Mental health, directly and indirectly, affects your oral health. Below are ways poor mental health can affect your oral health.

Stress

Mental health causes stress, which affects oral health in multiple ways. Below are two examples.

1. Dry Mouth

Stress can dry your mouth in several ways. For example, a dry mouth can arise as a side effect of medications your doctors may prescribe to manage your stress. At the same time, stress stifles saliva production.

A dry mouth is bad for your oral health because you need saliva to help you digest food, wash bacteria acids from your teeth surfaces, and prevent demineralization. A dry mouth increases your risk of gum disease and dental cavities. A dry mouth usually leads to bad mouth odor too.

2. Teeth Grinding

Some people grind their teeth when stressed. Chronic teeth grinding erodes the enamel, which you need to protect your teeth from the effects of bacteria. Chronic teeth grinding also weakens your teeth. Forceful teeth grinding can even cause microfractures on your teeth, allowing bacteria to reach your teeth's internal structures.

Anxiety

Your mental health problems can trigger anxiety, affecting your dental treatments. For example, some avoid dental appointments because they feel anxious about the dental instruments, such as drills or procedures. Delayed treatment can lead to dental complications. Others don't avoid the treatments but involuntarily make their dentists work hard.

Forgetfulness

Mental health issues can lead to forgetfulness. Forgetfulness affects various aspects of life, including oral care and hygiene. For example, you might forget to buy oral hygiene products, like toothpaste and mouthwash. You might also forget to brush or floss regularly.

Unfortunately, neglecting oral hygiene is a recipe for disaster because it allows bacteria to thrive in your mouth. The bacteria will produce acids that demineralize and weaken your enamel. The bacteria can also attack the soft tissues, causing gum disease.

Prioritization

Mental health problems are serious and attract a bad reputation. Thus, many people prioritize mental over oral health care. Healthcare providers, patients, and their family members can focus on mental health intervention at the expense of oral health care. The neglect can lead to delayed treatments and disease complications.

Immunity

Lastly, reduced self-care that sometimes accompanies mental health issues can lower immunity. For example, you may develop low immunity if you don't eat well or don't seek medical attention for issues you consider minor. Low immunity increases your risk of dental diseases.

To learn more, visit a dental clinic in your area.