There is a lot of economic stress in the country right now, including interest rates, inflation, layoffs, and stock market swings. In the 35 years Dr. Rob Lipkowitz has been practicing dentistry, he has navigated numerous economic downturns, including recessions, stock market crashes, banking crises, and even COVID-19. He recently sat down to discuss how times of economic uncertainty impact dentistry and trends he sees within his patients.
How does chronic stress from all of this economic uncertainty impact gums, teeth, and overall oral health?
Dr. Lipkowitz: We’ve all heard the term “stress kills”. Well, this also applies to dentistry. When people are under stress, they clench and grind their teeth a lot more. I see a lot more broken teeth during these times. People come in with a lot of headaches and jaw pain because they’re clenching their teeth, and this can be really painful and debilitating.
I’ve also seen many situations where people’s general health declines just from stress. You see inflammation in the body just from stress, and anytime you experience stress, any type of disease process occurring in the body will accelerate. And that’s what I’m seeing in my practice. We see a lot more inflammation in the gums for no clear reason.
I just had a case the other day where a patient with some autoimmune conditions came into the office. Her mouth was so inflamed that my hygienist could barely touch her without her having pain, and I have such a gentle hygienist! When I looked in her mouth, her tissue was just so inflamed from this autoimmune condition that I told her she needed to go get some exercise and meditate, but not to be too concerned. We decided to bring her back in a month after it has healed, but that’s what stress does. Any sort of disease is accelerated by stress.
What are some signs that people might be grinding their teeth at night without even realizing it?
Dr. Lipkowitz: One of the things I hear a lot is that their partner wakes them up because they’re not realizing it. It’s hard to know that you’re doing it when you’re sleeping, right? But if you wake up in the morning with a tight jaw or a headache that seems to pass as the day goes on, that’s a pretty good sign that you may be clenching your jaw or grinding your teeth during your sleep.
Another sign may be if you’ve slept a full night and still wake up extremely tired. A lot of times, clenching and what they call arousals actually cause you to almost wake up, preventing you from deep sleep. You will see that a lot also.
Why is it risky to put off routine cleanings or minor dental concerns?
Dr. Lipkowitz: As I said before, during periods of high stress, disease processes accelerate. So if you are someone who’s managing chronic gum disease, seeing the dentist 3 or 4 times a year will keep things stable. If you put those things off, you’ll get to a tipping point where things actually start to deteriorate, and that’s what you want to avoid.
Even during periods of economic downturn, when people are sometimes concerned about their finances, it’s still important to keep up with your routine maintenance, even if you put off other more elective procedures. When I’m talking with my patients, I always try to give them a good idea of how important it is to do certain things, and it’s always most important to do the worst things first. If you get the worst things out of the way, then it buys you time.
You can kick some things down the road, but other things you don’t want to. If I were to say the things that you don’t want to kick down the road, it’s your routine cleaning, examination, and regular X-rays to find things that we can’t see with the naked eye. Anything that is causing pain is going to result in needing more and more expensive treatment down the line if you delay the treatment now.
Our team at Lipkowitz Dental Associates is here to make sure your dental health is in check despite the stress of economic uncertainty. Contact us today to book your appointment.
