February is one of our favorite times of the year as dentists. During the month of February, the American Dental Association promotes a cause we feel to be very worthy: National Children's Dental Health Month. This year's theme—"Brush and clean in between to build a healthy smile"—focuses on the importance of making sure the areas between your teeth stay clean with a good oral hygiene routine.
This National Children's Dental Health Month, we also wanted to stress the value of good daily oral health practices on our blog. Your role as a parent is immensely important in encouraging healthy behaviors in your children. Kids go through a lot as they grow and develop, and parents should be aware of how some of those developments can affect other areas of their lives. For this post, our staff got together and came up with a list of some of the ways oral health can impact your child's mental health and vice versa.
Poor Oral Health Causes Stress for Your Child
For a variety of reasons, allowing your child to forgo routine, daily brushing and flossing will cause them stress. Excessive decay, unhealthy gums, and unsightly cracks and chips can affect a child's self-esteem and be downright painful throughout the day, making everyday interactions harder and more uncomfortable.
Poor Oral Health Can Make Your Child More Irritable
Throughout their growth and development, kids experience a lot of extreme emotions. From tantrums when they're young to mood swings during puberty as a teen, your kid is going to sometimes be a powder keg waiting to go off when they're not feeling good. Painful dental problems can make this issue worse by intensifying moodiness and making kids more irritable.
Stress and Other Mental Health Issues Can Cause Bruxism
Grinding your teeth, called bruxism in dentistry, can be a coping mechanism or subconscious habit formed from stress, trauma, or various other mental health issues. Grinding your teeth can damage critical enamel and lead to a higher risk of tooth decay.
Kids Can Regress to Thumb-Sucking as a Coping Mechanism
Like bruxism, thumb-sucking can be a regressive behavior that kids who have dropped it might regress to in environments where they're stressed. Watch for this behavior and try to identify the triggers for it. Thumb-sucking over time can affect a lot of long-term development in your child's mouth.
Anxiety and Depression Can Impact Oral Hygiene
Data from the past few years indicates young people are experiencing high rates of anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, experiencing these mental health conditions can make everyday tasks seem a lot harder, which can also make staying on top of brushing and flossing tough. Some studies have suggested this is part of the link between a higher rate of periodontal disease among those experiencing anxiety and depression.
Thanks for Reading!
We encourage you to use National Children's Dental Health Month as a way to buckle down and learn new ways to take care of your kids' oral health. If you enjoy our blog, please drop by and like our Facebook page to see our newest posts.