The recent global spread of Covid-19 has touched every corner of the globe, including here in Calgary.
As we all continue to look for ways we can help to reduce the spread of this virus, health and hygiene are at the forefront of all of our minds.
How can good oral hygiene help prevent COVID-19?
The spread of COVID-19 around the world has been rapid and unparalleled.
Originally, scientists predicted that the COVID-19 virus could only live outside of a human body for a period of a few hours.
More recent testing, however, has proved that the virus is more resilient than we originally expected, and could potentially survive for as long as 2-3 days on handrails and other surfaces.
Since the virus is spread mainly “Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes”, ensuring we maintain good oral hygiene is a vital key to combatting the spread of the virus.
To understand this, let’s first take a closer look at exactly how the virus is spread.
The virus lives in your respiratory tract, which is basically the part of your body responsible for breathing – your mouth, throat, nose, and lungs.
When you cough, sneeze and breath, tiny particles of moisture leave your body and spread to the surrounding surfaces, things, and people.
If you are sick with COVID-19 or any other virus, those particles will contain little pieces of the virus you’re infected with.
When those particles of the virus reach other people (either directly or through them touching a surface that contains the particles), they multiply and begin to infect their new “host”.
So the best way to prevent the spread of the virus, is to make sure you follow a strict hygiene standard – especially if you are sick and suspect you may already have the virus.
Oral Hygiene Best Practices
1 – Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze.
This is one of the biggest things you can do to prevent the spread of the virus if you suspect you may already be infected.
Covering your mouth with the inside corner of your elbow also helps to keep your hands free from the virus, making it less likely that you will inadvertently spread it to other surfaces.
2 – Don’t touch your face
Not touching your face sounds easy – but give it a try. You’ll be surprised how often you catch yourself doing it during the course of a normal day.
Since we know that the virus can live happily on your hands for a long time, making sure you don’t put your hands anywhere near your mouth, nose, or eyes is another important step and will help to prevent the virus from entering your body and infecting you.
3 – Keep your distance
Even if you are not sick, keeping distance from other people is the best way to help prevent accidental spread of infection.
Here at Kherani Dental at Aspen, we have already taken steps to postpone any non-essential dental procedures and appointments temporarily until the spread of the virus is under control.
We also have extremely strict hygiene standards and practices in place to ensure that anyone who does require emergency dental appointments can do so in as safe an environment as possible.
Following these three basic oral hygiene steps can help to reduce your chances of catching or spreading Coronavirus significantly.
Of course, if you have any further questions at all about dental appointments during this time, please call the Kherani Dental at Aspen team today at (403) 263-0055.
