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War and Teeth:
Dentist Sees the Stress of War Reflected in New Yorkers’ Teeth
NEW YORK, N.Y. — With the nation now in the second week of war, many New Yorkers are glued to their newspapers an televisions reading and watching the latest developments at home and abroad. But are the stress of the conflict and the threat of domestic terrorism affecting more than our nerves? According to one leading dental expert, stress has taken a noticeable toll on New Yorkers’ teeth, and the result is nothing to laugh at.
"It may seem silly at first, but stress-induced tooth grinding will actually devastate your teeth and jaw, and may ultimately result in excruciating headaches," says Dr. Clifford Williams, whose Manhattan practice specializes in restorative dentistry. "I first saw a marked increase when the economy faltered and then again after the 9-11 attacks. But the real jump happened when we actually went to war."
Dr. Williams is now seeing between 10 and 15 bruxism (grinding) cases per week, an increase of more than a 50% from last year. "The cases I see range anywhere from teeth that are jagged and cracked to those that have been worn away to stumps," he says. "And in addition to the pain that most are feeling now in their teeth and jaws, many patients will eventually develop TMJ headaches and ringing in their ears."
Dr. Williams reviews the medical history of every patient who sits in his chair and he can definitively say there that there is a direct correlation between blood pressure and teeth grinding. "As your pressure goes up, your biting surface goes down."
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