If you are suffering from the cold and the flu, effective guidelines need to be in place to enhance your oral health. To set up preventive damage treatment methods, you will need to make sure your smile is functioning at maximum effectiveness in times of need. One particular risky time for your smile often occurs when you come down with an illness. If you are suffering from a cold or the flu, your mouth will be susceptible to further dental damage. To help keep your smile safe, always exercise caution with products you are taking, the medications you are using, and the oral health care habits you have employed.
If you have a cold and you are using any form of cough drop, be aware that it can cause dental damage in the form of chips and cracks. In addition, cough drops can contain excessive amounts of sugar that can slowly deteriorate your tooth enamel. As an alternative, always use sugarless cough drops. As far as medications go, you may notice that some of them produce dry mouth as a side effect. Dry mouth is harmful because it can lead to a downturn in saliva, which in turn leads to your mouth being susceptible to dental erosion and tooth decay.
When you have less saliva in your mouth, your oral health will suffer. This is because saliva is a known producer of disease-fighting substances and can even neutralize harmful acids in your mouth. To help to produce additional saliva, try chewing sugarless gum. Furthermore, if you are sick, you may end up vomiting at which time harmful acids will travel up from your stomach into your mouth. Do not brush your mouth out after vomiting as your teeth will be too abrasive at this time. Instead, you can help wash away the acids with a saliva producing utensil.
Are you interested in learning more about oral health care during cold and flu season? If you would like to schedule an exam with Dr. Amit B. Patel and the rest of our team at Ashburn General Dentistry, you are welcome to call our dentist office at 703.724.4470 for an appointment in Ashburn, Virginia.