{"id":95,"date":"2018-11-15T16:33:41","date_gmt":"2018-11-15T16:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\/blog\/?p=95"},"modified":"2018-11-27T16:37:35","modified_gmt":"2018-11-27T16:37:35","slug":"dentist-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\/blog\/dentist-9\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Top Tips From a Dentist On Staying Healthy During Flu Season!"},"content":{"rendered":"<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-96\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/image-2018-11-27-2-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"A couple with the flu\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/image-2018-11-27-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/image-2018-11-27-2.jpg 371w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Sometimes, no matter what you do to avoid it, you still come down with a cold, or worse, the flu. And while it\u2019s understandable that the very last thing you\u2019d think about is your teeth and gums, you might be surprised at how much having a clean, healthy mouth can make you feel better <em>and<\/em> avoid some of the oral health pitfalls you can encounter when you\u2019re sick. Below are 5 simple tips from a dentist for how to feel better this cold and flu season and also maintain a healthy smile at the same time!\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n<h2>1. Do Your Best With Brushing and Flossing<\/h2>\r\nIt\u2019s tough to keep up with your oral hygiene routine when you\u2019re under the weather, but do the best you can. If you can\u2019t brush twice a day, aim for once. You can also swish with a fluoride (anti-cavity) mouthwash, which is easy to use and very effective for strengthening your teeth.\r\n<h2>2. Drink Lots of Water<\/h2>\r\nExtra fluids are crucial, but try to make water your main beverage of choice. If you want to drink juice for the vitamin C, be sure to rinse your mouth out with water several times to wash away residual sugars.\r\n\r\nDrinking a lot of water is also a great way to counteract dry mouth, which is a common side effect of being sick and can increase your risk of cavities.\r\n<h2>3. Gargle With Salt Water<\/h2>\r\nGargling with salt water several times a day at the first sign of a cold or flu can actually stop it in its tracks. It\u2019s a safe, inexpensive, and effective way to kill bacteria and also soothe the soft tissues in your throat.\r\n<h2>4. Use Sugar-Free Cough Drops<\/h2>\r\nIt\u2019s easy to go through a lot of cough drops when you\u2019re sick, but that can be a recipe for disaster if they contain sugar. Since the risk of getting cavities goes up the longer sugar stays in your mouth, dentists recommend avoiding things like hard candy or gum that contains sugar.\r\n\r\nMost people wouldn\u2019t think of cough drops the same way, but they can be just as bad as candy, especially when they\u2019re used throughout the day for several days in a row. Fortunately, there are multiple sugar-free varieties available that are easy to find in the store!\r\n<h2>5. Schedule a Checkup When You\u2019re Feeling Better<\/h2>\r\nOnce you feel better, it\u2019s a good idea keep up with your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\/preventive-dentistry.html\">regular checkups<\/a> to help prevent problems and catch any potential issues when they\u2019re small and easy to fix.\r\n\r\nAlso, one last thing to note: There\u2019s a misconception that you can get sick again if you don\u2019t change out your toothbrush, but unless you have a condition that weakens your immune system, the chance of re-infecting yourself is low. It\u2019s never a bad idea to get a new toothbrush, but it\u2019s not entirely necessary.\r\n\r\nNo one is immune from cold and flu season, but with these 5 tips, you can make sure your mouth stays healthy &#8211; even when you\u2019re not!\r\n<h2>About the Author<\/h2>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\/meet-dr-st-clair.html\">Dr. J. Peter St. Clair<\/a> has over 20 years of experience as a general, restorative and cosmetic dentist. With a focus on prevention, he\u2019s dedicated to helping his patients take care of their oral health <em>and<\/em> general health at every time of year, including cold and flu season. If you have any other questions about staying healthy this winter, he can be reached through his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\/contact-us.html\">website<\/a> or at (978) 465-5358.","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sometimes, no matter what you do to avoid it, you still come down with a cold, or worse, the flu. And while it\u2019s understandable that the very last thing you\u2019d think about is your teeth and gums, you might be surprised at how much having a clean, healthy mouth can make you feel better and avoid some of the oral health pitfalls you can encounter when you\u2019re sick. Below are 5 simple tips from a [&hellip;] <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\/blog\/dentist-9\/\">(Read More)<\/a>","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-95","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>5 Top Tips From a Dentist On Staying Healthy During Flu Season!<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Did you know that maintaining your oral health during cold and flu season can help you feel better? Get 5 tips from a dentist on how to stay healthy!\" \/>\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.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\/blog\/dentist-9\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"5 Top Tips From a Dentist On Staying Healthy During Flu Season!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Did you know that maintaining your oral health during cold and flu season can help you feel better? Get 5 tips from a dentist on how to stay healthy!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\/blog\/dentist-9\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dental Partners of Newburyport\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2018-11-15T16:33:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-11-27T16:37:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/image-2018-11-27-2-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"newburyport\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"newburyport\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\\\/blog\\\/dentist-9\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\\\/blog\\\/dentist-9\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"newburyport\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b051a48d360529f83c2136a91c98938d\"},\"headline\":\"5 Top Tips From a Dentist On Staying Healthy During Flu Season!\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-11-15T16:33:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-11-27T16:37:35+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\\\/blog\\\/dentist-9\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":598,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\\\/blog\\\/dentist-9\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/image-2018-11-27-2-300x200.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\\\/blog\\\/dentist-9\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\\\/blog\\\/dentist-9\\\/\",\"name\":\"5 Top Tips From a Dentist On Staying Healthy During Flu Season!\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\\\/blog\\\/dentist-9\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\\\/blog\\\/dentist-9\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2018\\\/11\\\/image-2018-11-27-2-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2018-11-15T16:33:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-11-27T16:37:35+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.dentalpartnersofnewburyport.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b051a48d360529f83c2136a91c98938d\"},\"description\":\"Did you know that maintaining your oral health during cold and flu season can help you feel better? 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