5 tips to take care of your oral health when you are sick
When you fall sick with fever, cold, stomach bug, or other illness, taking care of your body should be your top priority. Meanwhile, you should take care of your teeth with brushing. We are telling this because your mouth interacts with bodily health in many ways. The disturbed body process due to the illness has a direct impact on your oral cavity. Sensing bad taste in the mouth due to fever is an instance.
To be precise, you should take care of your mouth as well as your body especially when you are not feeling well. Here we have listed the common dental tips to care for your teeth and gums whilst wipe off the disease’s effects on teeth.
Table of Contents
1) Rinse well your mouth after vomiting
Vomiting is the common effect of foodborne illnesses and other stomach upsets. Despite it is an unpleasant thing, it helps in expelling the microbes in our stomach. If you want to freshen your mouth after vomiting with brushing, please wait for a while.
When you vomit, the nasty acidic fluids like gastric acids along with stomach juices come in contact with your teeth. If you brush your teeth then, the coating will spread over the teeth surfaces. It is followed by damaging the tooth’s hard shell, leading to enamel erosion.
Hence we recommend you wipe off the acidic coating on your teeth. Swishing your mouth with a cup of water or diluted mouthwash will clear away the deposits. Now wait for at least 30 minutes and then brush your teeth.
2) Drink plenty of water
In general, everyone should drink plenty of water to hydrate their body. This helps in elevating the salivary flow to expel the microbes that irritate the oral tissues. In the meantime, medications like decongestants and antihistamines you are taking to address the illness might cause dry mouth. When your mouth becomes dry, oral bacteria begin to proliferate and leads to dental problems like cavities, bad breath, and so on.
Keeping yourself hydrated with fluids like water, sugar-free juices, coconut water will empower you to combat those oral concerns.
3) Choose the right medicinal fluids
Certain medications we are taking contain sweetening flavors like fructose. Taking such sugary syrup or corn syrup is similar to sucking in candy. This is because the sugar components in the syrups sit on your teeth until you brush or swish your mouth. Such prolonged exposure of sugar to teeth is the main reason behind cavities.
Hence we recommend you take a look at the composition of Pharmaceutical syrups before you buy. If you notice the existence of a sugar or sweetening agent in the composition, consult your dentist to get a sugar-free syrup.
4) Clean your teeth whenever you can
It is quite hard for brushing twice a day when you are not feeling well but have to maintain your mouth clean. Right?
Do you know that brushing your teeth during illness gives you a slight refreshing feel?
If you cannot brush twice a day due to your illness, then aim to brush one time a day. Don’t forget to swish your mouth after every meal. On the other hand, if you skip flossing as you are not feeling well, rinse your mouth with an antibacterial mouthwash a few times a day.
5) Replace your toothbrush after you recover from the illness
The bristles in our toothbrush can accumulate saliva, blood, and even bacteria in our mouth. It means the pathogen of your illness sticks to the toothbrush bristles and it makes the bacteria infiltrate again in your body.
So it is crucial to switch to a new toothbrush or toothbrush head if you use an electric toothbrush once you get rid of the illness.
Bottom line
Our oral cavity and bodily health interact in more than one way. It means different health issues can affect the health of your mouth, teeth, and gums. Skipping the oral hygiene activities because you are not feeling well intensifies the infection.
Adjusting your dental care activities amidst the sickness safeguards your oral cavity from the hazardous effects of the illness.
