Stress Could Result in Worse Symptoms from Your TMD

Posted on 1/24/2022 by Pacific Maxillofacial Center

Stress can cause a wide variety of physical symptoms, from headaches to ulcers to insomnia. Did you know that stress can also be detrimental to your oral health? High stress levels have been linked to several oral health conditions, including TMD. Keep reading to learn more.

How Does Stress Affect TMD?

For some people, TMD has a clear cause, such as an injury to the jaw joint or its accompanying nerves, muscles, or tendons. Yet for many others, the reason they developed TMD is unknown. There is some evidence to suggest a link between stress and TMD, and this could be due to some of the habits and lifestyle changes that people adopt as a result of stress. For instance, grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw, otherwise known as bruxism, is a common stress response that many people adopt subconsciously. When you have a high stress level, you may grind or clench your teeth during the day without realizing it, or it could happen while you sleep. Grinding your teeth damages your teeth and irritates your jaw, leading to TMD (or making existing TMD symptoms worse).

Some people chew gum to relieve stress, or to replace the stress coping mechanism of smoking cigarettes. While chewing sugar-free gum is undoubtedly better for your oral health than smoking cigarettes, it can still harm your jaw. Chewing gum strains your jaw muscles and can exacerbate TMD symptoms.

How to Relieve TMD Symptoms

If your TMD symptoms are linked to stress and anxiety, it would benefit you to find a way to manage your stress levels. Talk to your primary care doctor about healthy ways to cope with stress, such as meditation, exercise, or journaling. If you grind your teeth, we can fit you for a custom mouth guard to protect your teeth and improve your uncomfortable TMD symptoms. Contact us today.

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