{"id":291,"date":"2020-10-06T21:30:21","date_gmt":"2020-10-06T21:30:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/?p=291"},"modified":"2022-07-15T23:11:27","modified_gmt":"2022-07-15T23:11:27","slug":"dentist-face-mask-effects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/dentist-face-mask-effects\/","title":{"rendered":"How Are Face Masks Affecting Oral Health?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AdobeStock_350512054__1657926155_10162.jpg\" alt=\"Young woman wearing face mask and a yellow sweater\" class=\"wp-image-434\" width=\"310\" height=\"207\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AdobeStock_350512054__1657926155_10162.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AdobeStock_350512054__1657926155_10162-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AdobeStock_350512054__1657926155_10162-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 310px) 100vw, 310px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>As we are living through a pandemic, you have been taking all sorts of precautions in order to reduce your risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19. This includes working from home, washing your hands more frequently, avoiding social gatherings, and wearing a face mask when you are in public. Wearing your face covering is a great step against contagion, but you should also be aware of how it is affecting your smile. Your dentist shares more about the dental effects of a face mask and what you can do to counteract them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Can Face Masks Affect Your Oral Health?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Many dentists have been noticing that after numerous areas in the country started encouraging and requiring people to wear face masks, there have been an increase in cases of dry mouth. This is mostly because people are breathing through their mouths more often. Here are some of the ways this affects your smile:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Increased Tooth Decay:<\/strong> When there isn\u2019t enough saliva in the mouth to flush away food particles, bacteria begin to thrive. They will breed and ultimately cause patients to develop more cavities.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Gum Inflammation:<\/strong> When there is an abundance of bacteria attacking the mouth, the body\u2019s natural response is inflammation. The antimicrobial components of saliva would normally counteract this.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Periodontal Disease:<\/strong> Gum disease is more likely to develop if you have dry mouth because this creates the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Over time, they will slowly damage the gums and bone structure. This will lead to gum recession, loose teeth, and tooth loss.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Halitosis (Bad Breath):<\/strong> Halitosis is a result of bacteria in the mouth. If you have been wearing your face mask for a long period of time, you may begin to notice that your breath suffers.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How Can You Prevent the Negative Effects of Face Masks?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You don\u2019t need to stop wearing your mask in order to keep your smile healthy. Instead, make sure you are doing the following thinks to maintain excellent oral health as we\u2019re getting through the pandemic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day.<\/li><li>Brush twice and floss once every day.<\/li><li>Always breathe through your nose \u2013 not your mouth!<\/li><li>See your dentist every six months for regular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">dental cleanings<\/a>.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s great that you\u2019re doing your part to fight back against COVID-19 in your community, but don\u2019t forget about your dental health. By taking these steps, your smile will thank you!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About the Author<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/gary-goodman-dds.html\">Dr. Gary Goodman<\/a> is a well experienced dentist who has been serving patients in the Annapolis area since 1981. He earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Maryland and is a member of the American Dental Association, Maryland Dental Association, and American Academy of Implant Dentistry. For more information on keeping your smile healthy or to schedule an appointment, visit his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/contact-us.html\">website<\/a> or call (410) 263-1919.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As we are living through a pandemic, you have been taking all sorts of precautions in order to reduce your risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19. This includes working from home, washing your hands more frequently, avoiding social gatherings, and wearing a face mask when you are in public. Wearing your face covering is a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Dental Effects of Face Masks, Annapolis | Goodman Dental Care<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"You have been wearing a face mask to protect yourself and others against COVID-19. Your dentist explains how this is impacting your oral health.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/dentist-face-mask-effects\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dental Effects of Face Masks, Annapolis | Goodman Dental Care\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"You have been wearing a face mask to protect yourself and others against COVID-19. Your dentist explains how this is impacting your oral health.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/dentist-face-mask-effects\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Goodman Dental Care\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-10-06T21:30:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2022-07-15T23:11:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AdobeStock_350512054__1657926155_10162.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"drgoodman\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"drgoodman\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/dentist-face-mask-effects\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/dentist-face-mask-effects\/\",\"name\":\"Dental Effects of Face Masks, Annapolis | Goodman Dental Care\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/dentist-face-mask-effects\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/dentist-face-mask-effects\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/AdobeStock_350512054__1657926155_10162.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-06T21:30:21+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-07-15T23:11:27+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.goodmandentalcare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/02fafc1853e7c9cd82a8b5dde1f46149\"},\"description\":\"You have been wearing a face mask to protect yourself and others against COVID-19. 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