Mission Viejo complete dentist offers comprehensive services, latest technologies to relieve patients' stress

As your complete dentist, Basti Dental Care wants to relieve the stress encountered by all at some time or another while juggling personal, work, and other day-to-day responsibilities. While stress can be a motivating force, it can also place strain on relationships, not allowing you to be the best mother, daughter, or caregiver.

If not channeled properly, stress has been linked to oral health-related problems in addition to the things you may have heard repeatedly about its effect on sleep patterns, mental health, blood pressure and other conditions.

Unrelenting, chronic pressure is thought to affect the immune system tasked to fight off threats such as the very bacteria responsible for gum disease. This situation makes a person more prone to inflammation and infection. Researchers have linked stress and poor coping strategies to increased risk of advanced gum disease or periodontitis, which can lead to tooth loss.

Your complete dentist in Mission Viejo can also see other telltale signs of stress simply by looking at your mouth, including:

• Canker sores, cold sores thought to flare-up during times of emotional upset when your immune system is under great strain
• Teeth grinding that often occurs at night and without a stressed-out person knowing it, and can lead to chips, fractures, wear and TMJ-related problems

When you're busy and stressed, you may fall into bad habits such as drinking many highly acidic energy drinks. Caffeinated drinks and poor nutrition have also been associated with dry mouth, whereby the body's natural production of hydrating saliva is suppressed. It is thought stress makes this condition worse, let alone with lifestyle habits that may arise during stressful times. Those who are stressed (or depressed) may eat comfort foods that aren't good for the teeth and may skimp on brushing and flossing.

Don't skimp on regular check-ups and professional cleanings. Drs. Alex and Nina Basti can recommend ways to improve at-home care as needed. Since all services are under one roof, you don't have to worry about driving from office to office or specialist-to-specialist to get the treatment you need for yourself and your loved ones. Basti Dental Care also uses the latest technology to make treatment as easy as possible and address treatments that traditionally have required two or more visits with one visit, thanks partly to the onsite CEREC system where new teeth can be designed and made while you wait.