Oral Health and Mental Health: The Overlooked Connection for Enhanced Wellness

Did you know your mind and your teeth are best friends? They help each other. When one feels bad, the other one can feel bad too. Let’s learn about how your mental health and dental health go together.

Your Mind Can Hurt Your Teeth

When your mind feels bad, your teeth can get hurt. Here’s how:

Stress and Worry Make You Grind Your Teeth

When you feel stressed, you might grind your teeth. You may not know you do it. It often happens when you sleep.

• 72% of people who feel stressed grind their teeth
• Grinding can crack your teeth
• Grinding can make your jaw hurt
• Grinding can give you headaches

If you wake up with a sore jaw, you might be grinding your teeth!

Sad Feelings Make You Skip Brushing

When you feel sad or have depression, taking care of your teeth might seem too hard.

• People with depression are 3 times more likely to lose teeth
• Depression can make you:
• Skip brushing teeth
• Miss dentist visits
• Smoke more (which is bad for teeth)
• Drink more alcohol (which can harm teeth)

Medicine Side Effects Can Hurt Your Teeth

Pills that help your mind feel better can sometimes make your mouth feel dry.

• Dry mouth makes 50% more cavities
• With no spit to wash away germs, teeth get holes faster
• Spit helps keep teeth strong

Eating Problems Harm Your Teeth

People with eating disorders can have very bad teeth problems.

• For people with bulimia, stomach acid from throwing up hurts teeth
• 89% of people with bulimia have damaged tooth tops
• People with anorexia may not get enough food to keep teeth strong

Your Teeth Can Hurt Your Mind

Just as your mind can hurt your teeth, bad teeth can hurt your mind.

Tooth Pain Makes You Sad

When your teeth hurt all the time, it’s hard to feel happy.

• Tooth pain can make you feel sad or depressed
• Gum problems can make you feel down
• Jaw pain can give you headaches and make it hard to think

Bad Teeth Make You Shy

If your teeth look bad, you might feel shy or scared to smile.

• 30% of grown-ups don’t smile because they don’t like their teeth
• Missing teeth can make you feel embarrassed
• Bad breath can make you not want to talk to people

Gum Disease May Hurt Your Brain

Did you know your gums might affect your brain?

• Gum disease makes your risk of Alzheimer’s go up by 70%
• Germs from your mouth can go to your brain
• These germs might help make the brain sick

Dental Bills Cause Stress

Fixing teeth can cost a lot of money. This can make you worry.

• Waiting until teeth are very bad costs more to fix
• People with little money may not be able to fix their teeth
• Worry about dental bills can make stress worse

People Who Need Extra Help

Some people need more help with their teeth because of their minds.

Older People

Older people may have more problems with their teeth and minds.

• May forget to brush teeth
• May have dry mouth from medicine
• May have trouble getting to the dentist

People With Little Money

People who don’t have much money may have more teeth problems.

• Can’t pay for regular teeth cleaning
• Can’t pay for teeth fixing
• May not have dental care in their health plan

People Who Have Been Scared

People who had bad things happen to them may be scared of the dentist.

• 60% of people with PTSD avoid the dentist
• Scared of dental tools
• Scared of being in the dentist chair

How to Break the Bad Cycle

Let’s look at ways to help both your mind and your teeth feel better!

For You to Try

Here are things you can do:

• Use toothpaste with fluoride if your mouth is dry from medicine
• Try to relax with deep breaths before dentist visits
• Get your teeth cleaned every six months
• Tell your dentist if you are scared
• Try a soft night guard if you grind your teeth

For Dentists to Try

Dentists can help too:

• Look for signs that patients might be sad or depressed
• Offer sleep medicine for very scared patients
• Work with people who help with mental health
• Be extra gentle with scared patients
• Use tools that make less noise

For Health Plans to Try

Health plans should cover teeth care:

• Add dental care to mental health plans
• Help pay for teeth fixing for poor people
• Make it easier to find dentists who help scared people

Real Help You Can Get

Here are places to get help:

• Less Costly Care: Community health centers
• Phone Help: Talk to dentists on the phone first if you are scared
• Phone Apps: Reminder apps to brush teeth
• Support Groups: Meet others with the same fears

Questions People Ask

Taking Care of Your Mind and Mouth

Your mind and mouth need each other to be healthy! Here’s what to remember:

1. When you feel bad in your mind, your teeth can get sick
2. When your teeth hurt, your mind can feel bad
3. Taking care of both is important
4. Tell your dentist if you are scared
5. Tell your mental health doctor about tooth problems

If you have dental anxiety, you might need a custom dental guard to protect your teeth. People with stress often need night guards to stop grinding.

People with eating disorders may need special dental ceramics to fix damaged front teeth.

Simple Things You Can Do Today

• Brush your teeth even when you feel sad
• Drink water if your mouth feels dry from medicine
• Tell your dentist if you feel scared
• Ask about ways to pay less for dental care
• Get help for mental health problems

The National Institute of Mental Health says taking care of your teeth is part of taking care of your whole self. The American Dental Association can help you find dentists who understand mental health needs. Medicaid sometimes pays for dental care, so ask about it.

Your mind and mouth are a team! When you help one, you help the other too. Take small steps each day to keep both healthy.

Working Together For Better Health

Your body parts are all connected. Your mind talks to your mouth and your mouth talks to your mind. If you have Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), it might help you be less scared of the dentist. If you fix your teeth, you might feel better about yourself.

Dentists and mental health doctors should work together. When they talk to each other, they can help you better.

Remember: a healthy smile helps a healthy mind!