5 Tips to Keep Your Teeth Healthy During This Covid-19 Lockdown
[M.D.S. (Ortho), Fellow ICOI]
The complete lockdown is imposed due to the prevalence of COVID-19. We are aware of the challenges and necessity to stay healthy in this stressful environment. Meanwhile, maintaining a greater level of (hand) hygiene than usual is paramount to safeguard ourselves from this contagious disease. You should not restrict your personal hygiene with physical health alone, oral hygiene also requires top priority amid this pandemic.
Due to the panic of spreading infections, many dental clinics hold their regular functioning. So you have to wait for weeks to get clinical dental care. Maintaining proper oral hygiene is the best way to prevent dental dilemmas during this lockdown.
Hence you should aware of the things to do and avoid for healthy teeth and gums during this pandemic. Our dental doctors have outlined them here.
Meanwhile, we have listed the critical dental abnormalities that should be treated immediately and certain dispensable illnesses for which you can postpone the treatment.
Dental Emergencies
- Uncontrolled bleeding
- Tooth fracture
- Injury in the facial or jaw bone
- Pus in the surgical site
- Dental trauma with avulsion
- Irritation in gums surrounding the crowns, bridges
- Prolonged swelling in the intra-oral regions
Dispensable dental problems that can be postponed
- Routine dental cleanings
- Periodic Oral Examinations
- Adjusting wires in metal braces
- Smile makeover treatments
- Dental Restoration treatments
Essential tips for lockdown oral hygiene
Apart from regular brushing, flossing, and mouth rinsing with alcohol-free mouthwashes, the following activities help in keeping your teeth clean despite you cannot make regular dental cleanings.
1) Prefer medicated toothpaste – Take a look at the ingredients in toothpaste before you pick. We prescribe fluoride toothpaste to our patients because fluoride feeds teeth the essential minerals to combat harmful microbes. In the meantime, choose cream type toothpaste over gelled toothpaste to avoid abrasions over the teeth surfaces.
2) Avoid constant snacking – Taking frequent snacks between meals do more harm to your teeth more than you think. The sweetening & carbonated substances added for flavor in such appetizers will cause an acidic environment in your mouth. If you consume snacks excessively as you get more free time in this lockdown, then you will develop problems like cavities, enamel erosion.
3) Make dietary changes – The sparkling drinks and some fruits available in summer also contain acidic substances. Frequent consumption of those eatables will also harm your teeth. Hence make a dietary plan with natural snacking with tooth-friendly fruits, vegetables, fresh-pressed juices, homemade delicacies with less sugar content.
4) Reduce intake of tobacco and alcohol – It is not a new thing to mention that smoking and alcohol consumption will affect your dental health as well as your physical health. You might know that smokers are highly susceptible to coronavirus infection. So it is vital to quit smoking and reduce alcohol consumption in this COVID pandemic.
5) Do not self-medicate – Don’t medicate yourself to get rid of discomforts like throbbing pain in teeth, bleeding in gums, mouth ulcers, or other dental allergies. Consult your dentist to get the right home remedies and apply them as per the doctor’s instructions.
Bottom line
A highly proactive dental hygiene regimen is the best way to avoid dental emergencies in this critical condition when you can’t visit dental clinics. Despite elevating the hygiene standards and equip precautionary accessories to prevent infections, we cannot provide dental support for our patients now.
However, we are ready to share dental tips for the needy. If you want home care remedies to address your problems with teeth, call our dentists at +91 9942502110 / +91 8903663036 for dental support.
