No one enjoys getting sick, least of all children. However, with as many surfaces as children touch in a day, it’s only a matter of time before yours catches the flu or a cold, especially this time of year. You may not be able to prevent them from getting sick entirely, but you can limit the impact their illness has on their smile. Keep reading to understand how getting sick could put your child’s teeth in danger and what you can do to protect them this cold and flu season.
Risks to Your Child’s Smile When They’re Sick
In addition to being exposed to harmful bacteria in their mouth, getting the flu or even a simple cold can put your child’s teeth at risk of a cavity. Here are just a few of the many ways that these illnesses can mess with their oral health.
Mouth Breathing
When your child has a stuffy nose, they tend to breath in and out of their mouth. Unfortunately, this tends to dry out the mouth, allowing decay-causing bacteria to thrive and stick to teeth.
Relaxed Routine
When some people get sick, they might skip certain parts of their normal routine, but brushing and flossing teeth are two steps that just can’t be dropped! When your child doesn’t brush and floss, sticky, white film called plaque builds up, hardens, and eats away the protective enamel.
Sugary Remedies
As comforting and soothing as cough drops and warm honey can feel on a hurting throat, these solutions introduce sugar to your child’s mouth. Certain bacteria feed on this sugar to produce acids that erode the tooth enamel, eventually leading to decay.
How to Protect Your Child’s Teeth This Season
If you want to avoid having to deal with a cavity or two on top of your child getting sick, you need to do the following:
- Make sure they are drinking enough fluids. This will not only rinse their mouth of plaque and bacteria, but also help them fight the infection.
- Try to use sugar-free cough drops. These products usually provide the same relief from a sore throat with less risk to your child’s smile.
- Keep up with brushing and flossing every day. These tasks are essential to keep oral bacteria under control.
- Clean or replace their toothbrush. To avoid reinfection, you must disinfect your child’s toothbrush using boiling water or simply give them a new one when they start to feel better.
- Stay current with their dental checkup and cleaning. Don’t bring your sick child to see the dentist, but you can take them in after they feel better to make sure no cavities have developed.
This cold and flu season, you may not be able to keep your child from catching what’s going around, but you can make sure their smile stays strong and intact throughout the ordeal. By following these tips, your child can recover quickly and not have to suffer a cavity afterward.
About the Practice
Dr. Jason Parli and Dr. Alexis Gersten have been practicing at Beach Dental for more than 20 years. They welcome patients ranging in age from small children through aging seniors and encourage prevention whenever possible. At Beach Dental ,we have safety protocols in place that help protect our patients and team members from unnecessary risk. If you have questions about preserving oral health while being sick, you may contact our office online or call us at 631-325-0731.