Chronic stress is breaking me.
Literally...it's breaking my teeth and my bone.
Just had a long overdue dental consult and wow, what a few years can do to the molars.
It's been a while since I had the old pearly (off) whites cleaned.
↳ Moving.
↳ Pandemic.
↳ Waitlists.
So I wasn't anticipating the best of consults.
I was sure I had at least one cavity and lord knows what else.
I brush and floss religiously but I could feel the tartar building up. Grit, and not the good kind.
But I had no cavities.
The tartar was actually not that bad.
The real shocker was the damage being caused by my teeth clenching. Yep, I've worn a night guard since 2007.
But even with a nighttime guard, I was somehow finding a way for those molars to find each other.
In Episode 056 of The Cafe Grit Podcast, I talk about my history with chronic stress, how toxic workplaces contributed to that, and the overall impact it has had on my teeth.
The good news is, my stress levels have plummeted recently and I have a fantastic new dentist.
Have you experienced chronic stress? How did it manifest in your body? Any teeth grinders or clenchers out there?