Stress and Oral Health of Kids: How are they related
Stress and Oral Health of Kids: How are they related
Today’s society is dealing with one of the most common problem – Stress. Stress is defined as a condition in which we are unable to fulfill the demands that are laid upon us by our parents, siblings, society and most importantly US. When we are unable to meet the targets that are set by ourselves for ourselves that’s when we end up falling prey to this situation. Stress can be induced to our body due to numerous sources such as work, school, family and friends. The worst part is that stress can affect even kids. So today we will be discussing about the situations and what is the relation of stress and oral health.
Stress and Oral Health: Co-relation
Before understanding the relation between both the conditions let us first understand what are the symptoms and triggers of stress among kids. Kids can suffer from stress because of many reasons such as – events happening around them, natural disasters, abusive parents, molestation, separation of parents and many more. These are situations which can trigger a stressful situation for your kid. Now in such situations you need to be really careful and observant. Look for the below mentioned signs to understand the mood of your child:
- Irritability or moodiness.
- Lying, bullying or defiance.
- Abandoning longtime friendships for a new group of peers.
- Physical symptoms such as headaches and stomach aches.
- Sleeping less or more than usual.
- Sudden changes in eating habits.
- Unhealthy or regressive habits.
Now you must be wondering how stress will affect the oral health of my kid? Well when it can be affected in more ways than one. For example because of abusive parents, kids become rebel and start doing things that harm their health such as smoking, drinking and drugs. Eventually they stop taking care of their oral health because of dental problems might crop up. Furthermore if parents end up with a divorce then financial circumstances can lead to poor dental care.
Effects of Stress
Well it is negative. Negative on every front. Dental Decay is one of the most common problem among kids. This condition can lead to multiple visits to dental clinic for treatment. It can also lead to abscesses which can result in tooth extraction. Statistics have proved that kids who have been influenced with stressful situations are prone to this problem.
Now that you know that stress and oral health are inter-related hence as parents make sure about the following things:
- Encourage adequate sleep and a healthy diet.
- Spend quality time with your children every day.
- Talk about the causes of your child’s stress.
- Schedule wellness visits to the doctor and follow-up visits to the dentist.
- Prepare your children for their doctor and dentist visits.
- Encourage older children to keep a journal.
- Seek help from a school counselor or mental health professional.
It is important for you to speak with your kid in order to understand what they are feeling and going through. What happens between parents need not happen infront of kids. They get influenced very easily and end up doing the same things when they grow up. Try to resolve your personal matters separately. Moreover if you wont take care of your own kid then who would? So what are your thoughts on this matter do let me know in the comments section below.