Will the Flu or Cold Virus Hurt Your Dental Health?
Dr. B. Kanagasabapathy
[M.D.S. (Ortho), Fellow ICOI]
It is not a new thing to encounter a stuffy nose, throat pain, or bouts of coughing during cold and flu season. However, the common cold and flu hurt our dental health as well. You would encounter an aching sensation in your teeth, bad breath, and scratchy throat whenever you get cold or flu. Right?
Many people do not understand the connection between this cold strike and its effects on dental health. In this blog post, we have shared how this seasonal illness affects a person’s oral cavity and tips to mitigate the flu’s damaging effects on teeth.
How does the cold or flu virus affect your oral cavity?
Influenza is a contagious respiratory illness that affects millions of people every year. It affects the body and shows signs like nasal congestion, fatigue, muscle aches, fever, and even diarrhea. In general, the microbial infection subsides on its own in 2 to 3 days. However, people with immature immune systems are vulnerable to developing life-threatening conditions like pneumonia, inflammation in the brain, etc.
Likely, such propagation of the flu virus inside the body affects our teeth and gums more than you think. Researchers have found that the flu virus is spread by the contamination of respiratory droplets. It means saliva and mucus originate from the nasal passages so dental dilemmas are inevitable during the cold season.
Here are some of the common oral problems triggered by the common cold or flu:
1) Dry Mouth
As nasal congestion occurs when you suffer from cold or flu, it blocks the airways, especially when you sleep. It is the reason why you feel hard to breathe during the cold season. It pushes us to breathe through our mouths for a while.
You might know that mouth breathing tends to dry out the mouth. It means the salivary flow is mitigated.
2) Bad Breath
Since the salivation inside the mouth is obstructed, oral microbes continue to thrive on food debris stuck between the teeth. Meanwhile, the excess mucus starts to leak at the back of the throat. The combination of these things provokes a filthy odor in your mouth.
3) Sudden, undefined toothache
Sudden, unexplained pain in upper teeth also happens with the common cold. If you encounter such aching feel when suffering from cold, you might have sinusitis. It happens because cold would cause inflammation in the sinus region. As our upper front and rear teeth are located close to the sinus cavity, the swelling exerts pressure over the teeth so that tooth pain occurs.
How you should take care of your teeth and gums during cold and flu?
Oral hygiene is the key to protecting your dental health anytime. The cold and flu season is not an exception.
Brush your teeth diligently for 2 minutes twice a day. It evacuates the oral bacteria and microbes carried by the mucus from your mouth. Likely, swishing your mouth with antibacterial mouthwash or saltwater is also mandatory to keep your oral cavity fresh and clean.
Importantly, you should keep your mouth hydrated by drinking a lot of water. It salivates your mouth through which dry mouth, bad breath, and growth of oral microorganisms are also prevented to a great extent.
Remember that the sugar substances in certain cold and flu medications also encourage harmful bacteria in your mouth. It is better to cut down on such sweet medications and replace them after consulting your doctor.
Want to know more about the impact of flu and cold on your dental health? Contact our dental experts here or leave your query in the comment section. We will reply soon.
