The Effect Of Colds, Covid And Other Illnesses On Your Oral Health
Our Burton dental team offers some general advice for when you are feeling unwell
If you have had Covid, you may have been fortunate enough not to fall seriously ill thanks largely to the vaccination programme. While it seems that some people do get away with quite mild symptoms, others, although not always life threatening situations, do feel very ill indeed. In addition to the coughing, headaches and other symptoms that many people experience, one common thread that seems to run through is the feeling of being absolutely exhausted.
Even in ‘lesser’ illnesses, such as an everyday cold, we may not be at serious risk, but illnesses like this can really make us feel very tired indeed and we are likely to change our daily routines, including the way that we look after our teeth and gums.
At Mike Allen’s Dental practice, we understand that it might be easy for us to say ‘do this’ or ‘do that’, but the reality is that this is still good advice, even when you really don’t feel like doing anything at all. As some illnesses can last for a week or more, especially if you include the tiredness and lethargy that often accompanies them, it isn’t hard to imagine the harm that this can do to your teeth if you don’t take care of them due to feeling exhausted.
In today’s blog, we will take a look at a few areas of your oral health that you should focus on during these times. It might take an extra effort, but it is definitely worth it.
Maintain your cleaning regime
This is perhaps the most important of all, but also one that might feel incredibly difficult when you are in the deepest throes of feeling ill. Despite the effort that it might take, you do really need to continue to brush your teeth both morning and night. Ideally, you should also use dental floss too. Neglecting either of these for any period of time will almost certainly lead to both food and bacteria collecting on and around your teeth. This can, over time, lead to tooth decay and also gum disease. Your breath won’t smell very pleasant either.
Do try to make the effort to do this even if you feel that you can’t be bothered. Just a little bit of effort will keep your teeth and gums in better shape for when the illness recedes and, hard as it may have felt at the time, we are sure that you will be pleased that you did make the effort.
Avoid excessive comfort food eating
It is important to eat when we feel ill, unless it is a digestive problem anyway. Eating provides the nutrition to help your body fight off infections and illness and enables you to recover more quickly. Ideally, this should be a healthy diet but when we are exhausted and ill, it is more likely that we will eat more ‘junk’ food and snacks than before instead of eating an actual meal. Although this is understandable, the reality is that many of these types of foods contain very high levels of sugar. Especially if you are not cleaning your teeth as well, or as often, as you usually would do, this adds an extra layer of threat to your oral health. Do try to maintain a healthy diet if at all possible and at the very least, be conscious of how much high sugar foods you are eating and try to keep them to a sensible level.
Drink plenty of water
Similarly, we might feel like we want a quick boost of energy, even to get out of bed to go to the toilet. All too often though, this can come in the form of soft drinks that are very high in sugar. In addition to containing the sugars, they can also be very acidic and the way that we drink means that much of this passes directly over our teeth. This can lead to erosion of the enamel surface of our teeth, leaving them more vulnerable to problems such as enamel staining, tooth sensitivity and even tooth decay.
At times like this, and for staying hydrated in general, water is your best friend. It is essentially ‘free’ if you use tap water, convenient and is also the best thing that you can drink to stay hydrated. Make sure you drink plenty before you go to sleep too or a dry mouth can occur; another factor that increases the risk of gingivitis and periodontitis.
Medicines
Naturally, you will need to take any medication that you have been prescribed but if you are buying, for example, a cough syrup off the shelf, please be mindful that these are often very sticky and can contain a lot of sugar. If, as many people do, you take this last thing at night and then don’t brush your teeth, the sticky sugary product will remain on your teeth all night and put them at risk.
If you follow the above guidance, there is every chance that you will avoid the problems that may have occurred if you didn’t. Especially if you have been ill for a longer period of time than just a few days, it may be worth booking an appointment with the hygienist at our Burton dental clinic once you have recovered. They will be able to provide you with a professional cleaning and help to remove any tartar that has built up on your teeth and gum line over the duration of your illness.
Hopefully all of our patients will stay well but the fact is that Covid (and of course the common cold) has not disappeared and we will be facing them year on year. The effects of these illnesses can be bad enough, but please do try to make sure that your teeth and gums don’t pay the price too!
If you would like to make an appointment to see the hygienist or other member of our team, you can do so by calling Mike Allen’s Dental Practice on 01283 845345.