Don't try hiding the fact that you're emotionally stressed over a negative life event, because your dentist can most likely tell something's wrong by just looking in your mouth, reports the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), an organization of general dentists dedicated to continuing dental education.

A 2005 study found that emotional factors played a significant role in the development of adult gum disease. Researchers discovered that the severity of gum disease increased with the number of negative life events experienced in a patient's previous 12-month period. A life event was defined as a negative incident that caused a change in the individual's usual activities.