Reducing Your Risk of Dental Problems During COVID-19 Lockdown

Two toothbrushes sitting in a glass jar with a plant in the background

Read time: 2 mins

In light of the recent Coronavirus pandemic, the Australian government has limited the treatments that can be performed by dentists. While we sit at Level 3 restrictions, Pennant Hills Dental Centre is limiting treatments to those classified as emergency in nature to help the community and keep members of the community from unnecessary hospital visits. One major source of dental emergencies is dental decay. This aspect of dental disease ultimately leads to sharp broken teeth, toothaches and infection. Reducing your risk of decay is the aim of the game and so here’s what you can do.

Proper Oral Hygiene

It nearly goes without saying, and as annoying as it is to hear it from the dentist, we’ll say it nonetheless. Brushing your teeth twice a day (at least), flossing once a day goes a long way to preventing decay. Make it all a part of your daily routine, just like showering. This includes seeing your dentist for regular check-ups twice a year once the risk of COVID19 has reduced to safe levels. They can review the state of your oral health and catch any issues before they arise.

Reduce Sugar Consumption

Sugar seriously contributes to tooth decay, even natural sugars like honey and fruit. If you eat a lot of sugary foods, snacks and drinks, reducing these will be a step in the right direction for prevention of decay. The bacteria in your mouth that break down enamel and causes tooth decay love sugar. It feeds off it creating acids that dissolve tooth and turn it in to the wet mush that is called decay. Starve the bacteria by eating less sugar and by observing good oral hygiene.

Stay Away From Acid

Acid erodes the protective surface of your teeth, which is the enamel. This acid wear cannot be reversed and you cannot rebuild lost enamel without great expense. To make matters worse, oral bacteria thrive in an acidic oral environment. In order to reduce your risk of tooth decay, you need to be careful about eating and drinking acidic foods and drinks like oranges, lemons, wine or soft drinks.

Quit Smoking

While smoking doesn’t directly cause tooth decay, it introduces toxins to your mouth, which affects its ability to fight infection. Severe gum disease is common in smokers, and this can result in tooth loss. These toxins also significantly add to your risk of oral cancers not to mention all of the other issues associated with smoking.

Dentists love telling their patients that prevention is better than a cure. It’s slightly annoying, but they are very much in the right. Taking proper care of your oral health now will definitely help prevent tooth decay, which can lead to a lot of other problems that are not only inconvenient and uncomfortable, but also expensive to resolve.

Here at Pennant Hills Dental Centre we are remaining OPEN as a safe service to our existing patients and new patients alike that are experiencing dental pain or other dental emergencies. Contact us on 02 94841132 to make an appointment or book online at www.phdc.com.au with one of our dentists.

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