We mostly think of asthma as a lung disease associated with wheezing, coughing and breathing difficulties. Perhaps, you are one of 2.7. million people in Australia who have it, and if you are, hopefully, you have it under control.
If you are one of those people, your Epping Dentist would also like you to consider how your asthma may be impacting your oral health. Hopefully, it isn’t – but if it is, there are things that you can do to minimise that damage.
The main avenue of damage comes from having a dry mouth, caused by having less saliva. That can be a side-effect of the asthma medication you use. It can also occur if you mouth breathe (instead of breathing through your nose) if you feel like you can’t get enough air.
Having a dry mouth puts you at greater risk of tooth decay, gum disease and oral thrush (white patches on your tongue or internal cheek walls). All of these are undesirable, but there are things you can do to counter a dry mouth and lessen the side effects of inhaler usage.
If you use an inhaler to help manage your asthma, use a spacer, too, so the medication is sent directly to your lungs and less of it settles on your teeth.
Your Epping Dentist also recommends that you rinse your mouth out afterwards, using water or a fluoridated mouth wash.
If you feel you must clean your teeth, wait at least one hour! The acidic nature of the inhaler medication will have weakened your tooth enamel, making it prone to being worn down by your toothbrushing.
Keep yourself well-hydrated by drinking plenty of fluoridated tap water.
Please, also visit your special Epping Dentist regularly – but make sure he or she knows you have asthma and what medications you are taking for it.
To find out more, please click the link for an appointment with us:
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9868 3037
9868 3037