An Epidemic of Cracked Teeth: Should You Be Worried?

 

The Coronavirus pandemic has led to an oral epidemic of sorts. For one, dental clinics had to be shut for months in fear of the pandemic. This resulted in people not being able to seek the oral care they needed. While a lot of dentists offered virtual consultations, they just weren’t as effective as clinic visits. 

However, the lack of dental visit wasn’t the root cause of the oral epidemic, it was the stress brought on by the pandemic. During virtual and in-clinic, once clinics reopened, consultation dentists began to notice a lot of patients with the same oral problem, cracked teeth.

Linking Coronavirus Pandemic to the Epidemic of Cracked Teeth

In a New York Times article, Prosthodontist Tammy Chen highlighted that in times of stress, individuals tend to clench their jaws and grind their teeth unconsciously. All the stress brought on by the fear of the virus, the need for social distance and quarantine, the possibility of losing your job, amongst others led to many unconsciously adopting the habit of grinding their teeth at night. 

The enamel of the teeth are brittle, they can only take so much trauma before they start to crack and break. While they are accustomed to some grinding and chewing when you eat, they aren’t accustomed to the constant pressure from grinding throughout the day. This causes them to crack.

You can take simple steps in your daily life to prevent cracked teeth. This includes:

• Seeking a dentist's help if you notice yourself grinding your teeth for no reason. Dentists can provide a mouthguard for you to wear so your teeth stay protected from the habit. 
• Refrain from chewing any food or item with a hard surface such as ice, pens, hard candy, and so on. 
• Make sure you maintain good posture when you walk and especially when you sit. Ergonomics are important because the nerves from your shoulder and neck connect to the temporomandibular joint in the jaw. Poor posture throughout the day is a contributing factor to teeth grinding at night, while you sleep.

As the world slowly opens up and tries to normalize, with precautions in place, hopefully, there will be a decline in the cases of cracked teeth. Until then, just take the proper precautions to protect your teeth. Be sure to visit your dentist at the first sign of a cracked tooth or when you notice you’ve developed the habit of teeth grinding.