Every time you turn on the TV, check social media, or even talk with a friend, it’s always the first thing you hear: COVID-19. To protect yourself and those you love, it’s important that you do your part to slow the spread and flatten the curve as much as possible. Social distancing helps, but so does practicing proper oral hygiene. Here are a few changes from a dentist in Forest that you can make to your dental care routine that may help lower your risk of contracting COVID-19.
Dental Care and COVID-19
One main aspect of the novel coronavirus that everyone has been talking about is that it can be transmitted by touching your face. When you come into contact with someone infected with the virus and then touch your face, the virus can then enter your body through your eyes, nose, ears, or mouth. An especially dangerous element of COVID-19 is that the virus can incubate in your system for up to two weeks before you start displaying symptoms. This gives the germs plenty of time to infect your toothbrush. From there, they could spread to the toothbrush holder, your partner’s brush, and the rest of your bathroom. Because of this, it’s imperative that you keep your home environment as germ-free as possible during this pandemic.
Oral Health Habits That Can Prevent COVID-19
Dentists have been taking precautionary measures for decades to prevent infections by wearing protective gear like eyewear, gowns, masks, and gloves. However, others rarely go to the same lengths in their own home oral health regiments. Here are four changes you can make to reduce the risk of getting COVID-19:
- Wash your hands before brushing. Your hands touch your brush, which then goes into your mouth. So, if there are germs on your hands, you could be infecting yourself unless you clear those germs away by scrubbing with soap and water.
- Don’t share your oral hygiene products. If you currently share a toothbrush, floss, toothpaste, or brush holders, invest in your own as soon as you can. Otherwise, you could be sharing germs with the other members of your household.
- Disinfect your toothbrush weekly. Your toothbrush removes plaque, food debris, and other germs from your teeth and gums. However, germs can remain unless you deep clean it regularly. Once a week, boil your toothbrush in hot water or soak it in a mixture of bleach and water.
- Replace your toothbrush regularly. Even when we’re not in the middle of a pandemic, you should change out your toothbrush every three months. If you get sick, though, replace your toothbrush sooner, or you could reintroduce germs back into your system.
It can get exhausting hearing constant negative updates about COVID-19 in the news. However, by adhering to these tips, you can rest easy knowing you’re doing your part to protect yourself and your loved ones!
About the Practice
At Crossroads Family Dentistry, we strive to make every patient as comfortable as possible in the dental chair. We also believe in the power of taking preventive measures to prevent both dental problems and COVID-19. That’s why we’ve implemented several COVID-19 precautions to ensure our patients’ safety as much as we can. To learn more about how you can keep yourself safe, visit our website or call (434) 841-1704.