Depression and Your Smile—Are Your Teeth Stressing You Out?

Many know that stress can cause people to grind their teeth at night but did you know that your teeth can cause stress and other health issues? We recently spoke with Dr. Catrise Austin, a cosmetic dentist in New York better known as “The Queen of Smiles”, who gave us insight on the mental health issues which can be associated to not paying closer attention to our oral health.

What is the strong interaction between oral health and mental health?

When it comes to oral health, we frequently hear about its connection to heart disease, diabetes, and other physical health problems. But we rarely link oral health to depression, anxiety, stress, and overall quality of life which can impact your teeth in many ways.

Gum Disease:

Advanced gum disease known as periodontal disease has been associated with mental health disorders including clinical depression, anxiety, and chronic stress. The key signs and symptoms are bleeding gums, bad breath, redness of gums, tenderness of gums, and loose teeth. As a matter of fact, periodontal disease is the leading cause of tooth loss.

Depression can have a negative impact on your immune system. When you are depressed, the depression can suppress your immune system from functioning properly making it harder for your body to fight the bacteria in your mouth and easier for bacteria to breed in your mouth to cause gum disease.

Stress is usually a huge factor that usually comes along with depression and can impact the teeth in several ways. When you are in a depression, the body tends to produce high amounts of the stress hormone called cortisol. Excessive levels of cortisol in turn creates a nice ripe environment for gum disease.

The stress, anxiety, and depression also commonly leads to teeth grinding and clenching. The habits of clenching and grinding your teeth adds extremes amounts of physical force on the supporting fibers and bone that keep the teeth strong and stabile. Over time, clenching and grinding can slowly but surely destroy the supporting bone and fibers causing the teeth to get loose.

Cavities: Along with stress, anxiety, and depression usually comes poor eating habits and poor oral hygiene habits that can affect the health of your teeth. When we are feeling low, we never think to turn to fruits and vegetables. We commonly turn to sugary high carb comfort foods and drinks like alcohol, sodas, chips, and desserts for example. Without proper oral hygiene habits to fight the sugars and acids in your mouth, the mouth becomes a breeding ground for cavities.

Poor oral hygiene and self care habits:

Depression, anxiety, and stress can also affect ones motivation and desire to even brush and floss the recommended 2-3 times daily to maintain a healthy smile at home nor do they have the motivation to visit the dentist every 6 months. As a result, what starts out as minor and easily treatable problems often turn into major problems that require treatments like deep cleanings or gum surgery to reverse gum disease; root canals and crowns to save decayed teeth; or tooth extractions, dentures, or dental implants to replace teeth that can’t be saved. This is why sticking to regular dentist visits is essential. If you are suffering with toothache or any form of trauma regarding your teeth, Box Hill Emergency Dentist open on Saturdays, so it may be worth booking an appointment (if you reside in this area of Australia). It’ll only get worse otherwise.

If you feel that you require any treatment. Check out, https://www.dentalimplantsusa.com/dental-implants/mini-dental-implants/ and they will review your case.

What are the mental health benefits of cosmetic dentistry?

In my book called GetSmiled, I describe your smile as your greatest assets because, let’s face it, in our beauty conscious society,one of the first things that people will notice about you is your smile. Your smile is your greeting card, your business card, your resume, and your invitation card all in one!

The truth of the matter is, your mental health state and dental problems are really a two-way street. Just as your mental state can impact your oral health, problems with your teeth can contribute to depression and lead to negative views about one’s body image and self-esteem. This in turn leads to insecurity, seclusion for social settings, loneliness, and more. This is usually the driving force that makes people consider improving their smiles. This is the case for many of the clients that I see in private practice and receive letters from. You don’t have to feel like you have to go through this alone. There are always specialists out there, just like if you look into something like cosmetic dentistry beaufort sc, who can help you on your way to getting the smile you have always wanted.

Heck, its the story of my life and how I even became a dentist. You see, I spent most of my youth hiding behind something, and that something was…my smile, because I was embarrassed about my teeth! When I was growing up, I hated my teeth because they were too long, they stuck out, and there were multiple spaces between my teeth. Everyday in the schoolyard I’d hear “There’s bugs bunny”! The other kids thought that it was funny, but it was no laughing matter to me. When I look back at those times, the name calling and feeling like an outcast really hurt my feelings. I was ridiculed to the point where I just kept to myself and avoided the other kids at all costs.

Although I wanted to improve my smile, I knew, or assumed, that my single parent mother wouldn’t be able to afford to help me get the braces that I desperately wanted…. so I never asked. I was a great pretender. I smiled through pain and pretended I was a happy kid, but deep down I felt so lonely which held me back from fully enjoying my childhood. I thought that this was just the way life would always be forever.

