Mental health and oral health: yes they are related

Mental health and oral health seems to be two different shores of river. But in reality, they are related to each other. Most of the people will find it weird but that’s true. In this article, we will compare these two problems and their relation.

The technology has become an essential part of your life. It has made work easy and quick.  But it has also leaded to stress in our life. People want to do their work as quick as possible without thinking about their own health. Stress is not good for your health. Well, little stress keeps you motivated towards your work. On the other hand, severe stress will have destructive effect on your health. The excessive stress may affect you physically and emotionally. The mental and oral health is related in two ways. Firstly, patient may feel anxious about the dental treatment and will want to avoid it. Secondly, mental illness like depression and bipolar disorders may make you neglecting the dental care.


Researchers have conducted the results of their research on dental and oral health. They have found that the adults with high stress and mental illness have bad oral health. The reasons for this relation are also found by them. People with mental illness also suffer from oral diseases like dry mouth, decayed teeth, gross caries, periodontal diseases and more. The medications also have bad impact on overall health of person. Obesity, Heart disease and others are noticed in them. It is also concluded that people with mental illness are more likely to have tooth removal than normal person.

How mental health links to oral health

People with mental illness are prone to oral diseases due to poor oral hygiene. However different mental disorders affect teeth and oral hellcat in another ways.
  1. Schizophrenia- People having this disease neglects the oral health. They do not clean their teeth properly or visits their densest.
  2. Depression- It is state of mind when a person usually neglects even his own health. The deterioration in overall health and oral hygiene leads to dental problems.
  3. Dental Anxiety- Some kids and even people have anxiety of dentist. In the result they do not visit doctor and suffer from pain or dental problems.
  4. Bulimia leads to the enamel erosion and anorexia reduce calcium levels. These two affects teeth in worse manner.
  5. Disorders: This disorder is one of the leading mental health hazards. This illness increase with long period of depression. People often brush their teeth overzealously and it leads to much dental issue. The therapy used for countering this disorder consists of lithium. It leads to the inflammation of oral tissues. Therefore, the ant cholinergic effects of lithium and intake of high sugar-laden candies can be seen. Teeth get affected by this instance at large scale.

Heavy Consumption of sugary food and beverages affects the teeth a lot. Moreover, the antidepressants have side effect on teeth. It increases the dry mouth problem. Saliva plays a vital role in hydrating the mouth. It helps in cleaning teeth and removing the residue of food on teeth and gums. It keeps the enamel strong. The decrease in saliva will result in tooth decay and other gum problems. The inflammation of gums leads to pain while eating food. It affects the basic chewing habit and people face poor oral health. Also the poor diet and smoking make the case more difficult.


  • Mental Illness Drugs and their effects on Oral health
The drugs used for curing this issue contain some elements which affects the oral health. People need to work hard on their oral hygiene. Otherwise tit will give them dental problems like Dental caries, Oral Infection and Salivary Gland Inflammation. The anti psychotic drugs are also causing medication induced dyskinesia. It is the condition when muscles contract and can affect Jaws, tongue and throat. Patient may feel breath shortness and poor oral hygiene.

  • Oral health care tips for mental better mental Health
Patients who have the mental illness will need to work in this direction. They have to take care of their oral hygiene. It will help them in dealing with other problems. Some of the import mat points to be considered by patients are given here.
  1. The patients must be educating about the oral hygiene and its benefits.
  2. Motivate them to include good habits for better dental health.
  3. People should eat healthy and nutritional food.
  4. Proper lubrication is essential for the patients to avoid dry mouth symptoms.
  5. Inform them about the harmful effects of drinking, smoking and taking highly sugar richer food and beverages.
  6. Patients who are anxious of dental treatment must be informed about the dental and mental health relation. Also they must feel comfortable about the treatment.

Conclusion:
Oral health and mental health are relatable and you can provide the necessary details to patients for caring oral hygiene. People spend money on getting the perfect teeth for them. But the anxiety of their treatment or negligence to oral hygiene fails their efforts. Everyone should try to look at their oral hygiene and adopt a healthy lifestyle. There are number of mental disorders and their treatment. The drugs used for curing this illness are also responsible for dental problems. So the patients must clean their teeth on regular basis and avoid such food items which are affecting their teeth.
I am ending this article here with a message to make changes in your lifestyle. It doesn’t matter whether you are making small or big change. Your little efforts can save your smile and teeth from many dentals hazards.

Please comment if you have any issue we will try our best for you..

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