STRESS OF PANDEMIC TAKING A TOLL ON OUR TEETH

By Chandrayee Roy Choudhury, Canada: 

Dentists are seeing an increasing number of cases on patients with cracked, broken and damaged teeth.

Dentists are saying they are seeing greater incidence of grinding - related wear and damage to people's teeth during pandemic.

Stress and anxiety connected to ongoing COVID19 pandemic could be revealing itself in people's mouth,say dentists who report increasing cases of patients with damaged teeth. Pressures of the pandemic are causing more people to involuntarily clench their jaws and grind their teeth.

Teeth grinding and jaw clenching are usually related to stress and stress levels have increased for people during the pandemic.

Teeth are designed to withstand chewing pressure,but involuntary grinding increases the function dramatically to the point where teeth can crack,chip or loosen.