How Your Teeth Can Affect Your Mental Health
You might believe that your mental health is solely reliant on environmental factors, such as your job, your home, and your relationships, as well as any trauma that you have experienced. However, this is not the case, and, if your body is deteriorating, this can lead to you showing signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety. Your teeth are one of the major parts of your body that can have an impact on your mental state, and here is why.
- Your Smile
Your smile shows your happiness to the world. You might have been told that smiling takes fewer muscles than frowning, and many people find that a simple smile can have a placebo effect on their mood. However, if you are embarrassed or ashamed about the state of your teeth, you might start hiding them and reducing the size or number of times you smile. This can leave you feeling down and depressed, as well as self-conscious about your appearance. You might even find that you become jealous or resentful of other people’s teeth. If you feel this starting to happen to you, you do not have to allow your smile to fade away forever. Instead, you can take action by heading to a leading dental clinic in Balham at Direct Dental.
- Pain
Not only this, but tooth decay can leave you in a lot of pain. This might prevent you from enjoying the activities you normally perform or could even stop you from working if you struggle to concentrate through this ache. Many people try to cover up tooth pain for a long time with different products such as local anesthetic creams. However, this only covers the problem rather than solving it. Even if your teeth look completely normal, with no brown or black spots, it is vital that you head to your dentist if your pain is prolonged. They will be able to give you a diagnosis by using tools such as x-ray machines.
- Eating
When you have issues with your teeth, you might also find that this prevents you from eating much except soft foods and liquids. Although you might be able to carry on for some time like this, without the right nutrition, you might notice that you are more susceptible to low mood and anxiety, or even eating disorders, especially if you already have a history of mental health problems.
Can Your Mental Health Impact Your Teeth?
Sometimes, the process can happen in reverse, though, and this is something that you need to be aware of. If you are experiencing mental health troubles, such as depression, you might find it difficult to get out of bed, follow a routine, or commit to self-care and hygiene practices. You might not have the energy, or you might be self-harming. Many people with depression and other mental health disorders do not brush their teeth regularly enough because of this, and this means that they are more prone to tooth decay and gum disease.