The Pandemic and Your Teeth

Post by: Gerarda on 28 Oct 2020

We have noticed a marked increase in broken teeth and sore jaws with TMJ (temporomandibular joint) problems since the pandemic of COVID-19 started and people were in lockdown; enough to warrant more than a passing thought. The need for mouth guards to prevent people from grinding and clenching their teeth is correspondingly up.

The Spanish Dental Association (Ilustre Colegio Oficial de Dentistas de Málaga, COEMA) hasn’t done a survey to verify this increase in dental problems since the pandemic started, but reports from colleagues of pandemic-related dental problems are common says Dr. Mikael Kahn. Mikael says, “Bacteria doesn’t take a break, nor does it know there is pandemic! One can postpone dental treatment for a while, but sooner or later it gets to a point where one can´t put it off any more.”

The combination of being in lockdown and therefore, delaying treatment, the stress of being without a job or wondering how one will pay one’s rent, or the fact that one has adverse working conditions, has caused the problems of broken teeth and sore jaws.

We are seeing the amount of stress people are under, having a severe impact on their teeth because of clenching and grinding. This in turn has created problems with their jaw and TMJ. Additionally, with people working from home more often than not they don’t have appropriate chairs to sit in for long periods of time and therefore, are hunched over at their computers. This in turn can increase grinding (bruxism).

In addition to stress and delayed care, we are seeing more cavities as people are snacking more because they are working from home and have ready access to foods that they would not ordinarily have at work. Consequently, people are also brushing less frequently. When people get out of their routines, many times the oral hygiene follows suit.

Having reviewed our records from the same period as last year from June to October, we have seen a 54% increase in the need for mouth guards, 87% increase in broken teeth treated either by composite repair or crowns and a 12% increase in treatment for cavities.

While we can´t say definitively that these statistics are a direct result of the lockdown we experienced in the spring, we can say that we have treated more broken teeth and TMJ problems than ever before during the same period.

What to Expect From a Dental Appointment

Post by: Gerarda on 15 Oct 2020

When you visit a dentist for the first time for an examination (check-up) or if you have an appointment for a specific problem, the dentist will ask you various questions about your symptoms. Some include:

• What is the problem?
• How long have you had the symptoms?
• Have your symptoms been constant or sporadic?
• How often do you brush your teeth?
• Do you brush before breakfast or after?
• Do you use dental floss? How often?
• How often do you visit a dentist?
• What if any medical conditions do you have?
• Has your health changed over the last year?
• What medications do you take? Take a list with dosages.

Make notes if you have sporadic symptoms as sometimes we think we will remember how we felt, but over time we forget. It is important for the dentist to know under which circumstances you have pain.

If you have pain on the day of your appointment try not to take a pain reliever too close to your appointment as it can mask your symptoms. Sometimes the pain is so unbearable though that you need to take something. If that is the case by all means do so. With pain on that level the dentist will diagnose the problem anyway.

Remember a visit to the dentist is not something to fear. The dentist and hygienist are there to help and make your visit as pleasant as possible.

Take control of your oral health by scheduling regular appointments for a check-up and clean.