When I reached high school, you know that pivotal time when you want to belong, I reached my breaking point! For once in my life I really wanted to fit in and maybe be one of the cool kids. And this is when my life’s journey and purpose began. At the age of 15, what I thought was supposed to be a simple routine dental check up and teeth cleaning visit turned into my mother surprising me with the braces that I needed to finally correct my smile! This dental visit changed my life forever. I wore the braces for 1 year and you couldn’t tell me nothing when my braces came off….I felt like Miss America! My self-esteem totally improved. I gained a new image, energy, spirit that started to improve my social and dating life in high school and beyond.

Here’s another life changing smile story that the world got to witness the benefits is the makeover I did with Cardi B. I got a call one day from Mona Scott Young, executive producer VH1’s Love and Hip Hop. She asked me if I would transform the smile of a hot new rapper by the name of Cardi B who was beautiful and talented but was being publicly ridiculed because of her less than perfect smile. Her smile transformation was so profound that not only did VH1 feature her makeover on the season premiere episode, Cardi B rapped about her makeover in her #1 billboard song Bodak Yellow which completely skyrocketed my business! People started to come from everywhere to get their VIP Smile like Cardi B.

A beautiful smile can totally improve your mental health and quality of life by improving your self-esteem and image. As a result, cosmetic dentistry can give you more confidence to be successful in your career, social life, and even love life.

How do your premium teeth whitening and oral care products help to make your smile look and feel pretty and healthy?

The VIP Smiles Store is home to one of the few premium teeth whitening and oral care products that’s backed by a cosmetic dentistry expert. They are designed to be affordable so that almost anyone can take their smile to the next level in no time.

VIP Smiles Organic Coconut Charcoal Teeth Whitening Powder: For those who are looking for a natural way to make your teeth whiter that doesn’t irritate your gums or make your teeth painfully sensitive then the VIP Smiles Organic Coconut Charcoal Teeth Whitening Powder is perfect. Activated charcoal is a purifying agent that absorbs impurities – like the stains on your teeth that are caused by coffee, tea, soda, red wine, cigarettes, and other things that stain the outer enamel surface of your teeth. The VIP Smiles activated charcoal formula doesn’t just remove stains, it also targets bacterial plaque helping to prevent advanced gum disease and bad breath. You can use it daily to clean your teeth or periodically to remove stains.

With the VIP Smiles organic coconut charcoal you get pure activated charcoal from organic coconut sources – not generic charcoal from hardwood for maximum effect. This product also contains Organic Orange Seed Oil and Sodium Bicarbonate for even more teeth whitening power. The charcoal has a mint flavor to ensure that there is no bad after-taste and the mint helps freshen your breath.

The charcoal teeth whitening products are available at a fraction of the cost of many professional teeth whitening options!

VIP Smiles Professional Teeth Whitening with Mini LED Light:

The professional dental office strength home teeth whitening system includes hydrogen peroxide and comfortable teeth whitening trays with a LED light similar to what is used in dental offices but for a fraction of the costs. This kit will help eliminate coffee, tea, smoker, and many other external stains that are located on the outer enamel surface of the teeth. It will also lighten the natural yellow discolorations located inside teeth to give a brighter and youthful looking smile. The results can be achieved quickly and easily in days!

VIP Smiles Sonic Toothbrush With 5 Brushing Modes:

If you are looking for a natural way to make your teeth whiter and healthier that won’t make your teeth sensitive then the VIP Smiles Sonic Toothbrush is perfect. This powerful toothbrush brushes at a speed of 40,000 brush strokes/minute to naturally whiten your teeth and remove harmful bacteria that causes gum disease. Just let the toothbrush do the work for you. The 5 brushing modes on this toothbrush act to:

CLEAN: This is the standard mode for superior teeth cleaning WHITEN: This mode gives you 2 minutes of surface stain removal PLUS an extra 30 seconds to polish your front teeth. POLISH: This is a quick 1-minute mode to polish your front teeth. PROVIDE GUM CARE: This mode combines the Clean Mode with a 1-minute gentle gum massage to improve gum health. PROTECT SENSITIVE TEETH: Use this extra gentle mode for sensitive teeth and gums.

Experience more confidence, skyrocket career success, and own any social room with a new VIP Smile!

About Dr. Catrise Austin:

For nearly 20 years, New York City cosmetic dentist Dr. Catrise Austin, better known as The Queen of Smiles, has been in the business of transforming smiles for singles, business people, celebrities, and just anyone looking to enjoy life with a better smile simply.

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