With Covid-19 taking a lot of twists and turns everywhere, the entire world is preparing itself to face, fight and survive the pandemic. Safe guarding and protecting ourselves as well as others, have become a sole responsibility of every individual now. Hence the universal safety precautions such as wearing a mask, social distancing and excellent hygiene measures have become the norm of today’s life.

Since covering the face with mask for a longer duration through the day has become a norm now, an emerging new problem with unpleasant symptoms are becoming a concern in Dubai and all over. This is referred to as mask mouth.

What is Mask Mouth?

Wearing a mask for a long time, makes the mouth dry. Frequent opening of mouth and nose behind the cover, increases the dryness. It also leads to inadequate salivary secretion inside the mouth. As a result the saliva which is said to neutralise the acid and maintain the pH balance is reduced, thereby leading to microbes flourishing inside the oral cavity. This triggers bad breath, plaque and tartar accumulation, tooth decay with cavities and gum inflammation.

Following the Ramadan month, where people do not keep themselves well hydrated due to fasting for over 12 hours, the dry mouth symptoms are found to be a little aggravated here in Dubai. Added to the dry mouth, an empty stomach during fasting cause regurgitation and acid reflux inside the mouth, leading to increased bacterial infection.

Are you facing any of the above mentioned problems? Then don’t worry, our dental team at Oris are open to serve you at our best, to deal with the prevailing mask mouth problems.

How to prevent Mask Mouth?

Maintain good oral hygiene methods by adequate brushing and flossing regularly.

A warm salt water gargling twice a day, helps as a mild antiseptic.

Minimise going out where you have to wear a mask. In unavoidable situations of continuous mask wearing, make time to go alone, remove the mask, take some fresh air breaks and drink lots of water whenever possible to keep yourself hydrated. This will help enhance the natural salivation inside your mouth.

Wear clean mask and change them when necessary. Do not wear the same masks repeatedly. Dirty masks increases the rate of infection more.

Avoid high sugary and salty foods, caffeinated drinks, carbonated and sugary juices.

Do not smoke. Smoking aggravates the problems.

To combat bad smell, avoid excessive usage of mouthwash and flavoured mints. They add on more to the mouth dryness. Seek professional help to treat the cause of the problem.

Eat nutritional and healthy food, with lots of fruits and vegetables.

In doubt contact us at Oris for expert professional guidance. Professional Teeth cleaning, and timely cavity fillings will help avoid further damage to teeth and reduce treatment costs. In terms of irreversible damage to the teeth and gums, painless root canal treatments and laser procedures are done with us under sedation dentistry.

Mask mouth symptoms can be combated by following strict oral and hand hygiene measures. Oris dental team always extend a warm positive care and service to our best. Stay safe and stay healthy.

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