Here we are again, at the beginnings of cold and flu season. If you pick up the sniffles, your teeth will probably be one of the last things on your mind, as you sneeze and cough and try to get better. But keeping your teeth healthy during cold season could also help eliminate some of the germs causing the flu – keeping you potentially spreading it to others.
So, just in time for flu season, here are some dental health tips.
Keep Your Good Hygiene Habits
The Center for Disease Control (CDC) says, “An annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to reduce your risk of getting sick with seasonal flu and spreading it to others.” The statistics show us that influenza virus, or “the flu,” causes thousands of hospitalizations and deaths every year. Flu and colds are transmitted to others from as far as six feet away when a droplet from their mouths or nose are inhaled into another person’s body. Because it can take a few days for symptoms to manifest, you can transmit viruses even before you end up in bed.
When you get the flu, there are a few things you should do to keep your mouth clean and hydrated, which can help you get better more quickly. For example:
- Even if you’re so sick you’ve gone to bed, don’t forget to brush your teeth twice a day and floss.
- Use a good mouthwash to clean out some of those germs.
- While you’re at it, drink lots of liquids throughout the day. Your body will benefit from the increase in hydration and it will help you fight the germs. Clear cool liquids and broth will help eliminate that dry mouth feeling you get when your nose is stopped up.
- You can also gargle with warm salt water. Just run tap water as hot as you can stand it, then add table sale. Gargle and spit it out, which will help with a sore throat and also reduce the bad bacteria in your mouth.
- Whenever possible, choose sugar-free medication. Particularly choose sugar-free cough drops, because those will sit next to teeth as they dissolve. A sugary cough drop ends up bathing your teeth in cavity-causing goo; even while it helps relieve your cough. If you can’t find sugar free, just try to brush the sugar away.
- When you start to feel better, we recommend discarding your germ-filled toothbrush for a new one.
If you end up with a sinus infection, you could also end up with a toothache. That’s because the largest sinus sits just above your upper jaw. When your sinuses fill will mucus it can put pressure on your teeth. In fact, your whole face can ache and if you haven’t seen your doctor – it is definitely time.
Las Vegas Dentist – Cold and Flu Season Tips
Getting a flu shot and washing your hands often are all best practices that we recommend each cold and flu season. Enacting common sense preventative measures in your workplace and at home can help keep you and your family a little healthier this season.