The Whole Tooth: TMJ Trap of Social Media

I’ve been wary of social media and our addiction to smart phones for a while now, as more and more evidence has come out over the years of its effects on people and society as a whole.  In fact, so much so that I think I am the only parent that I know of that has not gotten a phone for his kids yet.  This of course is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain as my kids get older: I will have to succumb to finally breaking down soon with my oldest who will be entering high school in the Fall.  My suggestions of an old school flip phone or Blackberry phone were not appreciated.  Although the first thing my kids said was “uh Dad, what’s a flip phone?  What the heck is a Blackberry?”

My fears, I feel, are not unwarranted and I could give my kids good direct evidence this past weekend when we went out to dinner at a restaurant.  I whispered to them to take a look at the family seated at the table next to us.  They all sat together at the table. They all ate together and enjoyed their meal together. The two parents and the two kids all had their phones out and all four of them were glued to their screens. The irony was that the one time I saw them interact or talk, it was to show each other something on their phone!  There you go kids: I rest my case.

This month, I read a new study from the University of Toronto that was published in the Journal of Oral Rehabilitation studying the effects of time spent on social media and oral behaviors like tooth clenching, gum chewing, and lip and object biting.  According to the study there is a relationship between social media and stress, and the study authors proposed a possible correlation between heavy social media use and TMJ jaw problems (which also correlate with increased stress).  The study found that the time spent on social media was a modest indicator of increased oral behavioral habits that may make someone more prone to TMJ  problems. Their hypothesis was supported, albeit with a small patient sample size of 30 patients. Want to reduce your risk?  Maybe consider reducing social media use a bit.  

There are some good things that have come from the smartphone, and some conveniences for sure.  I also understand that in this day and age it would be very challenging to live in the world without one.  Like all things, though, it’s not all bad and not all good, so moderation is a helpful goal. Finding the happy medium between a healthy amount of screen time and an addiction to it can be a challenge for all of us, including myself!  

And now that I have finished writing this article, I am off to go research the next generation iPhone!  Even though my current iPhone is only a couple of years old and works perfectly fine, my phone carrier says I’m due for an upgrade. Only $1200 for something I didn’t think I needed, what a steal!  Shiny new iPhone here I come.  Lol.