Did you know how mental health affects oral health?
There is a close relationship between overall health and mental health. Patients with mental health problems are not able to take care of their physical health. Forgotten physical health damaged emotional and mental health. Moreover, poor physical health is dangerous to self-vision, self-appreciation, and self-goodness–all of which significantly reduce mental fitness.
Mental Health Affects Oral Health
Mental health has severe implications for oral health. Patients with critical mental illnesses are at higher risk of oral health issues because of poor oral hygiene and poor diet.
Here are some mental illness issues that affect oral health:
Depression
Depression is a common and weaken disorder identified by lack of energy, distress, failure to focus, lessening of desire, and feelings of grief and hopelessness which prevent the daily actions of a person.
This lack of attention influences their oral and dental health because a person with mental illness loses interest in their care, that is why dental cavities are the most regular oral and dental health problem in this society.
This loss of health can finally result in teeth loss. It is necessary to state that oral and dental health problems caused by the behavior of patients with depression can, in turn, reduce their self-appreciation, negatively influencing the diagnosis or procedure of their mental illness.
Most typical symptoms of depression
- Loss of interest or happiness in activities
- A notable change in weight or desire
- Restlessness or hypersomnia
- Psychomotor disturbance or slowness
- Tiredness
- Feelings of badness or liability
- Reduced attention
- Repetitive ideas of death
Schizophrenia
Schizophrenia is an emotional disorder known to increase self-care skill with growing mental illness. Schizophrenia is a severe and disabling disease. It determined by the appearance of abnormalities in one or more of the following states: disordered thought, mirages, delusions, disorganized behavior, and negative symptoms: lack of thinking, anhedonia and flat attack.
A study of patients with schizophrenia reveals that 61% of these patients have bad oral hygiene, adding situations such as teeth loss, dry mouth, and critical dental cavities — the dryness of the mouth defined by the small effects of antipsychotic medications given to these patients.
Patients with schizophrenia marked as a high-risk group for raising dental disease. The research report that they offer critical dental health than the healthy population. It is also necessary to state that periodontal disease that hits these patients connected to subclinical atherosclerosis, which cause them to develop cardiovascular disease.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder is known as mood shifts that change from manic episode to depression; infrequently these changes appear very instantly. While the manic phase, the patients look much talkative, hyperactive and cognitive. In opposite patients in the depressive position show symptoms comparable to those explained before in the portion about depression.
These patients are at higher risk of forming dental cavities, xerostomia, irregularities in taste judgment, and bruxism. It is necessary to be conscious during the treatment of these patients. It is good to discuss with the dentist before starting any medications for these patients. Dental or orthodontic treatment is necessary for everybody not only for those people who are experiencing a dental problem.
Bruxism
Bruxism is not a mental disease. Bruxism has considered as a motor comparable to anxiety. Bruxism is a habit of teeth rubbing and jaw clenching. It is teeth grinding action and irrelevant to daily activity such as eating or talking. In some people, severe bruxism enough to start to jaw diseases, damaged teeth, headaches, and other difficulties.
There Are Two Principal Kinds Of Bruxism:
One happens during sleep (nocturnal bruxism) and one while wakefulness (awake bruxism). Dental decay may be similar in both kinds.
Here are symptoms of bruxism:
- Regular migraine
- Sleeping difficulties.
- Teeth cracked and loose.
- Teeth grinding or clenching.
- Chewing inside of the cheek.
- Increased tooth pain or sensation.
- Face, jaw and neck pain or soreness.
- Damage tooth enamel and expose under layers of the tooth.
- Weak jaw muscles or jaw pain and jaw locked that don’t open or close fully.
Dementia
Dementia is a symptom defined by a gradual loss of memory and problems with learning functions. It can be affected by diseases such as vascular dementia, dementia, and Alzheimer.
Studies explain that patients with dementia have bad oral and dental health correlated to the average population. There is a higher number of cavities in these patients, and they experience a decrease in the production of saliva. Giving knowledge about oral health to these patients is necessary.
Patients with dementia are not able to mention pain or discomfort, some signs that can be understood as symptoms of distress are a forbidding to eat, increases in salivation, frequently self-beating in the face, crying and increased anxiety. Dental healthcare providers must be alert of these symptoms and must train caretaker so that the patient can take health help instantly.
Eating Disorders:
The relationship between eating disorders and oral health problem described in late 1970. Between 35% and 38% of patients who suffer from eating disorders conditions experience tooth decay from the acidity in vomiting.
Dental Phobia
Dental phobia is a diagnosable phobia. It is also called fear of the dentist. In many situations, people who are suffering from dental phobia do so because of previous painful treatments at the dentist. Those treatments can involve difficulties and painful technique.
The fear can also result in bad communication with a dentist and how the dentist’s reaction was noted. If a person got care from a dentist that was not caring or harsh in behavior, the action could happen in an increased fear. That’s why the patients with dental phobia don’t frequently visit the dentist and don’t take proper dental care usually as they should.
Medications
The medications given to the patients during treatment may cause bad oral effects, such as dry mouth, which is as an effect of reduced saliva flow. It is essential for the caretaker to be knowledgeable about the relationship between oral health and mental health.
People who are undergoing mental health issues should realize the meaning of good oral health and be inspired to retain good dental rules.
Oral Health Effects
- Lapse of oral hygiene starting to develop the risk of dental caries and periodontal illness
- Poor diet
- Drug-induced xerostomia
- Delay of essential dental care
Three Important Steps
- Brush two times a day once before going to sleep or bed and once during the day with a fluoride toothpaste.
- Limit the number of sugary foods and drinks.
- Visit frequently to your the dentist as they told.
