“How is your dental practice?” My friend asked, a clear concern on his face.
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I’ve seen a lot of this look lately. Since the epidemic began with citywide shutdowns and social distance measures, a handful of friends and family members have assumed I must be on the verge of closure. But I told her I was busier than before.
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“Really?” She asked. “How is that possible?”
“I’ve seen more tooth fractures in the last six weeks than in the last six years,” I explained.
Sadly, that’s no exaggeration.
I discontinued my Manhattan practice in mid-March, except for a dental emergency, in accordance with the guidelines of the American Dental Association and the state government’s order. Almost immediately, I noticed a sensation in the phone calls: jaw pain, tooth sensitivity, cheek pain, migraines. Most of these patients I effectively treated with telemedicine.
But when I reopened my practice in early June, the fractures started to come: at least one day a day, every day I’ve been in office fees. On average, I’m looking at three to four; Bad days are six plus fractures.
What’s going on?
One obvious answer is stress. From covid-inspired nightmares to “doomsfurfing” to “coronaphobia” it is no secret that anxiety related to the underlying disease is affecting our collective mental health. That stress, in turn, leads to clenching and grinding, which damages the teeth.
But more precisely, what I see in tooth trauma may be the result of two additional factors.
First, an unprecedented number of Americans are suddenly working from home, often wherever they can work together with a temporary workstation: on the sofa, on the bar, in the corner of the kitchen counter. The annoying body position that can cause us to push our shoulders forward makes the spine something like a C-shape.
If you’re wondering why a dentist takes care of ergonomics, the simple truth is that the nerves in your neck and shoulder muscles tend to have a temporomandibular joint or TMJ. Leads to, which connects the jaw bone to the skull. Poor posture during the day can translate into a night grinding problem.
Second, most of us are not getting the restoration sleep we need. Since the onset of the epidemic, I have listened to the patient after the patient described sudden restlessness and insomnia. This is characteristic of the excess or dominant sympathetic nervous system, which leads to the body’s “fight or flight” response. Think of a gladiator preparing for battle: with a ball in his fist, tearing his jaw. Due to the stress of coronavirus, the body stays in a state of readiness in a state of arousal, rather than resting and recharging. All that stress goes straight to the teeth.
So what can we do?
You will be surprised how many people are unaware that they are shiny and grinding. Even patients complaining of pain and sensitivity in patient fees are unreliable when I draw attention. “Oh no. I don’t grind my teeth,” I hear often, though I come often. Watching Make them do it.
Awareness is the key. Are your teeth currently touching? As you read this article? If so, it’s a sure sign that you’re hurting a little – you shouldn’t really touch your teeth all day long unless you’re actively eating and chewing your food. Instead, with a little space between the teeth when the lips are closed, your jaw should relax. Be careful and stop grinding yourself when you catch yourself doing it.
If you have a night guard or retainer, devices that keep teeth in proper alignment and prevent grinding, try pinging them during the day. These devices provide a physical barrier, absorbing and dispersing pressure. As I often tell my patients, I will break the night guard rather than crack the teeth. Your dentist can create night guards to ensure proper fit.
And many of us will continue to work from home for months, so a proper workstation must be established. Ideally, when sitting, your shoulders should be above your hips, and your ears should be above your shoulders. Computer screens should be at eye level; If you don’t have an adjustable chair or desk, move your monitor or laptop over a stack of books or books.
Also consider that in our new home office fees, get out of bed, find a bed, wow, then sit for nine hours a day. Whenever possible try mixing it with some standing and include more movements. It doesn’t matter how small your house or apartment is, using every break in the bathroom or using the phone as an opportunity to take further action.
At the end of Work Day, I advise my patients – make excuses for the very technical, medical term here – “jogging like a fish.” Lie on your back on the floor with your arms straight above your head and gently hang from the sides of your arms, shoulders, hips and legs. The goal is to disintegrate and expand the spine, as well as to relieve and relieve some of the stress and strain.
If you’ve got a bathtub, consider taking 20 minutes of Epsom salt in the evening. Focus on breathing through your nose and relaxing, rather than thinking about work, scrolling through emails, or back-to-school schedules for your kids (easier said than done, I know).
Then, before bed, take five minutes to calm your mind. Close your eyes, suck your tongue on the roof of your mouth, and breathe in and out of your nose, through your nose. It is definitely a low-tech remedy, but deep breathing is one of the most effective ways to stimulate the vagus nerve, which controls the body’s parasympathetic nervous system. Replicating the response to a fight or flight, the parasympathetic nervous system triggers the body’s “rest and digest” mechanism, slows the heartbeat, lowers blood pressure, and allows a more restful, restored sleep. The more you relax your body, the less stress you have on the jaw, the more likely you are to wake up. That means less grinding at night.
Teeth are naturally brittle, and everyone has minor fractures ranging from chewing, grinding and daily use. They can only take so much trauma before it finally breaks down. Consider a wall that has a small spider crack that can get bigger and bigger with the weather, until it becomes a gaping hole. We want to prevent any additional stress from grinding that causes these microscopic cracks to spread into large cracks and, ultimately, the essential catastrophic failure of the root canal, crown or other large dentition.
If you have not already done so, make an appointment with your dentist. Continue on your six-month screening and cleaning schedule.
And if you don’t do anything else, get a night guard.
Tammy Chen is a prosthodontist and owns it Central Park Dental Aesthetics In Midtown Manhattan.
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