How Mental Health does affect your Oral Health?

By: Smileway Dental

Mental and oral health are interrelated. Patients with mental health problems often demonstrate the inability to take care of their physical health including oral health, or often struggle to regularly maintaining it. This in turn affects their self-esteem and self-appreciation, affecting their overall health.

Patients with critical mental illnesses are at higher risk of oral health issues because of poor oral hygiene as well as poor diet. Here are some mental illness issues that affect oral health:

  • Depression is associated with higher abuse of alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco, which may cause tooth erosion and decay. Depression often causes self-neglect, which often results in poor oral hygiene and consequential tooth decay.
  • Schizophrenia is a severe and disabling disease determined by the appearance of abnormalities in one or more of the following states: disordered thought, mirages, delusions, disorganized behaviour, lack of thinking, and anhedonia.
  • Bipolar disorder is known as mood shifts that change from manic episode to depression. While the manic phase, the patients look much talkative, hyperactive and cognitive. In opposite patients in the depressive position show symptoms comparable to those explained before in the portion about depression. Acids from vomiting make patients with eating disorders more susceptible to tooth decay.
  • Bruxism is not a mental disease, but can be a side effect of mental disease comparable to anxiety. Bruxism is a habit of teeth grinding and jaw clenching. Bruxism can cause teethwear and in more severe cases can cause jaw diseases, damaged teeth, headaches, and other difficulties.
  • Dementia is defined by a gradual loss of memory and problems with learning functions. It can be affected by diseases such as Alzheimer’s. Patients with dementia are not able to feel pain or discomfort. Some other signs includerefusalto eat, increased salivation, and increased anxiety. Smileway doctors here in Setapak and USJ will help train and educate the caretakers on how to take care of these patients.
  • Dental phobia affects the brain and emotions causing fear of the dentist. In many situations, people who are suffering from dental phobia do so because of previous painful treatments at the dentist. Here in Smileway Dental we always strive to provide painless treatment.

If you have friends and family who suffer from mental illness, our doctors in Smileway Dental Setapak and USJ will help to treat, educate and provide continuous and comprehensive care.

Share This article

luffy 93
luffy 93
2024-03-12
good dentist..Dr.Lisa did my scaling..after scaling my teeth is cleaner compared to my previous dental clinic..recommended..will come again..😃👍
Jennifer Khoo
Jennifer Khoo
2024-03-11
The response from time of my asking for an appointment (though last minute) was handled well. Staff was ensuring that if I couldn’t make the 5pm appointed time then she offered to reschedule. So I did for the next day. Dr Edwin was super nice and gave options to see that my swollen due to infection gum was treated with care. I only visit this clinic because of its professionalism. Cheers guys and keep up the great job ! Thanks.
ida ida
ida ida
2024-03-10
服务好,医生很有耐心,环境也很舒服,不会给顾客等太久,我们全家都在这里检查牙齿
Jialing Yao
Jialing Yao
2024-03-07
Dr. Edwin is a good and very patient dentist. The staff there is also very helpful.
Francis Lim
Francis Lim
2024-01-20
People with dental phobia like me have an awareness that the fear is totally irrational, but with extensive experience in the field of dentistry, Dr Lisa provides efficient and compassionate patient care. I just had my tooth extraction this morning and it was painless…. Furthermore Dr Lisa are very attentive and explain things very thoroughly without pushing for unnecessary treatment. Thank you so much Dr Lisa 🙏
ANNIES TANG
ANNIES TANG
2024-01-15
My regular clinic, Dr Edwin is very patient and professional. Nurse all so friendly and helpful.
Hamid BestRate
Hamid BestRate
2023-12-09
The Dr’s are very good and friendly.
Henry KK
Henry KK
2023-11-23
Got a bridge and implant done by Dr Jon this year. Still holding up, looking forward to next and hopefully final treatment for missing tooth. Flexible payment terms and polite staff. Give them a try if you haven’t.
Selvena Jeslinda Kaur
Selvena Jeslinda Kaur
2023-11-22
Smileway service is great and makes you really comfortable with its services & the Dr. Treatment.. even with my last minute tooth problem they were willing to slot me in. Thank you Smileway for giving me back my smile..🙏😍😁
khairul ashraf kamarudin
khairul ashraf kamarudin
2023-11-21
Having great experience so far. The doctor are very attentive and explain things very thoroughly without pushing for unncesssary treatment. The clinic is well lit and very clean👍👍. It is on the first and second so it will be a bit hard if you have a bad leg.

Know How

Dental Advice