The Surprising Reason Dentists Are Seeing So Many Cracked Teeth Right Now

Many of us will admit to living with some degree of fear, stress and anxiety on a daily basis, but that may be nothing compared to the way we feel today thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. While we've been trying to cope with all the unexpected, negative emotions by taking up a hobby like breadmaking, exercising, or meditation, there's one other way some of us have been manifesting stress: grinding our teeth as we sleep. As a result, some dentists say they're seeing more tooth fractures than ever since they've reopened.

In an article for The New York Times, dentist Tammy Chen reported that noticed an increase in complaints ranging from jaw pain to tooth sensitivities, cheek aches, and migraines when the pandemic first broke out. But when she reopened her dental practice in June, "the fractures started coming in: at least one a day, every single day that I've been in the office. On average, I'm seeing three to four; the bad days are six-plus fractures." 

Chen says that other than stress, there could be another reason for the tooth grinding. She says because most of us are working from home in makeshift workstations, we are probably twisting ourselves into awkward body positions on the sofa, perched on a barstool, working off our kitchen counters. These positions can cause us to hunch forward in an awkward "C" shape, and that poor posture can trigger grinding at night.

Toronto dentist Kal Khaled tells CTV News that he and his colleagues have also seen a similar trend involving cracked molars and damaged fillings. And even though the Canadian Dental Association says the link between teeth grinding and stress isn't too clear, he admits there has been an uptick in COVID-19-induced anxiety attacks, which in turn has triggered clenching and grinding. "[Tooth] decay is accelerated by stress, and poor life conditions, such as not sleeping or eating well. Needless to say, teeth have taken a beating over the last few months," Khaled, who is president of the Ontario Alliance of Dentists, says.

Mayo Clinic says doctors aren't clear on the exact causes of teeth grinding, or bruxism, but they say it could be linked to a combination of physical, mental, and genetic factors. Factors such as increased levels of anxiety, stress, anger, and frustration can lead to teeth grinding and while it doesn't normally lead to serious complications, severe bruxism can lead to damage to your teeth, tension headaches, as well as facial and jaw pains. 

If stress could be causing you to punish your pearly whites, Chen has a fun way of dealing with that. "At the end of the workday, I advise my patients to — excuse the very technical, medical term here — 'wiggle like a fish'," she says. "The goal is to decompress and elongate the spine, as well as release and relieve some of that tension and pressure" (via New York Times).