Posted on 07/21/2020 3:09:38 PM PDT by george76
LUBBOCK, Texas — A Houston dentist has said that an increase in cavities in her patients could be linked to dry mouth caused by wearing face masks.
According to board-certified dentist Dr. Piya Gandhi, breathing through your mouth reduces saliva, which helps protect your teeth from cavities and decay. Mouth breathing already increases your risk of cavities, and breathing heavily through your mouth from under the mask could increase that risk even more. The face mask itself doesn’t lead to cavities — it’s the way that people breathe while wearing them.
“Now that a lot of us are mouth breathing while we have our masks on, we’re drying out all that saliva that usually protects us from getting cavities, and that’s increasing our risk of cavities,” Dr. Gandhi said.
...
There’s no question that dry mouth can cause cavities,” said Dr. Blake Johnston, co-owner of Hancock and Johnston Dentistry.
...
If left untreated, something as simple as a cavity could lead to more severe medical issues and even affect your heart and inflame your blood.
“Any time that you have a toothache — that could lead to an infection or an issue in the mouth and the rest of the body,” Johnston said.
...
To combat cavities when your wear your mask, they suggest staying hydrated, taking mask breaks when safe and chewing on gum and mints, as long as they’re sugar free.
(Excerpt) Read more at everythinglubbock.com ...
Reason number 372,291,098,504 to not wear a mask.
Deaths are way down. Why the continued panic and oppressive regulations?
Of course, I know the answer ...
Mask it or casket.
And we’re wearing masks due to the small risk that we will get this virus, a virus which is not fatal in the vast majority of cases.
There has not been a good risk analysis, cost/benefit, risk/benefit, or whatever the correct technical term is for balancing the risk of the disease vs. problems caused by us shutting down and doing things such as wearing masks.
My dentist asked me a while back if I get dry mouth at night. I never used to, and usually drooled at night. He said drooling is good. Now I have to take a blood pressure pill at night that has a tendency to dry your mouth out. Sometimes I wake up with a sore throat and very dry tongue, and sometimes my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth. I know I snore because I have a deviated septum, and have to use a nasal strip every night.
Live free or die.
I’ll stand with Patrick Henry.
The law of unintended consequences.
I’ll have to tell my husband about this; he had gum disease and very nearly had to have visible teeth pulled. He did have a couple pulled, but you can only see the gaps if he laughs really hard, which he doesn’t do very often. And it’s usually only with me, as far as I know.
Even Heaven’s most favored angels call this a stovepipe full of dung.
Chewing gum with a mask on is itchy.
Did the dentist ask if you ate anything at night?
Because Urban Legend states that one eats an average of 8 spiders in a night.
(Not entirely true and not entirely false either).
It’s okay to laugh, you can do it!
Masks have always been associated with dry mouth in the long term use of being worn. This is nothing new. Those who are more susceptible to having dry mouth through medication or other reasons will get dry mouth when wearing a mask in the long term.
My dentist also sa7d their was a spike when they restarted. Kids that had none previously were coming back in with several.
“And we’re wearing masks due to the small risk that we will get this virus,”
No. We are wearing masks so that the infected will also wear masks.
Drillin' down to the base of the problem.
I have to wear a mask at work, eight to fourteen hour days. If you do too, drink plenty of water before work and on breaks since you can’t sip. Breathe through your nose. Brush your teeth before work. I haven’t had a problem since I made sure to drink enough.
If you have to wear a mask for half an hour in the store, try not to get worked up over it.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.