Let’s understand the relationship between COVID and dental health, and the possible symptoms you can track to stay safe from the severity of the disease.
Ever thought about what happens to the other organs of your body when COVID infects you? Being known as a severe respiratory disorder, COVID infection doesn’t limit itself from affecting the lungs only, it enters other organs as well, leading to certain symptoms which are important to track. One of the most important organs which shows up the symptoms of COVID infection once the virus enters your body is your mouth. But how and why are COVID and dental health is related? Let’s understand the relationship between the two and the possible symptoms you can track to stay safe from the severity of the disease.
COVID-19 Symptoms That Shows Up In Your Mouth Teeth And Gums
Let’s begin with, what happens after the COVID virus enters your body. When SARS-CoV-2 enters through the nose and other respiratory organs, it mixes up with the blood and flows into the bloodstream via a receptor called AEC2. This receptor works as a door for the virus to enter the cells. The maximum number of receptors that are present in the body is found in the mouth, especially in the tongue and gums area. People who are suffering from poor oral health tend to have more of these AEC2 receptors, which shows the link between COVID and oral health.
In a recent study, researchers have stated that about 75 per cent of the total number of people who were hospitalised due to COVID, were diagnosed with poor dental health. This can be also due to the fact that dental health issues are also counted under chronic health conditions which makes a person prone to catching the virus infection.
Symptoms You Should NEVER Ignore
There are some visible symptoms that show up in your mouth or gums when the COVID virus enters or affects your dental health. Some of these symptoms are:
- Pain in the gums
- Fever
- Persistent cough
- Extreme tiredness or fatigue
Some of the other side effects of COVID-19 on gum health are:
- Blood clotting in the gums
- Jaw or tooth pain (this happens due to continuous stress)
COVID Teeth Pain: Treatment Options
Pain in the gums or poor dental health can be torture, which needs proper attention and care. So, if you are someone who is infected with the COVID-19 virus and has been experiencing pain in the mouth or gums, take these precautionary measures to reduce the pain.
You can probably consider taking 400 milligrams of ibuprofen. You can also apply the cold compress method to the cheeks to reduce the pain.
In rare cases, a COVID patient can also develop an oral infection, such as oral thrush. If this is the case then immediately visit a doctor and get some antifungal medicine to control the worsening condition of your dental health.
(Disclaimer: All the remedies and suggestions listed above are to be considered only after taking a confirmation from your doctor or a physician Do not take any medication without consulting a doctor)
