What if We Treated Mental Health Like Dental Health?
Why mental health needs daily maintenance—not just attention in a crisis.
We need to start looking at mental health differently. We don’t go to the dentist only when we need a root canal or a tooth extraction—we go for regular check-ups. We don’t ignore our teeth until they’re so bad they break or need to be pulled. We brush, we floss, we use mouthwash. If something gets stuck, we deal with it. We might chew sugarless gum, drink water after coffee, or avoid certain foods because they’re bad for our teeth. We wouldn’t go to bed with a mouthful of Milk Duds or Skittles because we know how terrible that would be for our dental health (among other reasons 😀).
But many of us still equate mental health with something being wrong. I think we need to shift that thinking and start viewing mental health as something that needs to be maintained. We need to check in on it regularly, have practices in place to support it, and know when we might need extra help.
Mental health is not just mental health issues. We all have mental health—and we need to learn how to care for it.
Most of us were never taught how to do that. And now, we’re responsible not only for learning ourselves, but for modeling it for our children.
This is a very different world than the one I grew up in. Phones have drastically changed how our minds work, and they impact all of us. We’re also living through some intense times—our world often feels like something between a mess and a full-on apocalypse. That heaviness, negativity, and fear don’t just disappear. We carry them with us. They seep into our homes and affect our children, even if none of us fully realize it yet.
So what can we do about it?
Awareness is the first step to change. So let’s start there.
How Is Your Mental Health?
Take a few minutes and notice.
How are you, really? Name a few emotions. How’s your mood right now? How has it been lately? Notice your body—are there places where you’re holding tension?
Close your eyes for a moment. Is your mind racing? Is something bothering you, maybe something you haven’t fully acknowledged yet? How’s your sleep? How do you feel most days? Are you happy with your job? How are your relationships?
We could go much deeper here—I’ll stop myself—but other areas to consider include spirituality (a tough but important one), social connection, and money.
Think about these questions now. And over the next few days, try to notice your emotions (and how often you suppress them), your energy, your stress level. Notice big feelings—joy, contentment, happiness—as well as sadness, loneliness, or discontent.
These are things we usually don’t slow down enough to notice. Sometimes we don’t realize how tense we are until someone mentions tight shoulders or a sore neck—and suddenly we feel it.
Just start noticing.
From there, whether things feel good or not so good, you can begin using small daily practices to support your mental health.
Daily Care for Mental Health
I like the dental health analogy because we’ve been taught dental health. We’ve been told to brush twice a day, visited in school by a dentist with a giant toothbrush, nagged about flossing, maybe even gotten braces to straighten things out. So let’s use some of those familiar practices to think about caring for our mental health.
Brushing your teeth.
You give your teeth a little care at least twice a day. Do the same for your mental health. Morning and night, check in with yourself. At the very least, notice how you’re feeling—especially after that initial “ugh, it’s time to get up and I’m so tired” feeling many of us have.
Flossing.
Flossing gets to the places brushing can’t. Meditation fits well here. It’s not about clearing your mind forever or reaching enlightenment—it’s about giving your mind a little space. There’s a lot going on up there, and things tend to work better when we clear some of it out regularly.
This doesn’t have to be extensive. Close your eyes and take two slow, deep breaths. Feel your belly rise and fall. Notice the breath going in, then going out. Do this in the morning and again at night.
Don’t go to bed with food in your mouth.
You wouldn’t fall asleep with food in your mouth—so try not to fall asleep with a bunch of mental clutter either. Avoid going to bed with your phone or the TV on.
(Is this the hardest one? I think it might be for most of us.)
Limit sugary snacks.
Pay attention to how much you’re consuming mentally. Scroll less. Have screen-free times during the day. Become more aware of how much information you’re taking in. Just like we choose foods that support our physical health, we can choose content that supports our mental health. Limit excessive news consumption. Choose things that are informative, heartwarming, or life-affirming. Read more books.
Schedule check-ups.
This doesn’t have to mean seeing a mental health professional—though it certainly can. It might look like a personal check-in a couple of times a year, a retreat, a class, a workshop, a meeting with a spiritual guide, or simply a day set aside to tend to yourself.
Got a toothache?
You might need extra care. For a toothache, you’d avoid certain foods or take something for the pain. For stress, grief, or major life changes, extra care might mean exercise, time in nature, journaling, or calling a friend.
Root canal.
Hopefully it doesn’t come to this—but if it does, there are options. Therapy or counseling is a valuable tool when something feels overwhelming or persistent. We wouldn’t hesitate to call a dentist for severe pain—why does seeking therapy still carry stigma?
Physical therapy is a good analogy here, too. If we hurt our shoulder, we can do some things on our own—but working with a professional can help us heal faster and more effectively. Therapy isn’t forever, and it’s not because there’s something wrong with you or because you’re “crazy.” It’s because support can help restore health more easily. We don’t have to do it on our own.
There are also other “extra” dental care practices—mouthwash, tongue scraping, water picks. In mental health terms, these might be hobbies, creative outlets, massage, Reiki, acupuncture, or anything that helps you feel present and grounded. These practices are often underrated, but they matter.
Shifting Our Thinking
There’s been a meaningful shift in mental health awareness, especially among younger generations. It’s a good thing that anxiety is talked about more openly. The next step is learning how to manage daily life in ways that lessen anxiety over time—and building coping skills so it has less impact when it does arise.
This is about compassion, resilience, and care. About tending to our mental health along the way—not waiting until it hurts. And when we do that, we don’t just support ourselves—we model a healthier way of living for the people watching us most.
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