How Oral Health Might Be Impacted By Sleep

Impacted By Sleep: We all know if we have had a good or bad night sleep as its how’s when we are functioning the next day. Besides waking and feeling refreshed when we sleep all night, there are times when you feel flat and can’t function. A good night sleep allows our body to rest and gives it a chance to repair, replenish and restore all our vital functions, this also includes circulation, respiration and immune system.

A good night sleep also assists in reducing inflammation and stress, improves your memory, assists in keeping you healthy and assists in keeping you awake and alert in meetings.

Sleep additionally plays a major part in our oral health and sleep pattern as apart from the best dental care treatment Integrity Dental provides to patients, your body needs time to fight off infections and this allows time to protect your teeth.

But what happens when you don’t get enough sleep, or you suffer from sleep apnoea? These adverse effects can occur in your sleep and impact heavily on your oral health.

Below are a few facts that you should know about your oral health:

A good night’s sleep strengthens your enamel

Sleep improves your immune system and reduces inflammation. It allows your blood vessels and capillaries to restore themselves. Oral health and sleep help you repair any damage that has been done to the cell walls of your teeth by plaque. The best solution for oral health is to get a good night sleep where  possible so your teeth can heal better and faster.

A good Night sleep allows your body to fight infections.

Your immune system is what protects you from getting sick and helps fight off harmful infections and bacteria. Getting a solid, good night sleep, assists the immune system to recover and increase the production of much needed good body cells to help fight off infections and inflammation in your body, including your mouth.

Saliva is needed to moisten and cover the oral tissues of your teeth as it is needed to clean the oral cavities by washing away anything left on your tongue, gums ad cheeks of any dead cells. Saliva is more important than most realise as it neutralises harmful bacteria and microorganisms that can lead to tooth decay and gum disease. In the long run this will assist with a solution for oral health.

Bruxism, grinding teeth in your sleep

If ever you suffer from jaw pain or headaches every morning, you should make an appointment to get the best dental care treatment from Integrity Dental. Chances are if you suffer from these symptoms, you are clenching and/or grinding your teeth while sleeping leading to damage to your teeth. You should seek advice early as there is nothing worse than having to have an extraction and then take time off your regular routine activities as you may be out of action due to tooth extraction recovery.

Excessive teeth grinding can result in cracked tooth enamel that results in excessive wear, tension headaches, broken teeth, jaw pain, tooth sensitivity and toothaches which may eventually lead to a tooth extraction recovery.

Stress is a major cause for bruxism but so too are smoking, drinking alcohol and drugs that you may choose to take socially.

Thankfully, there are several treatments that can assist in reducing wear on your teeth, including mouth splints that look like a special kind of mouthguard that you wear while you are sleeping and acts as a cushion to take the force of the pressure generated when you are grinding.

Additionally, when you get treatment from Integrity Dental, they may suggest assistance in stress management, relaxation techniques and regular exercise.

Sleep Deprivation

Sleep deprivation has many serious consequences of both your oral health and general wellbeing. This is the main reason we encourage patients to get the best proper medical and oral health treatment. If you suspect, you are grinding your teeth of a night or suffering from sleep apnoea we suggest you get an assessment and advice from your dentist. They can recommend other ways to get a confirmed result in your sleeping matters Iike sleep tests to confirm whether you have sleep apnoea or other sleep issues. Time will be taken to listen to your concerns while we move on with on your oral health and seep concerns. The steps we will go thru will explain how to get you back on a good oral health path that will have you feeling more comfortable and hopefully assist you in getting better sleep soon.

The longer you leave these issues unattended the more issues you will have when you seek dental assistance. Teeth extractions, gum disease that may need treatment can both be painful not just when you have the procedure but for a time after also as the area heals. This may then lead to having a sleep teat to see if you are suffering from sleep apnoea. While this sounds scary, it needs to be addressed as it is a major health issue not just to your oral health but many other issues as well.