How a Good Smile Can Benefit Your Mental Health
Dr. John P. Goodman has helped many patients smile with confidence after visiting our dentist’s office in Kansas City, MO. Treating cavities and fractured teeth can go a long way toward improving your oral health, but did you know that dental work can also provide mental health benefits?
We’d like to take a moment to consider the psychological and emotional benefits of having a healthy smile. The first step in improving your health and outlook on life could be a dental visit away.
How Poor Oral Health Can Affect You
Here are just a few ways that dental health problems can bring down your mood.
- Pain and Discomfort - Gum disease, major cavities, and root canal infections can all lead to varying levels of tooth sensitivity, discomfort while eating, and toothaches that won’t go away.
- Self-Consciousness About Appearance - If you don’t feel good about your smile, it can affect your overall self-image and how you interact with others.
- Limitations on Your Diet - Dental problems could limit what kinds of foods you eat. This can affect your nutrition and overall physical well-being.
- Link to Various Health Problems - Untreated periodontal disease, tooth decay, and oral lesions are sometimes linked to systemic health issues. This includes diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and oral cancer.
- Lower Quality of Life - Taken all together, the above issues can lower your quality of life, which can drag you down physically and mentally.
The Benefits of Good Oral Health
Better oral health can improve your life and mental health in numerous ways.
Pain Relief
A dentist can treat cavities, fractures, infections, and other issues. Less pain means a greater ability to focus and appreciate what your day has to offer.
Full Oral Function
With proper dental care, you can bite, chew, speak, and smile without any difficulty.
Self-Confidence and Positive Self-Image
When your teeth and gums look good, it can bring out the best aspects of your appearance. You’ll be ready to share that smile with others.
Boosting Social and Professional Interactions
That increased confidence can improve your comfort in social situations. For people with client- or customer-facing jobs, dentistry can improve career prospects.
Better General Health
Good health is total health. When your teeth and gums are free of serious issues, you can reduce your risk of systemic problems now and later in life.
Dental Treatments That Can Enhance Your Mood and Your Smile
Here are just a few dental procedures that can improve the look, feel, and fitness of your smile:
- Cosmetic Dentistry - Remove stains, cover up chips and cracks, and fill in minor gaps with various treatments that can improve smile aesthetics.
- Orthodontic Treatment - Whether you’re a teenager or an adult, you can straighten out your crooked teeth with traditional braces or clear aligner treatment.
- Dental Implants - The gold standard for treating tooth loss, dental implants act as artificial tooth roots. They can help support individual crowns, bridgework, or full dentures.
- Tooth Extraction - Have impacted wisdom teeth or a painful tooth that makes you feel miserable? Extraction can be the best option to provide lasting pain relief.
- TMJ Disorder Treatment - If your jaw joint clicks, pops, locks, or causes discomfort, we have plenty of ways to improve the movement and function of this complicated joint.
Set Up a Dental Appointment in Kansas City
Ready to make a change for the better? If you’d like to speak with dentist about your situation and review your options for treatment, contact our dentist’s office in Kansas City. We all look forward to seeing you and helping you feel better about your smile.