How Good Dental Health Can Improve Your Immune System During COVID-19 Outbreak
Your dental health may indicate how well your immune system is working. If you have poor oral hygiene habits, you may be more likely to have oral health problems. This can negatively affect your immune system. The immune system is important for helping you fight off diseases, such as COVID-19. Keep reading to learn how good dental health can help you avoid sicknesses.
The immune system
The immune system defends the body against foreign organisms, such as allergens and germs. Many people believe that the immune system is in one location in the body. The truth is that it consists of many proteins, cells and tissues in the entire body. That way, a person can fight off infections no matter where they are.
The mouth plays a big role when it comes to keeping a patient healthy. Things that pass through the body usually first go through the mouth. This includes everything from liquids to allergens to medicines. Even air can go through the mouth, like when the patient is yawning.
Patients who have better oral health will be healthier overall. Many diseases are passed through bodily fluids such as the saliva. Sharing drinks and food is not recommended. Even with a stronger immune system, there is a limit to how many viruses the body can fight off.
Improving dental health
Fighting off COVID-19 involves having a healthy mouth and immune system. There are several steps to take. This includes eating nutritious foods to stay healthy. Having a diet with essential nutrients can help patients avoid disease. For example, a diet low in sugar will prevent so much bacteria from being in the mouth. Flossing regularly can also help patients to avoid gum disease, which is often a major problem for the immune system.
Patients who are susceptible to gum disease should brush even more often than twice a day. This is also true for patients who have autoimmune diseases. For example, flossing at least twice a day and brushing after each meal is a good starting point. That will prevent the immune system from having to fight off oral bacteria.
When the gums are infected, the patient’s immune system will need to use its resources to fight it off. Other infections, such as an abscessed tooth, can also compromise the immune system. There are then fewer resources to prevent the patient from getting a virus, such as COVID-19. Having a compromised immune system can also cause the patient to be hit harder than a healthy person.
Keep up your dental health
With the right oral care, you can maintain your dental health and keep your immune system strong. That way, you will be better prepared to fight off viruses and other health problems. Eating healthy and having good oral hygiene are both important parts of this. If you do not know the right way to do this, your dentist can give you tips over the phone.