Summer is coming to a close in many countries right now. The weather at home has become cooler, windier, rainier, and much harder to deal with. A lot of us don’t have much of a choice except to brace for the inevitable arrival of cough, colds, and other terrible communicable diseases during this time of year.
For many kids and teens, the end of summer comes with a lot of nagging from mom, dad, and granny. Those of you who’ve had to grow up with seasonal allergies and constant illness have probably been reminded about the importance of brushing before bed over and over again. As annoying as it is to be nagged about this every day, it’s no secret that proper oral hygiene is important to proper and prompt recovery from illness. Here are some important tips for maintaining oral hygiene while you’re sick.
1. Try Your Best To Be Squeaky Clean
Many cases of colds, cough, and the flu are a result of bacteria and germs found in the air and on surfaces. When you touch your eyes and mouth with dirty hands, nasty microbes can infiltrate your body and cause all kinds of trouble. Practicing proper personal hygiene is the best way to avoid nasty infections and illnesses.
Washing your hands throughout the day prevents the spread of harmful germs and bacteria, as well as common communicable diseases. It will also ensure that your immune system stays strong and free of any unwanted house guests. Don’t hesitate to wash your hands the minute you arrive home, cook, brush, floss, and do other everyday activities. You never know what nasties could be lurking about in and out of your home, after all.
2. Don’t Forget To Brush and Floss
Mouth germs and bacteria do more than just damage teeth. They can multiply, spread, and make you feel awful while you’re trying to recover from illness. One way you can feel better and regain your strength during this difficult time is to simply continue brushing and flossing twice a day.
Maintaining proper oral hygiene ensures that your body feels stronger and more refreshed even while you’re sick. Brushing and flossing harmful germs and bacteria away from your mouth also ensures that you don't have too many health problems to deal with. Since your body isn’t busy fighting off cavities and swollen gums, it can put all its efforts into healing from and fending off harmful diseases.
There’s no urgent need to replace your toothbrush after you recover from illness. Still, if you have some lingering doubts about your oral hygiene tools, you can always fill your medicine cabinet with brand new equipment. As long as you don’t share your toothbrush with anyone or use it past its expiration date, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about.
3. Go Sugar-Free
Nobody likes to eat and drink bitter drops and doses. That’s why a lot of medicines out there are made to have a slightly sweeter and more pleasant taste. However, additional sugar isn’t great for your oral hygiene. It’s still far better to use sugar-free cough drops and medicines while you’re sick.
Nasty germs and bacteria are like little kids when it comes to sugar. They just eat and thrive on it without any hesitation. The more you expose your teeth and gums to sugar, the easier it is for acid and harmful microbes to damage your teeth. Relying on sugar-free medication might not always be easy, but it sure beats dealing with painful cavities and swollen gums.
You can still keep your teeth safe even if you can’t use sugar-free medication. Brushing and rinsing after drinking sweet cough syrup will lessen the amount of sugar stuck to your teeth and gums. That way, you don't risk suffering from painful teeth and other oral health problems.
4. Keep Drinking Water
Dry mouth is very common among sick people. Constant mouth breathing, heavy nausea, and some medications often cause our mouths to stop producing enough saliva. When this happens, bacteria and germs multiply and spread all over our teeth and gums. The longer these nasties stay in our mouths, the higher our chances are of getting painful cavities and embarrassing halitosis.
The best way to avoid dry mouth and dehydration while you’re sick is to just keep drinking water. You can also suck on candy and cough drops to keep up healthy saliva production. Sweet drinks with tons of sugar should be avoided as they can cause mouth bacteria to become stronger and multiply faster. They can also erode teeth and put you on the fast track to painful cavities.
5. Don’t Brush Right After Vomiting
Stomach acid rises through the esophagus up to your mouth when you vomit. As gross as it might sound, you can’t just reach for your toothbrush right after you puke. Otherwise, the acid inside your mouth can spread all over the surfaces of your teeth and gums.
It’s much safer to wait at least 30 minutes before brushing and flossing. This is because acid needs time to neutralize into much safer levels. In the meantime, you can instead gargle with water to rinse out excess acid. You can also mix in some mouthwash or baking soda into your water to keep your mouth as clean as possible.
A Special Tool That Can Help
We often lose a lot of energy while dealing with a sore throat, clogged nose, and painful muscles. The fatigue caused by common and cumbersome illnesses makes it hard for us to brush and floss our teeth properly. Fortunately, we have a great solution to this daily problem. Meeteasy's dental scaler is equipped with a vibrating cleaning head that removes dirt, plaque, and bacteria from all corners of your teeth and gums without causing unnecessary pain and strain. The next time you face doubts about the state of your oral health, simply pick this handy tool up and scrape away all those nasties from your mouth. Order yours from our online store now!