With fall and winter arriving, cold and flu season will soon be in full force. Even if you are typically very dental-health conscious, you may be tempted to put your oral health on the back-burner when battling one of these viruses or trying to prevent them. The good news is that you can prevent and battle seasonal viruses without sacrificing your oral health when you follow these three tips.
Skip the Sugar-loaded Zinc Lozenges and Cough Drops
It seems that doctors and researchers can never reach a sure-fire conclusion as to whether zinc lozenges really help prevent colds or lessen the symptoms of them. The current understanding is that they may be able to shorten the length of a cold by one day when treatment is begun at the first sign of symptoms. If you want to give them a try, just make sure you choose sugar-free ones, so you are not sucking on sugar-filled candy all day long this winter or when you do get a cold.…show more content… Cough drops and sore-throat lozenges are also often filled with sugar, so stock up on sugar-free ones to use when you need them most. Also, skip citrus flavors that likely have added citric acid to give them their sour, tangy flavor, because citric acid can wear away your tooth enamel, even when included in sugar-free drops.
