COVID-19: Keep Your Mouth Healthy When Sick

Good Oral Hygiene Keeps Your Mouth Healthy When Sick

“Some researchers suspect that bacteria and inflammation linked to periodontitis play a role in some systemic diseases or conditions….Given the potential link between periodontitis and systemic health problems, prevention may be an important step in maintaining overall health,” the ADA says.

Yes, prevention is key. That means brush thoroughly twice daily and floss.  Choose dental products with the American
Dental Association’s Seal of Acceptance, an important symbol of a dental product’s safety and effectiveness.  Established ADA dental products and tools

When Reaching for Cough/Throat Drop, Go Sugar-Free

A commonly-used soother for coughs and sore throats are lozenges and drops. What many don’t realize is that the composition of these lozenges and drops are akin to candy.  Each drop has approximately 3 to 4 grams of sugar–a lot of sugar for a small drop. Also, when using a lozenge, we often keep it in our mouth for a few minutes. Consequently, this allows the sugar plenty of time to stick to our teeth and trigger decay.

Furthermore, typically, when sick you will rely on multiple cough drops during the day, exposing the teeth to yet more sugar. Bacteria in the mouth converts sugar to acid which then leads to tooth decay. Combat this by looking for sugar-free alternatives.

Also, if sugar-free options are not available, consider brushing your teeth immediately following using a drop to remove sugar from the surfaces of the teeth. Or, if brushing isn’t convenient after using a drop, at the very least, rinse the mouth with water. This will help rid the mouth of some of the sugars.  Making the effort to rid your mouth of unnecessary sugars is a great way to keep your mouth healthy when sick.

What to Do When Stomach Acids Come in Contact with Teeth

Unfortunately, some types of illness can produce vomiting. The initial response to this may be to clean the teeth/mouth thoroughly with toothpaste and a good tooth brushing. But, the ADA has different advice. “When you vomit, stomach acids are coming in contact with your teeth and coating them,” he says. “If you brush too soon, you’re just rubbing that acid all over the hard outer shell of your teeth.”

Conversely, swish with water, a diluted mouth rinse or a mixture of water and 1 tsp. baking soda to wash the acid away. Spit, and brush about 30 minutes later.

Avoid Dry Mouth by Hydrating Often

Dry mouth is a common side effect of many medications, intensive exercise and some sicknesses. While this seems like a pretty harmless side effect, it can trigger long-lasting dental issues if not addressed. Avoiding dry mouth is also a key part of safeguarding mouth healthy when sick.

The reason for this is the important role of saliva in washing away foot particles. Also, saliva creates a moist environment for fighting cavity-causing bacteria. Further,  saliva houses special antibodies that can stop decay before it starts.  So, dry mouth means there is less saliva to keep harmful bacteria from spreading.  As a result, cavities, gum disease, tooth loss, difficulty swallowing and problems with taste can occur.

Drink at least half your body weight in water each day to combat the effects of dry mouth. Also, visit with Dr. Botero on ideas for treating your dry mouth. You may need to consider switching medications that are causing that side effect.

Eat a Balanced Diet; Listen to Your Body

The advice to eat a balanced diet is not new.  But, attention to diet when one is sick is essential.   In certain bacterial infections, sugary foods can feed inflammation and make symptoms worse.   However,  contrary to what one might think,  Yale researchers say a good rule of thumb when sick is to listen to your body’s cravings. “So, for example, when you have the flu, you kind of feel like having some tea and honey. That may be the body’s way of telling us that we need some glucose. I suspect we have these mechanisms that tell us what we prefer to eat (or not to eat) when we’re sick. Those are the mechanisms we should probably listen to.”