Expert clarifies

Pain? Maybe your jaw is to blame

Sore jaw muscles need to be relaxed!(Bild: Марина Демешко/stock.adobe.com)

"I'm crunched", "You're coming along on your gums" or "Grit your teeth and get through it!" - Many idioms relating to life's problems find their way into everyday language through descriptions of the masticatory system. And there is indeed a significant connection between stress, anxiety and difficulties with the mouth and teeth. 

"The mouth is an extremely sensitive part of the body," confirms Dr. Michaela Janda, health psychologist at the University Clinic for Dentistry and Oral Health in Graz (Styria). "Especially at night, but also during the day, for example when working with concentration or nervousness, stress is dealt with or performance is increased." This happens by clenching the teeth or tongue against the cheek as well as grinding or gnawing the tongue and cheek. Even children sometimes exhibit these habits. This has painful consequences.