Healthy And Stress-Free?
Start With Your Teeth.
Article by Reece & Jouett Radiant Exceptional Dentistry
Living in the wonderfully friendly setting of the Brazos Valley can be all that is needed for a calm and stress-free outlook on the world. However, the pressures and subsequent demands of dealing with COVID-19 prevention can bring on unique medical and dental health problems. For instance, dentists are seeing more patients with headaches, fractured teeth, jaw pain (TMJ/TMD), and sleep problems.
With that in mind, let’s catch up on three things about your teeth and your health.
- Your oral health is directly tied to your overall health. Physicians and dentists have known this for years, but the message has been slow in getting out. Bad breath, for instance, is a sign of gum infection which is linked to heart disease.
- Ignoring your dental health due to fear or neglect can affect your career, your social life, and your overall happiness, which can also cause stress.
- Modern dentistry has moved far beyond ‘drilling and filling’ to become a neuromuscular-based science that has conquered dental pain, reduced anxiety, and successfully turned back the clock on dental health.
How does all of this work together?
To understand, you have to envision dentistry as more than your teeth; it is the interrelationship between your facial muscles and jaw position, collectively called Physiologic Dentistry.
Dr. Michael K. Reece, DDS, LVIM, FICOI and Dr. Ryan M. Jouett, LVIM, FICOI of Reece & Jouett Radiant Exceptional Dentistry in Bryan/College Station, TX, are specially trained in the field of Physiologic Dentistry that can address and treat this complicated ecosystem of interrelationships.
Each of the doctors are LVI Master dentists, making them the only dental office in the world with two LVI Master dentists in the same practice.
Where can it all lead?
A quick story can tell. One central Texas patient had bad breath, simple enough. But, their bad breath was generated by decaying teeth and gum infection. Their decaying teeth were the result of a childhood fear of the dentist that led to never visiting a dentist and living in pain. Bad breath also led to being passed over for a promotion, which caused problems on the home front. Finally, with no place to turn, they had to confront their fear and call the dentist, only to find that non-judgmental and painless treatment was available all along.
What can you do to reduce stress and maintain your dental health?
Dr. Reece and Dr. Jouett recommend the following:
- Get regular dental checkups to catch things before they get worse.
- Get a dental night guard and one to wear during the day, too.
- Maintain good posture: shoulders over hips, ears over shoulders, computer at eye level. Don’t sit on the couch or bed slumped over your laptop – this leads to muscle stress which translates into teeth grinding, a poor bite, and poor sleep.
- Get good sleep. Stress, tension, and poor posture can lead to poor sleep, and poor sleep can lead to depression and
- Keep moving. Alternate between sitting and standing often.
- Focus on your breathing. This simple act stimulates the vagus nerve and in turn the parasympathetic nervous system, which lowers your blood pressure telling your body to relax and calm down. This will help fight the stress inducing pressures of the fight-or-flight response that can cause grinding of clenched teeth, headaches, sleepless nights, and jaw pain.
Dr. Michael K. Reece and Dr. Ryan M. Jouett are both LVI Master dentists. LVI is the premiere international post-graduate dental training program known for attracting the top 1% of 1% of all dentists seeking excellence in dentistry. drreece.com 979.846.6515