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.

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Ong sook yan
Ong sook yan
2023-07-14
Always my trusted place for dental treatment, great staff and doctor
Chuan Jin
Chuan Jin
2023-07-14
Good service and friendly dental
Wei Leng Chew
Wei Leng Chew
2023-07-13
Dr. Edwin & his staff are very friiendly & helpful. The overall environment is clean & comfortable.
Jin J
Jin J
2023-07-13
Friendly staffs. and helpful doctor. Went for scaling and polishing. Done by Dr. Lisa. Thank you.
Julian Leong
Julian Leong
2023-07-13
all Dr and nurses is very friendly and nice, environment is very nice will introduce friends to come ☺️
ming
ming
2023-07-12
Great service and nice environment 👍
MAS ABDUL RAHMAN
MAS ABDUL RAHMAN
2023-07-12
Very satisfied with the service. Polite & gentle dr Edwin and courteous staff. Friendly environment.
Clare Felicity Chan
Clare Felicity Chan
2023-07-12
Dr Jon Low is v professional n experienced in his field. Receptionist n nurses are friendly. Only reservation are the flight of staircase to climb for elderly n physically challenged clients.
Nor Hafiza
Nor Hafiza
2023-07-11
The best dental clinic at USJ.. Friendly and beautiful nurses. Will go again..
Kian Hong Ong
Kian Hong Ong
2023-07-11
Staff and Dr are good and friendly, been treatment here with Dr Lisa here , very recommended 👍👍👍 Dr Lisa do very soft and good

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