Taking Care of Your Dental Health During the Corona Virus Pandemic

Coronavirus is a global pandemic that has raised anxiety all around the world. With the tension and rising mental health issues, ensure that your oral health issues are not part of it.

If you have good oral health, you will not need to visit a dentist. So as to make sure you maintain strong and healthy teeth, you should follow some guidelines. Ensure you do the following:

• Toothbrushes

When you are brushing, ensure you use a toothbrush with gentle bristles. You should replace your toothbrush at least every three months. If you use an electric toothbrush, replace its head regularly. Replacing your toothbrush regularly ensures the bristles are of standard quality.

Ensure you clean and disinfect your toothbrush daily. Toothbrush heads can hold bacteria and viruses such as coronavirus, thus disinfecting will prevent the contraction of the disease.

• Brushing

Brushing your teeth regularly is the basis of ensuring good oral hygiene. Brush your teeth at least twice daily. You can brush once in the morning and before going to bed. Brushing before going to bed is very effective since it eliminates the plaque and bacteria that might grow at night and cause infections.

When brushing, ensure you do it gently with bristles reaching all parts of your tooth cap.

• Toothpaste

Use fluoride toothpaste when brushing. Fluoride is a mineral that enhances the strength of your teeth. However, excessive fluoride consumption is not safe for your dental health. Ensure you use toothpaste in the right amounts. Do not leave your kids unsupervised while they are brushing so that they won’t swallow the toothpaste. Use only a pea-sized amount of toothpaste while brushing.

• Flossing

Proper flossing eliminates plaque and food particles from parts the toothbrush can’t reach easily. Plaque build-up can lead to gum diseases, you are therefore advised to floss your teeth daily. Follow the technique below for effective flossing.

• Start with about 18 inches of dental floss, wind the most of it on both middle fingers and leave at least one inch to work with
• Slide the floss up and down between the teeth gently while holding the floss tautly between the thumbs and index fingers
• Curve the floss gently around the base of each tooth and ensure your reach places beneath the gum line
• Do not snap the floss or move it by force since you can injure your gum
• Use a clean floss for each space
• Use the same back-and-forth movement to get the floss up and away from the teeth, when removing it

You can use a nylon multifilament or a PTFE monofilament floss.

• What You Should Avoid to Ensure a Good Oral Health

Do you want your teeth to stay healthy and strong? Well! You need to stop some unhealthy practices. The following are the habits you need to stop:

• Eating sticky and sugary foods especially kids
• Smoking and using tobacco products
• Using your teeth to remove pins and staples
• Biting on ice and hard objects
• Clenching and grinding your tooth
• Thumbsucking
• How to Proceed in Case of a Dental Emergency

Dental emergencies are inevitable even if you observe all oral hygiene practices. You are not guaranteed that you will not get a situation that requires immediate attention during this lockdown period. Only certain cases are considered to be emergencies. These scenarios are:

• Broken or knocked-out tooth
• Abscessed tooth
• Severe toothache
• Exposed nerves
• Prolonged bleeding on the gums
• Broken or chipped crown

When faced with the above problems call your dentist and book an appointment with your dentist. For toothache, you can rinse your mouth using warm salty water. Gurgle using clove oil in case you have an abscession. In case you have a knocked-out tooth, ensure you get and preserve the fallen out tooth in milk.

• Steps to Follow in COVID-19 While Visiting Dentist

A dentist at Central Park Dental Care in Auburn, AL recommends the following steps when you are visiting your dentist:

• Before going out of your house, ensure you put on a mask that is recommended by the Center for Disease Control
• Wash your hands with soap and running water or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer before leaving the house and upon reaching the dentist’s office
• On your way ensure you keep reasonable distant to reduce the risk for infection

Your dentist can access the situation through Tele-health and decide whether you need to go to the office. If the situation is not urgent he or she can schedule the appointment to a less date.