Stress Could Increase the Need for a Long Island Periodontist

Many Americans today are living life in the fast lane, rushing through daily tasks and wishing there were more hours in the day. As the economy began to decline the weight of the world landed on millions of individual’s shoulders. With all that distraction minute tasks like brushing and flossing became easy to put on a back burner. Couple that with prolonged periods of stress induced cortisol levels, a trip to a Long Island Periodontist looks more and more inevitable.

Stress not only takes its toll on the motivation to maintain oral health but it also makes individuals more susceptible to abusing harmful substances like tobacco and alcohol. Both of these are known risk factors for gum disease and if the user isn’t brushing every day you can imagine how quickly things can go from bad to worse!

If anyone ever doubted whether stress led to a decline in oral care a study published in the February 2009 Journal of Periodontology confirmed that stress may in fact interfere with oral hygiene with 56% of participants self-reporting personally neglecting their oral hygiene when experiencing prolonged stress levels.

Additionally the study reported that chronic stress was associated with higher and more prolonged levels of cortisol. Combine this data with previous research that showed increased amounts of cortisol in the bloodstream can lead to a more destructive form of periodontal disease and it becomes easy to understand how excessive stress levels can lead you down a rapid path towards advanced gum disease.

Lower Your Stress and Save Your Gums

So if excessive stress is taunting your life what can you do to reduce it? To start consider finding a healthy way to relieve your stress such as; regular exercise, eating a well balanced diet, and getting adequate sleep.

Lifestyle changes as simple as these not only reduce your risk for gum disease but they can dramatically improve your overall health as well. In fact a study published in the November 2007 Journal of Periodontology found that by taking these sorts of measures to prevent gum disease you could in fact lower your total health care expenses.

If you are experiencing high levels of stress consider contacting a Long Island Periodontist right away. If you’re a little uneasy about treatment options you’ll be pleased to know that Dr. Scharf is skilled in early detection and treatment of periodontal disease as well as offers patients an alternative to traditional surgery. Call Dr. Scharf today at 631-661-6633 or visit him on the web at http://drscharf.com.