Your Guide To Orthodontics When You’re Sick

Has winter been getting you down? Chilly weather plus colds, sniffles, flu, and more can be a real challenge during these dark months. Don’t worry, spring is right around the corner! As we wait it out together, let Williams and Hamman Orthodontics walk you through some tips on how to maintain your dental and orthodontic health even if you do get sick along the way!

Keep Your Teeth Clean By Eating Clean

We all know that eating well is one of the best ways to improve our health and heal us when we are sick. Nutrient-rich food that is easy to digest is top of the list, along with drinking lots of fluids. On the flip side, what should you avoid eating when you’re sick?

Sugar! 

Unfortunately, sugar has been proven to suppress your immune system, making it that much harder for you to get well. And sugar can have some pretty big impacts on your teeth as well. Even when you are in regular health, sugar feeds on the bacteria that live in your mouth, becoming plaque and tartar that weaken your tooth enamel, leading to tooth decay and other problems. 

If all of that can happen when you are well, imagine how much worse it can be when you are sick! Those who have braces or retainers need to be especially cautious about eating sugar so that they don’t end up having stains, spots, and weakened teeth when the braces come off. Avoiding sugar and being diligent about brushing and flossing are your best bets for maintaining great teeth despite being sick. 

Avoid Dry Mouth

Did you know that your saliva isn’t only for helping you chew, swallow, and digest food? Saliva is also important to our dental health! It contains minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and fluoride that help maintain healthy enamel on your teeth, preventing decay and cavities. When your mouth becomes dry, either because of dehydration or nasal congestion, it’s time to do something to keep your mouth healthy. 

We recommend sipping water consistently throughout the day to refresh your mouth and encourage saliva production. Regular water consumption will help with dehydration, which in turn can help your body heal faster. All-in-all, drinking water is a good way to keep you and your teeth in good shape. 

Keep Your Teeth Clean

Keeping your teeth clean is expected advice from an orthodontist. Still, Dr. Williams and Hamman can’t stress enough how important it is for someone undergoing orthodontics to have a clean smile. When you have braces, Invisalign retainers, or other orthodontic devices in your mouth, you have greater chances of having your teeth impacted by plaque, tartar, and tooth decay. So even when you’re feeling rough, it’s worth taking a few minutes a day to give your teeth and tongue a thorough brush and quick floss.

For those wearing a retainer, you can’t skimp on cleaning them either! When you are sick, normal bacteria as well as illness-causing bacteria grow in your mouth. Sounds gross, but it’s true! That’s another reason why brushing your teeth is important, and will be essential to keep your retainer clean too. 

Give your retainers a quick but thorough scrub with a toothbrush and a nonabrasive cleanser like alcohol-free mouthwash. This should kill nasty bacteria and scrub away saliva, plaque, or particles that stick to it. You’ll be feeling much fresher once this is done, and you can feel safe knowing you aren’t growing colonies of bad bacteria!

Switch Out Your Toothbrush

Perhaps the simplest of all the advice given so far, switching out your toothbrush after you’ve been sick is a really simple way to stop reintroducing old germs back into your body. 

Stay at Home

Staying at home is great advice if you are sick and need rest to get well, and it has the added bonus of reducing the spread of sickness to those around you. Not all of us can control it if we are required to go to work or pick up our kids, but one place you probably don’t need to go is the orthodontist’s office. 

Help keep our staff and patients well by rescheduling your appointment if you are feeling sick, and focus on getting better and keeping your teeth clean in the meantime. If you find yourself needing orthodontic support for an emergency, then don’t hesitate to get in touch with our Southaven office and we will do our best to assist you from afar or find the next best time to get you into the office. 

You Are Not Alone

Just remember that no part of your orthodontic treatment or care needs to be done alone. Williams and Hamman Orthodontics is always here to provide our patients with the very best service and care that will not only help them get through flu season but also reach the end of their treatment with the stunning smile they have always dreamed of. If that sounds like you, then reach out to our office to schedule a free consultation appointment to get started!