The year 2020 will be remembered as the pandemic year. With the closure of non essential services across the world, the one thing that has been hit among many others is oral health with reduced working hours for dental practices except for urgent and emergency services. The focus during this time has also shifted from dentist interventions to prevention.
Oral health as we all know is essential for overall good health. Hence oral care especially during the pandemic takes on an importance of its own. Recently researchers studying a small group of people in Japan have found that effective oral hygiene can improve corona virus testing and also reduce the transmission period after a person recovers from covid. British researchers have found a link between poor oral hygiene and severity of COVID-19 disease.
Here are some tips for you to maintain good oral hygiene during covid 19 –
1. Keep your toothbrush clean and separate from the toothbrushes of other family members. Toothbrushes can get easily contaminated by micro organisms and covid 19 virus is known to transmit through air borne droplets.
2. Have your own toothpaste. All members of the family must have not only separate toothbrushes but toothpaste tubes also. Many covid infected patients are asymptomatic i.e. they do not show any symptoms. So while we maintain social distancing within our homes we may end up passing on or getting the virus due to shared resources like a toothpaste tube.
3. Brush your teeth at least twice a day, floss and use mouth wash regularly. Make sure you rinse your mouth properly after brushing your teeth. Give your gums a massage once a week.
4. Eat well balanced diet with lot of vitamins and minerals and do regular exercise. People with poor immune systems are at a higher risk of contracting covid and are similar to those at higher risk for developing oral diseases. Common risk factors include stress, poor diet, alcohol and tobacco use.
5. Special care must be taken for the teeth of children and elderly. Being confined to homes has not only been stressful but has led to extra consumption of sodas and sugary substances. The British study also found that good oral hygiene is means to prevent airway infections in patients especially those over the age of 70.
6. Use fluoridated toothpaste or water. It has been proved by a number of studies that fluoridation helps prevent tooth decay.
Taking care of the above will help you get away with less dental problems in the year of the pandemic. However these are not a substitute for regular dental checkups so do visit your family dentist as regularly as is possible. You can also visit Ensure Dental Care today or contact us at 940-274-3229 to know more. All major insurance plans accepted.