduce stress and facilitate bruxism, the association says.

This report by Canadian Press was first published on December 18, 2021.