April is when people’s allergies really start to ramp up, and those people who deal with that every year are likely already preparing for the weeks to come.
However, even if you’ve been dealing with allergies for your entire life, you may not be aware of the many ways that they can affect your oral health. If you’re wondering, here’s how your smile can be impacted by the pollen in the air, and what you can potentially do about that.
How Can Allergies Affect My Oral Health?
If you have serious allergies, you’re probably familiar with the itchy eyes, runny nose, and sinus pressure associated with them. But here are some ways that they can potentially affect your teeth as well.
Tooth Pain
One of the most prominent allergy symptoms is sinus pressure, which can cause a fair amount of discomfort. The largest sinuses in your face, the maxillary sinuses, are located just above the upper jaw. Sinus pressure can therefore feel like a toothache, or cause sensitivity in the teeth.
Dry Mouth
Your saliva often serves as the mouth’s natural cleanser, and having a dry mouth means that more food will sit on your teeth and contribute to decay.
When your nose is stuffed due to allergies, you’re more likely to want to breathe through your mouth, which can dry it out. This is also a common symptom of many antihistamines, so you may start to experience this problem even if you treat your allergies.
Sore Throat
A postnasal drip can potentially cause sore throats in people with allergies, which can cause bad breath that can’t be fixed by brushing.
How to Beat Your Allergies
While antihistamines are useful, they can also have some negative impacts on your oral health. As a result, you may want to try some other tactics to deal with your allergies.
Staying hydrated is very important, as this will stave off dry mouth and give your body the opportunity to flush out excess mucus. You should also make sure that your dental hygiene in general is where it should be to prevent dry-mouth-related decay.
About the Author
Dr. Robert Slezak is a dentist who feels enormously privileged to be able to do what he loves and to help people while he does. He’s always been meticulous, and his current line of work allows him to put that skill to the test! Dr. Slezak received his dental degree from Case Western Reserve University, and he then completed a one-year general practice residency at Cleveland Clinic’s main campus.
If you have any questions about how allergies can affect your oral health, he can be reached at his website or by phone at (440) 285-8211.