Taking Care Of Your Oral Health In Times Of Sickness

We all get sick from time to time and usually recover fairly quickly on most accounts but if you are confined to your home for any period of time longer than a few days, it can be easy to overlook essential routines and that includes taking care of your teeth. Whether or not you’re under lockdown for an infectious illness or simply convalescing after a medical procedure, you still need to maintain daily routines as much as possible. Although you can probably get away with not brushing your teeth for a few days, lingering pain or indeed severe pain warrants the need for either advice from a dentist or a visit to your local practice for further investigation.

If you are under the weather, the last thing you will probably want to do is visit the dentist, as going out will make you feel worse and potentially put other people at risk if you have an infectious disease. If you are based in North Sydney, your dentist in North Shore may be able to provide you with advice and assistance over the phone or via Skype, Facetime or the dental practice social media channels. Of course, if it is serious and you have no other option, for example in cases of severe pain or an accident, your dentist will of course see you for an emergency consultation. In a nutshell, if you are sick only go and see a dentist in an emergency. 

Things You Can Do To Maintain Oral Health At Home

Many of the things on the list below are things you do as matter of course when well. However, if you are sick, the usual routine flies out of the window sometimes. Please see below for a few things that you need to keep doing even if you are sick, the last thing you need are problems with your teeth as well as your current illness.

• Regular Brushing – The most obvious safeguard to maintaining oral health. Using a high-quality fluoride toothpaste along with a good brush keeps teeth in good condition. If you are unable to brush your teeth yourself, ask a carer or family member to help. 
• Flossing – This simple procedure promotes oral health and is useful in removing those stubborn pieces of food that get stuck between teeth.
• Mouthwash – Mouthwash with a strong alcohol content may not be the most pleasant experience but it does give your teeth, gums and tongue a through disinfecting and this can only be good news for your oral health. 
• Not Panicking – If you feel like one of your teeth is damaged it’s easy to panic, don’t. Be aware of it of course and adjust your diet accordingly if necessary. Forget the beef jerky for a while until you can go to a dentist and get the problem sorted. 

The above list is not exhaustive but contains a few of the normal daily oral health functions that must be adhered to if at all possible.