Dentists routinely see oral symptoms of stress, including orofacial pain, cold sores and temporomandibular disorders (TMD).

"At the first sign of oral pain or infection, it's important to see your dentist," says Academy of General Dentistry spokesperson Peter Bastian, DDS, MAGD. "These symptoms may be your mouth's warning signs for more serious health risks."

Dentists know that stress and stress-related disorders, including mental illnesses such as depression, are contributing factors to heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease, accidental injuries and suicide – all leading causes of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

After a thorough examination and diagnosis of oral problems and screening for a linked stress-related disorder, dentists can help patients by referring them to a medical specialist.

"The 'team treatment' between dentist and medical specialist ensures both oral and overall health problems are being treated," explains Edward Grace, DDS, MA, FAGD, co-author of an article on stress-related disorders that appears in the November/December 2002 issue of General Dentistry, the clinical, peer-reviewed scientific journal of the AGD.

"It's hard for most people to identify how much stress they're experiencing and to what degree it's affecting their body until they get sick," says Dr. Bastian. "Regular six-month dental checkups are a first-line of defense for detecting stress-related disorders early."