Louisville KY
With cold and flu season fast approaching, getting sick can have a negative impact on your oral health. Invisalign wearers in particular may be at risk for developing oral health issues if they don’t take the time to properly care for their aligners. To help you make it through the season with your smile in good condition, here are four useful tips to maintain good oral and overall health.
Tip #1: Keep Your Teeth Clean
Keeping up with normal brushing and flossing is even more important when you’re sick. Cleaning away oral bacteria and leftover sugar from cough drops and cough syrup can help protect your teeth from decay. If possible, switch to sugar-free medicines and rinse out your mouth afterwards. Make sure to take out your Invisalign before you drink cough syrup or eat cough drops to avoid staining or damaging your aligners.
Tip #2: Stay Hydrated
When a stuffy nose makes it difficult to breathe normally, people switch to breathing through their mouth. This causes your mouth to become drier than usual. Dry mouth puts you at a higher risk of developing cavities since you’re not producing enough saliva to wash away bacteria and food particles. Drink plenty of water to keep your mouth moist, and consider eating crisp, fresh fruits and veggies or sugar-free hard candy to increase saliva production.
Tip #3: Keep Your Space Clean
Sanitize your desk or any equipment you use throughout the day thoroughly and often to eliminate bacteria and germs clinging to them. Consider keeping retainer cases in the places you frequent so you can always have somewhere safe and clean to place your Invisalign when you remove it to eat or drink. Stock up on hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes to keep things as germ-free as possible.
Tip #4: Be Mindful of Your Hands
Make sure to keep your hands clean to avoid transferring cold or flu germs to your aligners. If it’s not possible to wash your hands before touching your Invisalign, look into getting an aligner removal tool so as to avoid direct contact with the trays.
Caring for your Invisalign in the proper way is vital to keeping your treatment plan on track. With the above tips, you’ll be able to keep your teeth healthy and beautiful this cold and flu season!
About the Practice
Exceptional Dentistry aims to make patients feel confident in their upcoming dental appointment by treating them with kindness and compassion from the moment they walk through the door. They provide the residents of Louisville and surrounding communities with several effective and efficient treatment plans that will keep their oral health in check. If you have Invisalign and are concerned with staying on track with your treatment plan during cold and flu season, they can provide useful tips to help you protect your oral health. Call them at (502) 498-8297 or visit their website for more information or to make an appointment.
