Home » Blogs » Safeguard your dental health while wearing masks

The COVID-19 Pandemic has made the use of masks imperative. However, prolonged use of masks can have an impact on your oral health. People who had healthy teeth and gums are now having new dental problems, not because of unhygienic practices, but because of face masks. According to Dr. Rob Ramondi, a leading dentist in New York, about 50% of their patients are now affected by the trend ‘mask mouth’ or in simply bad breath. If you are experiencing ‘mask mouth’, there is likely an imbalance of bacteria in your mouth.

Let’s take a look at the various types of masks, and their potential problems.

• Cloth masks: A majority of people from India tend to use cloth masks, but often forget to wash them after regular use. Repeated use of unclean masks may lead to excessive bacterial and fungal growth, which in turn leads to oral infections and acne breakouts around the mouth and on the cheeks. Hence, it is absolutely necessary to wash the cloth masks thoroughly with soap and water after every use.

• Surgical masks: Surgical/disposable masks are to be thrown away after each use. But, instead of disposing of them, many tend to continue using them for a long period. Such repeated use results in various bacterial and fungal infections. To tackle this issue it is important to throw away the used surgical masks.

• N95 masks: N95 masks provide a tight seal around the nose and the mouth, making them dry and susceptible to dehydration. This dehydration in long term can lead to halitosis (bad breath) and various oral infections. To avoid this, it is necessary to drink water constantly and brush your teeth after the use of the mask.

Thermaissance masks are self-sanitizing and continuously kill various microbes. It protects one against various germs and is also breathable. It does not make your mouth and feel dry.

Good dental health translates to good health overall. So invest in a good mask now to protect your dental health.