Jul 7
As a dentist’s daughter, I have to admit I was always spoiled when it came to my dental health. That is, until a terrible root canal (is there any other kind?) made me realize I had to start taking my dental health more seriously, even if that involved wearing the dreaded night guard I had cast aside many years before. It also got me thinking: ‘Wait, is this another thing that is somehow related to my ADHD?’
After diving into the research and taking a poll in our Facebook group, I discovered that an overwhelming number of ADHDers have experienced dental problems at some point in their lives, and there are some explanations as to why.
Join me for a solo episode, where I break down the causes of this correlation, and share helpful suggestions from our Facebook group members, and hopefully convince you to learn from my mistakes and wear your damn night guard!
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"In the back of my head, I’m thinking, ‘Hmm, is this another thing that is somehow related to my ADHD?’ I mean, we have sensitive nervous systems, which can result, we now know, in skin-picking, nail-biting and hair-pulling, so why not also teeth-grinding, right?"
- Tracy Otsuka
"When I don’t wear my night guard, everything in my mouth and jaw seems tight the next day, and when I wear it I feel like those muscles are much looser, they’re more relaxed, which then translates to feeling more relaxed, not just throughout my head, but my body."
- Tracy Otsuka
"That’s when I discovered that yes, crowns, root canals, TMD, TMJ, TMJD, bruxism, teeth grinding, clenching, they’re all connected to ADHD."
- Tracy Otsuka
- Tracy's dentist friend Mark warned her about grinding her teeth years ago, but she ignored him.
- Tracy's new dentist confirmed that grinding caused the tooth decay and cracked crown, emphasizing the importance of taking dental issues seriously.
- Tracy shares her experience of having a root canal, including the numbing process and the thoughts that went through her mind during the procedure.
[13:57 - 24:31] Dental issues in women with ADHD
- Morgan, 25, has TMJ D and horrible enamel due to clenching at night, and her dental work has broken multiple times.
- Holly, 47, clenches her teeth badly and has had one root canal and multiple crowns that have broken.
- Krista experiences anxiety and teeth grinding due to ADHD medication.
- Tracy encourages others to take action and prioritize their dental health despite any fear or avoidance.
- Tracy uses clackers, individual plastic picks with floss, to make flossing easier and more accessible for people with small mouths or sensory issues.
- Tracy discusses new packaging made from recycled plastic, providing a solution for guilt-ridden ADHD women.
https://chadd.org/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
https://decisionsindentistry.com/
https://friscokidsdds.com/
https://dental.washington.edu/
https://www.nicklauschildrens.org/
https://www.researchgate.net/
https://www.plackers.com/ and yay! They’re now made with recycled materials.
