Well guys, I’ve been stuck inside with a cough and a cold for about 72 hours and what feels like 100 episodes of Made In Chelsea later and I’m still feeling sorry for myself. Incidentally, my gums also don’t feel great, so since the caffeine from my Lemsip has kicked in, I thought I would jot down a few things that you can do at home when you’re sick to keep your teeth and gums as healthy as possible.

Vitamin C

You can check out my full blog on Vitamin C and it’s importance for gum health here but the basics are we need 40mg of Vitamin C every single day, our body can’t make or store Vitamin C so we need to get this either from fresh fruit and vegetables or from a dietary supplement. Not only can Vitamin C help prevent you getting sick in the first place but it can help your gums recover when you are feeling ill.

Keep Hydrated

Staying hydrated is so important when you’re ill generally - the first question my mum always asks me is am I drinking enough water. As well as helping you feel a bit better generally, it also helps with bad breath too, as we’ve seen in my previous blog a runny nose can definately be a contributor to a bit of halitosis. Ideally we should only be drinking milk or water in between meals sometimes when you’re not well this does go out the window, staying hydrated is the main goal.

Try To Choose Sugar Free Cough Drops

If the choice is there then 100% go sugar free. If cough/throat drops are giving you some relief a sugar free option will help reduce your risk of cavities when you’re back to full health.

Mouth Ulcers

Its normal to be prone to a mouth ulcer or two when you’re feeling run down. Rinsing with warm salty water generally will help here, an anti inflammatory gel like Bonjela or Iglu is also really helpful. Check for allergies, dry the ulcer off slightly before you apply the gel and any ulcer that’s present for more than 3 weeks get your Dentist or Dental Hygienist to have a look at this for you.

Don’t Brush After Vomiting

Ok i’ll agree, this isn’t very glamorous but the first thing you want to do after you’ve been sick is probably to brush your teeth. Unfortunately, this can brush away your enamel covering the surface of your tooth causing it to become thin and over time wear away altogether. Protect your enamel but rinsing with an alcohol free fluoride mouthwash after vomiting instead of brushing and you’ll still be feeling fresh and hopefully a little bit better.

Get Back To Your Regular Oral Hygiene Routine ASAP

All you can do is your best, but getting back to at least getting your teeth brushed twice a day will make you feel a bit better. When you do get back to your regular routine there might be some bleeding when you brush or get back to using your dental floss/your interdental brushes/water flosser don’t let this put you off it will resolve in about a week and if it doesn’t make an appointment to check in with your Dental Hygienist or Dentist.

Practice Good Hygiene

Covering your mouth when you cough, washing your hands regularly, opening windows (although maybe not in the middle of storm Ciara) and swiftly getting rid of any used tissues will help stop everyone in the house getting sick too and spreading germs back and forth.

Change Your Toothbrush/Toothbrush Head When You Feel Better

You should be changing your toothbrush head/toothbrush every 3 months anyway but after you’ve been unwell I would start a fresh, and I would probably change out the interdental brushes too.

I hope you feel better soon, if you’ve got any questions feel free to message me. I’m off to Dettol my keyboard.