COVID-19, Face Masks and your Oral Health

Have you ever imagined that you would be working from home, homeschooling your kids, and wearing face masks everywhere?

We are all facing the same challenges. This global pandemic has upended life all over the earth. We live in unprecedented times where our work life and social life have restricted to the confines of our homes. As a result of this, self-grooming and personal hygiene are taking a backseat in our life. Self-grooming is optional. However, personal health is not optional.

The three pillars of personal health are oral, physical (systemic) and mental health, both of which are important for performance, productivity, and success. Oral health and physical health are intertwined with each other; if there are oral health issues, it will compromise systemic health.

Is COVID-19 affecting my oral health?

With the incidence of the coronavirus pandemic and the common flu season creeping up on us, we are resorting to using more lozenges or syrups and other medications. Most of them have high alcohol and sugar, which in turn have detrimental effects on your oral health. They are acidic and would drop the pH of your oral cavity, making your teeth more vulnerable to micro-organisms. As a result, you would suffer from bad breath, tooth decay, and other dental problems.

Additionally, medications used in treating Corona Virus (Covid-19) are associated with many side effects. The side effects can be dry mouth (due to reduced saliva production), mouth ulcers, burning mouth (stomatitis), and many more. Moreover, life-saving measures used in intensive care units (ICU) like intubation and artificial ventilation further compromise oral health. Lack of proper oral care in patients leads to reduced saliva, oral fungal infections, and other conditions. These conditions can lead to respiratory complications.

How will my oral hygiene impact COVID-19?

A study published in the British Journal emphasized the importance of good oral hygiene to reduce the risk of complications from COVID-19. Having excellent oral health would reduce the bacterial load (number of bacteria) in the mouth. This is especially important in patients with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and hypertension, who are more prone to infections. Though COVID-19 is a viral infection, having an uncontrolled bacterial load in the mouth leads to sepsis and death complications. Hence, oral hygiene must have the utmost importance to reduce the risk of complications from COVID-19.

Is my oral health being impacted by wearing facial masks?

With the state laws making masks/ facial coverings mandatory to enter any store or organization, we are wearing face masks for a longer duration to protect ourselves from the pandemic. Prolonged use of masks may cause acceleration in the number of dental cavities. The masks are not directly related to cavities. However, saliva is directly related. When we wear face coverings/ masks, we tend to breathe through mouth; this is causing our mouths to dry out and decrease the salivary flow. Saliva has cleansing properties and has immunity-boosting antibodies. During reduced salivary flow, our mouth and airway mucosal surfaces are more prone to infections due to the lack of protection from saliva.

What can I do to maintain my oral hygiene during this pandemic?

It’s important to remember that COVID-19 will end, but your oral function doesn’t have to break down. Brushing, flossing, rinsing, and maintaining a healthy diet is the first defense in keeping all your body systems running in peak condition.

Some of the essential tips to enhance oral health are

1) Be conscious of what you are eating — During this stressful situation, many of us tend to consume comfort foods. Some of the typical comfort foods are carbonated drinks, chips, potato chips, sugared candies, and other sugared beverages. These foods harm our oral and systemic health.

2) Practicing a good oral hygiene regimen — Oral hygiene regimen includes brushing and flossing twice a day and rinsing as frequently as possible. This helps prevent plaque build-up and reduce the concentration of bacteria in our mouth and, thus, are effective preventive measures.

3) Use an electric brush — Electric brushes generate more vibrational and rotational movements than the conventional brushes. They are thus, effective in removing plaque.

4) Cleaning and changing your toothbrush regularly — Keep our toothbrushes, floss, and tongue scraper well covered and clean. We can clean our toothbrush by steeping in a solution of mouthwash and hydrogen peroxide to remove any microbes from the bristles’ surface.

5) Hydrating — We cannot stress enough about the importance of hydration. Hydrating helps in keeping the salivary flow constant and cleans away building debris in the oral cavity.

6) Trust your dental team to ensure your well-being. Contact your Dentist and schedule your regular hygiene appointments and maintain good oral health and overall health.

Dr. Pradeep Adatrow is a Board-Certified Periodontist and Prosthodontist. He is the Head of Surgical Prosthodontics at The University of Tennessee in Memphis. He maintains a private practice- Advanced Dental Implant and TMJ Center in Southaven, MS.

Dr. Adatrow is passionate about providing personalized care and empowering his patients by giving oral health education. His website -https://advanceddentaltmj.com