May 6th to 10th was Mental Health Week in Canada, and we’re seeing a lot of excellent discussions online about how we can support and improve our overall mental wellness. However, there’s one area of self-care that often gets overlooked during discussions of mental health, but it’s just as important of a priority: your dental health!
Mental health and dental health are closely related — each one affects the other! Poor dental health can negatively impact your mental health, and vice versa. When you take care of both of these aspects of your health, you’re likely to see dramatic improvements.
Dental Health and Self-Esteem
Your smile is one of the first things that people notice about you. Folks who lack confidence in their oral health may experience lowered self-esteem and increased social anxiety, particularly when meeting new people. Feelings of shame and embarrassment may prevent people from leading active social lives, and it can affect their professional lives as well.
Investing in your smile can have a dramatically positive effect on so many aspects of your life. If you’d like to give your confidence a boost, our dental health team can help you explore plenty of different treatment options, keeping both your budget and long-term goals in mind.
How Mental Health and Anxiety Affects Your Oral Health
For people experiencing depression, anxiety, or other mental health challenges, it can be more difficult to carry out everyday tasks. This includes things like brushing and flossing, scheduling regular checkups, or preparing healthy meals. Anxiety can also lead to symptoms like teeth grinding and jaw clenching.
As your oral health worsens, the consequences can affect your whole-body health and overall self-image, which in turn can worsen symptoms of poor mental health. To break the negative cycle, it’s so important to take care of your mouth and your mind!
Some people may also experience anxiety directly related to visiting the dentist. At Kildonan Crossing Dental Centre, our staff are more than happy to answer any questions you may have. We can discuss options for accommodations to help you feel as safe and comfortable as possible, in a no-pressure environment. At the end of the day, we just want to keep you healthy, in body and mind — that’s our number one goal!
Ready to take action to improve your dental and mental health? Get in touch with our team at KCDC — we love helping people boost their confidence by helping them smile even brighter.