Everyone experiences stress at one time or another and sometimes even daily. Let’s face it, in life you will experience stress. You’ve heard how stress can wreak havoc on your body by increasing inflammation and causing spikes in your heart rate and blood pressure, but how does it affect your smile?
Here are a few ways stress affects your smile
- Bruxism: Also known as teeth grinding. Because bruxism usually occurs while you sleep, most people don’t even know they have it.
- Gum Disease: Stress weakens your immune system, which fights the bacteria that causes gum disease. Therefore, the gum disease worsens because your immune system is unable to do its job because of ongoing stress.
- Dry Mouth: Sometimes medications can contribute to conditions that can hurt your smile. For example, the medications that help you fight against stress and anxiety can actually cause dry mouth. This condition occurs when your salivary glands don’t produce enough saliva. Not producing enough saliva can lead to gum disease, tooth decay, and mouth infections.
Take action to avoid stress-related smile issues
You don’t have to allow stress to affect your body and your smile, here are some simple steps you can incorporate into your daily regimen.
Get Moving
If you’ve ever felt bad, mad, or sorrowful and you decided to go for a walk, run, or workout, you’ll notice that 10-15 minutes into it, you start to feel better. That’s because the movement causes your happy hormones or endorphins to kick in and you start to feel better. The more you move, the better you’ll feel more often, so create a schedule to get moving 2-3 times per week.
Smile More
Studies have shown that the very act of smiling can lower your blood pressure, lift your mood, and boost your immune system. The act of smiling, whether its brought on by something you see, smell, or experience, or even if you force it, tricks your brain into happiness. Smile more and be happier instantly.
Eat Better
Eating high fiber, carbohydrate-rich foods like baked sweet potatoes, minestrone soup, or sautéed veggies over rice, cause your brain to produce more serotonin, the relaxation hormone.
You can also reverse the effects of stress and boost your immune system by eating more antioxidant-rich fruits and veggies such as acorn squash, carrots, and citrus fruits full of vitamin C.
You don’t have to settle for a life filled with stress and anxiety. You have the power to fight back and take control, so you can live your best life, it just takes a few tweaks. But if you’re having trouble getting started, schedule your Free Mind Body Smile Healthy Living Coaching Session with Dr. Susan Stukes. You’ll walk away with a strategy and a plan to move forward with healthy lifestyle changes for your body and your smile.
