What should we do for our oral and dental health during the coronavirus period?
The world is going through difficult times. We are facing an epidemic. Although this epidemic is new to us, there have always been epidemics in the world. In the light of reason and science, this epidemic will one day disappear and stop.
We must keep our body resistance high during this period.
Dr. Mehmet Oz listed the virus precautions as follows: Get enough sleep, do regular exercise, humidify the air you breathe, do not shake hands, do not touch your face. Use vitamin C and zinc. All these recommendations are beneficial for oral and dental health…
We caught this virus and its effects all of a sudden. We always warn our patients. Have your oral and dental health checked before you enter pregnancy. Don't have bleeding gums. If you have gum problems, we say that the area as big as your palm is a direct infection area. We also warn diabetics. If your gums are healthy, we say that it is easier to control your sugar. If you have cavities in your mouth, this is a direct food source for microorganisms. The microorganisms live here, in the decayed area, and continue to reproduce in that area. The same applies to viruses.
If we knew that such an epidemic was coming, of course we would have produced a solution with the problems we neglected in our oral and dental health beforehand, but we may have been caught without precautions. For this reason, while we say do not put your hands in your mouth, let's not forget that your ORAL HEALTH is also important.
For this reason, let's not neglect our routine oral care. If there is bleeding in our gums and the cause of this bleeding is tartar, have the tartar cleaned as soon as the quarantine period is over. However, the best treatment you can do during the quarantine period is regular tooth brushing. There is no need to brush by pressing or winging. It is necessary to brush regularly from the gum to the tooth. Make sure that the toothpaste you use is one that is good for gum health as much as possible. Prefer toothpastes that contain natural refreshers such as mint, eucalyptus, licorice root and clove. Cleaning between the teeth with dental floss, brushing the tongue and inside of the cheek are among the routine cleaning methods.
AS A MOUTHGASH, the effective mouthwash you can make against coronavirus is a mouthwash containing 1% hydrogen peroxide or 0.2% povidone iodine. This mouthwash is the mouthwash recommended by ADA and TDB (Turkish Dental Association) and is used by your dentist for oral disinfection before dental treatment. You can obtain 1% hydrogen peroxide by mixing OXYGEN WATER sold in pharmacies with normal water. For example, you can use a mouthwash by mixing one capful of oxygenated water with 2 capfuls of normal drinking water.
CONSUMPTION OF HERBAL TEA is beneficial for your oral and dental health during this period. SAGE, GREEN TEA are antioxidants and anti-inflammatory. The catechins in green tea have strong antioxidant properties and also have an anti-inflammatory effect. It can be consumed like regular tea and can also be used in the production of natural mouthwash.
Natural mouthwashes made with sage and sea salt soothe gum disease. Sage and sea salt mouthwash is antiseptic, so wounds heal faster. Provides antiseptic in the mouth.
* 1 glass of boiling water
* 2 teaspoons sage (dry)
* 1 teaspoon of rock salt
Slowly pour the boiled water over the sage and salt in a jar, close the lid and shake occasionally. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, strain it and after it cools down, you can use it as an oral care gargle after brushing. The content should not be kept for more than a day. If you prepare it fresh in the morning, you can use it throughout the day.
Salt water is good for mouth sores. Half a teaspoon of rock salt should be added to 1 tea glass of warm water and gargled 3 times a day. Hypertension and kidney patients should not perform this practice. Instead of gargling, they should apply salt water to the wounded areas with cotton and gargle with clear water after 5 minutes. This is also a treatment method that you can do yourself at home. Maybe you had a tooth extracted or an implant installed before the quarantine. Gargling with salt water helps the wound heal in this area.
TEA TREE OIL
Flossing your teeth daily is the best way to keep your mouth healthy. For those who want to take it a step further, adding some tea tree oil to your floss can help. The oil acts as a natural disinfectant that reduces bacteria. Adding tea tree oil to your daily floss will help with bleeding gums. You can find it at herbalists.
YOUR WATER CONSUMPTION You can increase it. This also has a detox effect.
STRESS APHETA IN THE MOUTH triggers the formation of aphthae. Therefore, if you develop aphthae in your mouth during this period when stress is at its peak, first review your food and drink habits. In particular, it is necessary to stay away from acidic foods. (such as meat, citrus fruits, tomatoes, pineapple, vinegar) While almost everyone recommends gargling with vinegar during this period, know that vinegar increases the formation of aphthae. You can make the acidic mouth environment alkaline by gargling with carbonated water.
ORAL PROBIOTICS
Probiotics are beneficial for our oral health and there are oral probiotics that you can use daily. Probiotics are beneficial in the treatment of tooth decay and gum disease. The more good bacteria you have in your mouth, the better your defense against bad bacteria. Your oral structure becomes a strong barrier.
MOUTHGARDEN WITH OLIVE OIL You can do it. Especially when going out, olive oil insulates the mouth. It prevents germs and viruses from adhering.
MAKE SURE YOUR TOOTHBRUSH IS CLEAN. Rinse your toothbrush thoroughly after use: Before and after each use, rinse your toothbrush for about 10 seconds under running water – of course, make sure your hands are clean before doing this. So wash your hands carefully using the 20-second rule beforehand. Make sure your toothbrush is clean and sufficiently rinsed.
STORE YOUR TOOTHBRUSH PROPERLY: Do not store your toothbrush with someone else's, that is, do not put it in the same glass. If you do, make sure that the brush heads do not touch each other. Also, do not store your toothbrush in a closed cabinet that does not receive air, because moist environments allow bacteria and viruses to multiply. In addition, keep your brush as far away from the toilet as possible. This routine is a rule you should follow. Germs are spread around with every flush. Keep the toilet lid closed while flushing.
To make sure your brush is clean enough, you can soak it in boiling water for 5 minutes. You can also spray the 1% hydrogen peroxide that you use as a mouthwash onto your brush in spray form. You can easily prepare a natural toothbrush disinfectant at home as follows.
-2 tablespoons of grape or apple cider vinegar
-2 teaspoons of baking soda.
Put vinegar in a glass, then add baking soda and dip your toothbrush into the mixture and stir. When the vinegar and baking soda react with each other, the foam that forms also cleans between the bristles of the toothbrush. Then you can rinse your brush and put it away. This provides you with natural disinfection.
During this period, it is not recommended to go to the dentist except for emergencies due to the spread of the virus. This means that you should definitely go to the dentist for emergencies. TDB has determined the emergencies as follows.
- Severe toothache
- Swelling in the eyes, neck, and gums
- Unstoppable bleeding in the mouth
- Individuals at risk of infection have oral and dental problems and trauma (such as impact and fracture)
Patients in this situation need to have their dental treatments done. As I mentioned at the beginning of the article, every epidemic will end one day. I wish you healthy days.