{"id":2552,"date":"2025-04-10T05:48:20","date_gmt":"2025-04-10T05:48:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/?p=2552"},"modified":"2025-04-15T05:49:46","modified_gmt":"2025-04-15T05:49:46","slug":"stress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/stress\/","title":{"rendered":"Stress"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ozkan-guner-9jEvqfoGu64-unsplash-scaled.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ozkan-guner-9jEvqfoGu64-unsplash-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2555\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ozkan-guner-9jEvqfoGu64-unsplash-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ozkan-guner-9jEvqfoGu64-unsplash-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ozkan-guner-9jEvqfoGu64-unsplash-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ozkan-guner-9jEvqfoGu64-unsplash-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/ozkan-guner-9jEvqfoGu64-unsplash-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Photo by <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@dentistozkanguner?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\">Ozkan Guner<\/a> on <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/a-group-of-eggs-in-a-row-9jEvqfoGu64?utm_content=creditCopyText&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_source=unsplash\">Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You might expect that a pre-Easter April email from me would probably caution you to be aware of the risks of chocolate consumption over this period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>But today I want to talk about being aware of something else (don\u2019t worry, your chocolate reminder will come next week!): <u>Stress<\/u><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>April is Stress Awareness Month, and in 2025, we\u2019re far more comfortable talking about mental health, stress, anxiety and depression, which is a huge step forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But what perhaps goes a little under the radar is the impact that stress can have on your <em>dental<\/em> health \u2013 specifically the way that stress and bruxism are linked &#8211; .so I thought I\u2019d just briefly unpack that today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>First up, what is Bruxism?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bruxism involves the grinding or clenching of teeth, often unconsciously during sleep or stressful situations.&nbsp; It can lead to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Worn or damaged teeth\u200b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jaw pain or temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders\u200b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Headaches\u200b<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Sleep disturbances<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><em>However, most people have no symptoms at all and it\u2019s only noticed when picked up at a dental assessment (this is what happened with me!)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What\u2019s it got to do with stress?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When stressed, people often unconsciously clench their jaw or grind their teeth, especially during sleep. It can also happen during the day, especially when concentrating or exercising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What can you do about it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First things first, we\u2019ll check for it at every dental assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Second, if there\u2019s evidence of bruxism, we\u2019ll consider which treatment (if any) is most appropriate for you.&nbsp; Some options include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Custom Night Guards<\/strong>: These devices protect your teeth from the effects of grinding during sleep.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Stress Management Techniques<\/strong>: Guidance on lifestyle changes and relaxation methods to help manage stress.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Acupuncture Sessions<\/strong>: These are administered by Dr Ronit Patel who has been specifically trained professionals to target specific symptoms and promote overall well-being.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Hospital referral: <\/strong>Considered in complex cases or where there is no response to other measures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Don\u2019t ignore it!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ignoring bruxism can lead to long-term dental issues, including severe tooth damage, jaw disorders, and chronic pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>If you\u2019ve been experiencing jaw pain, headaches or poor quality sleep, or you notice that your teeth appear worn or damaged, book a dental assessment, and we\u2019ll take a good look, and advise you on the right next step.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Next week, chocolate\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ketan<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo by Ozkan Guner on Unsplash You might expect that a pre-Easter April email from me would probably caution you to be aware of the risks of chocolate consumption over this period. But today I want to talk about being aware of something else (don\u2019t worry, your chocolate reminder will come next week!): Stress April &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/stress\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Stress<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2555,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2552","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2552","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.brightsidedental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}