Wearing a face mask could cause a number of dental issues, an expert has warned.
Dr Jeffrey Sulitzer, chief clinical officer at SmileDirectClub, has highlighted the implications associated with a condition called ‘mask mouth’, reports Liverpool Echo.
It is caused by less breathing through the nose and more through the mouth due to the wearing of a face covering.
This results in the mouth becoming dry, which can be hotspot for a serious dental concerns such as gum disease.
But the dentist has revealed that enhanced oral hygiene is key in keeping any dental conditions at bay during the pandemic.
Dr Sulitzer said: “Covering your mouth and nose for long periods of time impacts your breathing and forces you to breathe more through your mouth.
“As a result, this restricts the flow of moisture which can cause dryness in your mouth.
“A dry mouth has the increased tendency for cavities, gum disease and bad breath.
“If you’re wearing a mask for long periods of time, you should enhance your normal oral hygiene program, hydrate between wearing masks, and try using sugar-free lozenges or gum to promote salivary flow.”
Respiratory specialist Joanne Clayton, from Broadgreen Hospital, Liverpool, recently shared tips for wearing masks.
She said: "You might want to start practising wearing it for 30 seconds or a minute to begin with and gradually increase the tolerance that you can bear it at home before you then start to go out and about.
"It is also important to remember to breathe in and out through the nose.
"A lot of people when they put the mask on start to mouth breathe quite heavily and this actually only increases the likelihood that the levels of anxiety can raise.
"So breathe through the nose, try to breathe slowly and silently but again not too deeply because this can make you get dizzy.
"Ideally you should always make sure that your outward breath is slightly longer than the inward breath.
"And you might need to practise walking to find a comfortable pace that you can breathe easily at."
