How to Keep Your Teeth Healthy During the COVID-19 Outbreak

Maintaining good oral hygiene may not be at the front of your mind during the COVID-19 pandemic. But developing a painful cavity would soon change that quickly. Understandably, this is not the most normal of times. But nether less it is important to control what we can simply do at home to avoid a painful scenario.

During this pandemic, we are all staying home more. So with that in mind, let’s see what a simple at home dental routine is to prevent dental disease.

Good Dental Hygiene

Let’s start with tooth brushing. We recommend brushing at least twice a day with a soft toothbrush for 3 minutes with a fluoride toothpaste. Tooth brushing alone only cleans 3 out of the 5 surfaces of the tooth. So, cleaning in-between the teeth at least once a day is a must. Between teeth cleaning can be performed in many ways, floss, interdental brushes, water-picks to name a few.

If you haven’t already made the switch to an electric toothbrush. Now is the best time! Brushing for 2 minutes with an electric toothbrush has shown to offer the highest levels of oral hygiene, which is crucial especially if you are unable to see your dentist or hygienist.

In aid of bruising and flossing, rinsing with a salt water or a non alcohol based mouthwash a couple of times a day can also help to reduce the amount of plaque build up on your teeth.

Your diet matters. Avoid snacking. I know it’s all too easy with the stress and boredom of social distancing during these times to open that fridge or pantry door way too frequently. The more often our teeth are bathed in acidic foods and drinks, the weaker and softer they become. Avoid refined carbohydrates like white bread, white rice, white flour, sweets and many breakfast cereals. As well as processed foods. These types of foods act like sugar and contribute to plaque buildup. We also recommend avoiding hard foods that can crack a tooth or damage existing fillings.

The Goal of Good Dental Hygiene

One of the main goals of taking care of your oral health is ensuring that you have an optimal immune system. Having a healthy mouth is key to allowing your body’s immune system to fight off bad germs. This is particularly important during a pandemic such as COVID-19.

The oral health team at Ballina Coast Dental compromises Dentists, a Hygienist, and an Oral Health Therapist, who are all there to help you maintain a healthy mouth. Please contact us on 6686 3810 to book in your oral health appointment.

Erin

Erin is very passionate about oral health and the early detection and prevention of dental diseases,