Covid-19 gripped the world in early 2020 causing nations to close, businesses to shut down, and death across the world. While the world slowly returns to normalcy, people are still being infected with different degrees of Covid. Each case of Covid is unique and you may experience different side effects, and symptoms, or need treatments. If you suspect that you have Covid, you should take an at-home Covid test and consult with your doctor on how to proceed depending on the severity of the case. When it comes to your oral health, Covid can affect that too, or at least that’s what dentists are starting to connect. Is your jaw pain covid related? It might be. Let’s take a look at a few factors.
Symptoms that have been reported for those with Covid include difficulty breathing, fevers, coughing, loss of taste, and smell, muscle aches, and headaches. Some of the pain from the muscle and headaches may be found in the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) but that does not mean that your jaw pain is a direct correlation to Covid but there are some factors that can connect the two. Is your jaw pain covid connected? Here’s something to think about.
The fear of Covid can cause stress and anxiety, and those are amplified when you catch it or someone you know has it. Stress and anxiety can play a big part in jaw pain. When your body is stressed out you may subconsciously deal with it during sleep. As your body unboxes your thoughts and stresses, your jaw muscles may begin contracting and clenching throughout the night. Another way your body deals with stress is through teeth grinding. When you grind your teeth during sleep or clench your jaw muscles, this is called Bruxism. It’s not uncommon for adults to deal with Bruxism at some point during their lives.
Is your jaw pain Covid related? It very well could be due to the stress and anxiety from Covid. In fact, the American Dental Association reported that dentists have seen close to a 60% increase in patients who are grinding their teeth or experiencing Bruxism. Remember to look for these signs of Bruxism, if you have any of these, consult with your dentist about a good plan for your oral care. Soreness of teeth, or extra sensitivity to hot or cold foods and liquids. Daily morning headaches and sore jaw or facial muscles when you wake up. Audible clicking noises coming from your jawbone. Constant earaches when waking up. If left untreated, your teeth may become chipped, cracked, or worn down and nerves could become exposed requiring expensive dental work.
While stress and anxiety play a factor in if your jaw pain is Covid related, the after-effects of Covid can play a role too. Covid attacks the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe resulting in a lot of coughing and forced breathing through the mouth. All this constant mouth breathing can stress out your jaw muscles or put a strain on the jaw joints. When you are recovering from Covid your jaw muscles may be overworked and tired from all the stress of the virus. Jaw pain Covid-related stress is common in the post recovering.
The best way to protect yourself against jaw pain and teeth grinding is to wear a night guard. A custom night guard is designed to protect against maximum damage done to teeth from grinding and clenching. Your teeth and jaw muscles will be protected by these oral devices designed for comfort and protection. SportingSmiles has been crafting night guards since 2009 and has six different guards to choose from depending on your levels of grinding and clenching. It’s worth looking into a night guard if you have been experiencing jaw pain from grinding teeth.
