Keep Flossing Your Teeth, Even Though You’re Worried About Coronavirus
One of the precautions recommended by the CDC in protecting against coronavirus is to avoid touching your face. The goal is to keep your hands off the places where respiratory disease can be spread – your eyes, nose… and mouth. What does that mean for flossing? Nothing. You should still be doing it. Your Johns Creek dentist tells you how and why.
Flossing During Coronavirus
Whether you’ve developed panic from the overload of coronavirus news or you’ve become complacent, whether you’re casual or stressed, the reality is this: All you can do is take care of yourself and be smart and try and keep yourself healthy. The last thing you want to do is slack on your oral health and put that at risk too.
Flossing your teeth daily is an essential component of oral health care at every age. If you’re not even eating fingers foods with your hands these days, the thought of putting your fingers in your mouth for a thorough flossing may freak you out. Here are some tips for still getting the job done that can make you feel better:
- Wash your hands. Wash your hands with soap, thoroughly, for at least 20 seconds. Clean under your nails and in between your fingers and rinse and dry them well. If the things you’re putting in your mouth are clean, you’re already winning.
- Use floss picks. Floss picks are great for on the go or when you just need to work something out from between two teeth. In a pinch, they are fine. Floss picks do, however, have their limitations. The shape of these tools limits the user’s ability to reach below the gum line and around each tooth. So don’t abandon regular dental floss – work up to it if you have to.
- Remember where you are. You’re in your own home, having just washed your hands in your sink with your soap and dried them with your towel. You have your dental floss at the ready. You are in a safe space. And your teeth need you!
- As a last resort, wear gloves. If you want to floss your teeth but you just can’t put your own hands in your mouth right now, go ahead and wear gloves to do the cleaning. Whatever it takes to get in there and get your mouth clean.
The Importance of Flossing
Flossing can seem like a pain to the people who don’t do it regularly. Those who are good about flossing understand its importance and impact on oral health. Flossing gets where the toothbrush cannot get and drags out bacteria, food particles, and plaque. If you don’t floss, you’re more susceptible to bad breath, gum disease , and cavities, as well as other dental infections.
In short, if you don’t floss, you aren’t protecting yourself from coronavirus, you’re putting yourself at higher risk for oral health complications. Take good care of yourself – and your teeth. Schedule your dental visit at Hello Family Dental, serving Johns Creek, Suwanee, Alpharetta, and neighboring communities.
<p>The post Keep Flossing Your Teeth, Even Though You’re Worried About Coronavirus first appeared on Hello Family Dental | Dentist in Suwanee, GA.</p>
