As the Coronavirus continues to spread throughout Australia, it’s becoming more important to protect yourself and others around you.
To prevent the spread, you must cough or sneeze into your elbow and actively wash your hands and avoid touching your face entirely.
At Bite Dental in Brisbane, we are open for business with intensified infection control and hygiene measures.
How Bite Dental is dealing with the outbreak:
- Increased infection control procedures, including the wipe down of all surfaces with antibacterial wipes and disinfectants;
- Hand sanitiser is available;
- Continuous reminders of our hygiene measures and policies to staff;
- All staff wear personal protective equipment (PPE), including standard level 2 surgical masks, protective eyewear and gloves;
- And telling patients to stay home who are sick, have returned from overseas in the previous 14 days or have been in contact with a positive case of COVID-19.
Since we’re all in quarantine to stop the spread of COVID-19, do you know what this means?
Your toothbrush is readily available 24/7! So now’s the perfect time to get on top of your oral health.
Use this time to impress the dentist on your next visit.
How to take care of your oral health while in isolation
During isolation at home it’s important for us all to stay on top of our dental health by keeping up with the usual maintenance, this includes:
At-home oral care routine
- Brushing twice a day – Please brush in a circular motion towards the gum using a soft bristled toothbrush, and remember to not brush too aggressive.
Toothbrushes are prone to accumulating bacteria, so if you are positive with COVID-19 keep your toothbrush away from others in the household. And once you are recovered, dispose of the toothbrush and use a new one.
- Fluoride toothpaste – Fluoride is crucial in protecting your teeth, as it helps strengthen enamel to protect from acid attacks. So if you are able to get fluoride toothpaste during this time, we recommend you do so.
- Flossing is key
- Clean your tongue – This can be done either using a tongue cleaner or your toothbrush.
- Mouthwash – Using a mouthwash will help kill bacteria and leave your mouth feeling fresh.
Rinsing with water is also recommended throughout the day to swish sugars and acids away.
It’s important to maintain a clean bathroom vanity and actively wash your hands. If you or a person in the house has a confirmed COVID-19 case, it’s important to have regular antibacterial wipe downs, or restrict that person to their own bathroom if possible.
Home with the kids?
Since you’re home with your children, only if you have children of course, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to educate them on dental hygiene.
Make sure to teach them about brushing, flossing and why a clean smile is important.
Diet and Lifestyle
While being stuck at home in isolation, it’s as easy to start up new healthy habits, as it is to stop doing healthy habits.
Bite Dental’s Top Recommendations:
- Reduce sugars – Overall try to cut down on sugars. Try replacing fruit drinks, soft drinks, energy drinks and others for water.
- Stay hydrated – And by this, we mean water. This will not only help your oral health, but will also help you if you are sick.
- Exercise – Stay fit and healthy at home by doing exercises. There are great tutorials and ideas online.
- Sick? – If you happen to develop a sore throat, make sure you choose lozenges that are sugar-free and don’t contain syrups.
- Vitamin C boosts immunity – Make sure to choose a capsule or tablet supplement though, as sucking or chewing on Vitamin C can easily damage enamel.
Brisbane dentist open for business, during Coronavirus
However, in the event that the government places us in a full lockdown, we will have to close; however, our emergency dental care services will continue.
But… We will offer online consultations via Skype or Zoom conferencing to allow us to do a checkup on your dental health and prepare for your future treatments.
If you require any further assistance, would like to book or reschedule an appointment, please contact us by clicking here or calling our friendly staff on (07) 3221 5399.