A recent article in the Wall Street Journal pointed out two effects of the pandemic that you may not have considered.
- An increase in the amount of time we have been spending on Zoom has us paying attention to imperfections in our teeth and has fueled a spike in cosmetic dentistry and teeth whitening treatment. Similarly, all of the time we have been spending wearing masks has spurred a similar increase in clear-aligner therapy, like Invisalign®. Apparently, those who are self-conscious of their smiles are thinking, “what better time to get started than now?” If you find yourself wondering the same, we’re here to help!
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Second, and most troubling, prolonged mask wearing has had an impact on our oral health. When you are wearing a mask, you drink less and you breathe through your mouth, which means that you have less saliva. This means two things — smelly breath and more cavities. Saliva is a great buffer for the acid in our mouth. When you have less of it, the acidic environment in our mouth causes cavities.
If you are looking for some ways to counter that? Try not to brush your teeth immediately after that morning coffee or OJ (each of which are acidic). Instead, rinse with water and wait 30 minutes to brush. You want to give your mouth a chance to reach a more basic pH before you start scrubbing away. Also, it’s better if you drink your acidic beverages all at once instead of dragging them out across the morning, since the latter keeps your mouth in an acidic state for longer.
Invisalign®, the Invisalign logo, and iTero®, among others, are trademarks and/or service marks of Align Technology, Inc. or one of its subsidiaries or affiliated companies and may be registered in the U.S. and/or other countries.
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