Objective To explore the psychological stress status and the expression of related inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-6 in orthodontic patients after treatment. Methods From January 2021 to January 2023, 76 orthodontic patients admitted to the Department of Stomatology, Shan County Central Hospital of Heze City were selected as the research objects. The "Self-report Symptom Inventory, Symptom Checklist, 90" was used to evaluate the degree of psychological stress of patients. The expression levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in serum of patients were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the results were analyzed. Results Among all patients, 59.21% of patients had mild psychological discomfort after orthodontic treatment, 2.63% of patients had moderate psychological discomfort, 38.16% of patients had normal psychology, and no patients had severe psychological discomfort. The anxiety, terror, somatization and interpersonal sensitivity factors of all patients were higher than the norm (P <0.05). The expression levels of TNF-α and IL-6 in patients with different mental health status were different, and the proportion of patients with moderate mental discomfort was the highest (P <0.05). Conclusion Some orthodontic patients have different degrees of psychological problems after operation, and it is of great significance to apply psychological intervention to patients during treatment. There are differences in the expression levels of stress-related factors TNF-α and IL-6 in patients, which have certain clinical value as a monitoring index of psychological stress.