How to keep your mouth healthy this winter

Hydration: In the winter, people do not tend to stay as hydrated as they are during the summer. Without being outside and feeling hot, people do not realize that they need to be drinking water. When you get dehydrated, it causes a variety of issues for your mouth, starting with dry mouth. When you have a dry mouth, it can lead to tooth decay, bad breath and gum disease.  

Dry mouth: When your mouth is dry, you are also not producing as much saliva, and saliva is necessary to wash away food debris and keep your teeth and gums healthy. Make sure you are conscious of your water intake and you should consider limiting your caffeine, since caffeine can cause dehydration. Chewing sugarless gum is another way that you can keep moisture in your mouth and avoid complications from having a dry mouth.  

Tooth sensitivity is another common problem during winter since your mouth is used to being at your body temperature. Tooth sensitivity comes into play when you are outside in the frigid cold and you open your mouth, letting that really cold air into your mouth. This can cause a painful sensation with your teeth and if you continue to allow this to happen repeatedly, it can result in your teeth expanding and contracting, which causes damage to your teeth.  

Cold weather: When you are going to be outside, you can either put a scarf over your mouth to protect it from the cold, or at least try to breathe through your nose so the cold is bypassing your teeth. If you are suffering from tooth sensitivity, you might want to drink hot or cold liquids through a straw, so it lessens the contact the liquids have with your teeth. You may also want to use a toothpaste that is made for tooth sensitivity.  

Chapped lips are another common ailment during winter. Chapped lips can become very painful, so you want to make sure you address the problem. You will want to purchase a high-quality lip balm and increasing your water intake will also help.  

Cold sores also tend to appear during the winter, and they are usually the result of the cold weather and also can be the result of having a weakened immune system. There are many viruses that are going around this winter and it is easy to have a weakened immune system.  

To prevent a cold sore breakout, you want to make sure you are keeping your hands very clean and you also want to avoid touching your mouth. If you feel the onset of a cold sore, you want to immediately put a topical treatment on it to stop the infection.  

It is always important to take care of your dental health and during winter, there are some additional things that you need to consider in order to keep your mouth healthy. 

By following these tips, you can have peace of mind in knowing you are taking preventative measures.