What role oral hygiene plays in corona times

Careful oral hygiene is always important, but during the coronavirus pandemic it is more important than ever. Infection with Covid-19 poses a major challenge to the immune system. How well yours is intact depends on a variety of factors, including the bacteria in the mouth.

The mouth is warm, moist and regularly picks up food. These are ideal conditions for bacteria to thrive; entire colonies can easily form, better known as plaque or dental plaque.

Your immune system has a lot to do even without corona viruses

Bacterial colonies are dangerous because sooner or later they trigger gingivitis. Many people think that everything is okay with their gums because they don't bleed when they brush their teeth. Unfortunately, this is not quite true, because gingivitis usually starts in the spaces between the molars. The gingivitis is then virtually protected by the tooth: no bleeding gums or other indications. Instead, it spreads undisturbed. In fact, from the age of 35, already 52% of people are affected by gingivitis (periodontitis), in seniors it is almost 75%.

Gum inflammation can turn into bone inflammation, which eats deep into the jawbone. Unfortunately, such a bone inflammation does not cause pain, often not even gum bleeding. Therefore, it can progress undetected and cause terrible damage.

Whether gum or bone inflammation, every inflammation is a reaction of the body's defense system to a harmful stimulus. So the immune system runs at full speed to fight bacteria that have invaded the gums and has less capacity free to eliminate other harmful stimuli, such as covid-19 viruses. Researchers noted back in February that the oral cavity is the main entry point for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. That's because most of the receptors the virus needs to enter the body are located in the mouth. That's where the virus multiplies and can then enter the lungs.

Do the work for your immune system

Therefore, make sure that bacteria in your mouth and throat don't stand a chance. Regular tooth brushing is the key. Brushing with an electric toothbrush is particularly recommended because the motor-assisted movements clean more effectively. Brushing mistakes are more likely to be forgiven.

Make sure that you change the attachment brushes regularly, because a lot of bacteria and germs collect on them. In the case of clip-on brushes from demirdental, the loss of color of the blue indicator brushes reminds you to change them in time.

For careful elimination of bacteria, not only the teeth but also the interdental spaces should be cleaned. Despite professional grinding of the brush heads, there are places where neither the electric toothbrush nor the manual toothbrush can reach. Therefore, it is recommended to use dental floss or interdental brushes regularly.

The use of a mouth rinse rounds off the careful oral care program, because mouth rinses suppress germs in the oral cavity and also care for the gums and teeth.