This Cold And Flu Season Don’t Neglect Your Smile; Learn More From Our O’Fallon Dentists
When you’re not feeling your best, it can be all too easy to let your daily oral hygiene routine slide. Our O’Fallon dentists understand this, but we’re here to encourage you to keep up with your dental routine even in times of illness. Keep reading to get additional tips from our dental team!
If you find yourself falling behind on your rigorous morning and evening dental cleaning routine, try to keep a few dental tools—like floss—directly next to your bed. This will allow you to refresh your smile as needed throughout the day. Make a habit of rinsing your smile with water frequently, as well. You may need to be rinsing your mouth at more regular intervals especially if you’re experiencing post-nasal drip, or you are using a lot of cough drops.
When illness is accompanied by vomiting, it becomes even more important to thoroughly clean your mouth. Remember that regurgitated stomach acid can weaken dental enamel—you want to limit the amount of time that this acid is allowed to coat your teeth. Again, rinsing your mouth is imperative; do not brush your teeth immediately, as your enamel will be weakened for about 20 to 30 minutes after acid exposure.
Emerging research shows that patients can somewhat reduce their unwanted cold and flu symptoms by taking special care to clean their mouths while ill. You want to make sure that you’re using fresh and clean oral hygiene tools to do this, so as to minimize the risk of re-infection. Switch out any toothbrush with aging bristles for new ones. Take special care to use a new portion of your strip of floss you move from tooth to tooth, as not doing so can inadvertently compound plaque.
Caring for your smile while you’re ill can allow you to feel healthier faster, and help protect your oral health in the years to come. Give our O’Fallon dentists a call to learn more about at-home oral hygiene strategies, and to schedule a personal consultation with our team!