My daughter started clenching her jaw at night last year, right after a rough patch at school. We thought it was just a phase, but then her dentist pointed out some gum recession. Honestly, I didn’t connect stress with gums either—just figured it was brushing too hard or something. We focused on helping her relax before bed and things actually improved. Didn’t expect stress to show up in dental checkups, but here we are...
I get where you're coming from about stress showing up in dental stuff, but I’m still a bit skeptical about how big a role it really plays with gums receding. Not saying it doesn’t matter—stress can definitely make people clench or grind their teeth, and I guess that could put extra pressure on the gums. But from what I’ve seen (and dealt with myself), brushing too hard or using a stiff toothbrush is usually the main culprit for gum recession, especially in younger people.
My son went through something similar. He started grinding his teeth in his sleep during a tough year at school, and his dentist noticed some wear on his molars. But his gums were fine—no recession. The dentist said the enamel loss was from grinding, but gum issues were more about brushing technique and genetics. We switched him to a soft-bristled brush and worked on his brushing habits, and that helped a lot more than anything else.
I do think managing stress is huge for overall health, and it’s awesome you saw improvement when your daughter started relaxing more before bed. But I wonder if maybe it was a combo of things? Like, maybe she was also brushing less aggressively as she got less stressed, or just being more mindful in general? It’s so hard to pin down one cause when it comes to teeth and gums.
Anyway, not saying stress doesn’t play any part—just that in my experience, it’s rarely the only thing going on with gums. Curious if anyone else has seen stress directly cause gum recession, or if it’s always mixed in with other stuff like brushing or even just genetics...
Funny you mention the soft-bristled brush—my dentist practically threatened to ban me from the office if I didn’t switch. But honestly, I did notice my gums looked puffier when I was stressed out at work, even before my brushing habits changed. Maybe stress just makes everything a little worse... like a multiplier effect? Hard to say if it’s the main villain, but it’s definitely in the lineup.
I get what you’re saying about stress making things worse, but I’m not totally convinced it’s the main issue with gums puffing up or shrinking back. Like, yeah, stress does mess with your immune system and all that, but for me, the real game changer was flossing (or, honestly, not flossing). I used to be super lazy about it, and my gums would always get puffy—didn’t matter if I was chill or stressed out. Once I actually got into a routine (not just before dentist appointments), the swelling went down big time.
Not saying stress doesn’t play a part—my jaw gets tight as heck when I’m having a rough week—but sometimes it feels like we blame stress for everything. Maybe it’s more about the basics slipping when life gets hectic? Like, you forget to brush right or eat more junk food, and then your gums freak out. Just my two cents…
Totally get where you’re coming from about the basics making a difference. I used to think my gums were just “sensitive,” but honestly, when I got lazy with flossing, things would flare up—no matter how zen I felt. But then again, during a super stressful stretch at work, my gums bled way more than usual, even though my routine hadn’t changed much. Maybe it’s like a combo thing? Curious if anyone’s ever noticed their gums improving just by managing stress, without changing their brushing or flossing habits...
