If you’ve read my blogs and newsletters for long, you know I am very big on oral health for personal reasons. Digestion begins in the mouth and your oral health can impact your overall health in ways you may not be aware of. I talked about that in this newsletter.
Studies have been done previously which found that pregnant healthcare workers who wore masks had substantial impact to their health. Yet another study found those impacts increase for those who exercise while wearing a mask, which is required in gyms where I live right now.
Here in upstate New York, you are required to wear a mask when entering places of business. While I work from home and don’t wear masks for long periods of time, thankfully, many people do. You may have seen posts and articles about “mask mouth” and wondered if it really is a thing. Let me assure you, it is.
Dentists are noticing a dramatic increase in the prevalence of dry mouth, gum disease, and tooth decay, which is being attributed to habitually wearing masks for long periods of time. Regardless of your feelings about whether people should or shouldn’t be required to wear masks, I think it’s important to understand the effects this can have on your oral health.
In a nutshell here is how it impacts your mouth: as you wear a mask and breathe in and out, you rebreath a little of your exhaled breath that got trapped inside the mask. Over time, this rebreathing results in a slight decrease in oxygen levels and an increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the blood. These increased CO2 levels cause fatigue, headaches, flushing, brain fog and other physical effects, as well as a feeling a warmth.
Your brain and body register this slight increase in blood CO2 levels as a low-oxygen event, and your body unconsciously seeks to increase oxygen intake. The natural way your body responds is by prompting you to breathe through your mouth, rather than your nose. This alters your oral microbiome by decreasing saliva levels, resulting in dry mouth, which is the #1 cause of tooth decay. This is especially concerning to me as it relates to young children being required to wear masks all day at school..
There are some ways to offset these negative effects. Being intentionally aware of your breathing so that you breathe through your nose as much as possible is one way. Maintaining excellent oral hygiene habits becomes even more important. I have used these Orawellness products for several years now and have found them to be extremely effective. I like them so much I am an affiliate so if you purchase the products from this link, I will receive a small commission. I sincerely and highly recommend them. I strongly urge you to pay attention to your oral health.
Do you notice any change in your oral health if you wear masks regularly?
Want to see more articles like this? Subscribe to this blog (just click on “Follow”) and get each new post delivered to your email or feed reader. To follow me and get even more tips on how to live your life in 3-D, including improving your diet, choosing cutting edge nutritional products and effective weight loss strategies be sure to like me on Facebook here and here, sign up for my FREE weekly No-Nonsense Nutrition Report (and get a free gift!), follow me on Pinterest and Twitter!
Make gradual changes. Boost health, vitality and energy. Become your best YOU
3-D Vitality 
Since I don’t wear masks all that regularly; mostly when shopping in neighboring counties due to my rural location; I can’t say I’ve experienced much “mask mouth” of late. I have noticed some of these while wearing a respirator while woodworking in the past for an hour or so at a time; so yes, it’s very real. Thanks so much for sharing ways to help combat this side effect. Sometimes we forget to factor in the hidden dangers and costs of compliance. God’s blessings Ms. Ann.
Thank you for sharing that J.D. We only wear them to shop and when visiting anyone who asks us to but we keep it to a bare minimumas I don’t believe it is very protective overall and there are numerous negative effects.
So me freaking out when I’m wearing a mask and feeling like I can’t breathe isn’t in my head like everyone says? Huh!
I saw a friend campaigning in social media for double masks. 😅😷 It’s a fascinating world we live in.
But seriously, great information! Thank you.
Definitely not in your head. I will not even begin to talk about how pointless itt is but it is for the most part. I find if I have to wear my mask for any length of time, I have trouble catching my breath later that day so it definitely has negative effects on many levels. It certainly is a strange world we live in, Holly.
I completely agree. I told Jer last night that I saw an article that said that the flu has essentially been wiped out because everyone is wearing masks. 🙄 Anyone can say anything and put it on the Internet and everyone thinks it’s true. I worry about masks becoming the new normal.
It will never become “normal” for me – even now I almost always forget to put the darned thing on until I’m almost at the store’s door and I plan to keep myself from completely buying into this. And by the way I think the reason the flu as been wiped out is because no matter what you have, they consider it COVID. It’s insane to me.
It’s pretty crazy! It’s been a really interesting year. I’ve learned a lot about people.
I hear that Holly and honestly I’ve learned things about some people I really wish I didn’t know!!
Lol, same!