The ways in which allergies or the common cold can affect your health are obvious. Runny eyes and nose, mucus buildup, and potential sinus pain.
In general, as those of us who suffer from hay fever know, it is a very afflicting condition.
What about oral health? Does having hay fever or other seasonal allergies affect your mouth?
The fact that hay fever and similar allergies cause you to feel uncomfortable around the nose and mouth is a sign that your oral health may also be adversely affected. We’re not necessarily talking about major damage, but it still has an impact. Knowing how these allergies interact with your oral health will make it easier for you to fight the oral problems they can create.
Why Do Your Teeth Hurt When Your Allergies Increase?
One particularly noticeable problem can be toothache, which may not seem like an obvious side effect of an allergy until you experience it.
This painful tooth sensation is the result of a buildup of mucus that fills the spaces in the sinuses and eventually puts pressure on the tooth roots, causing significant discomfort.
Pain in the Mouth
As the allergy subsides, the pain goes away. Other problems relate to a lack of saliva in the mouth, a common byproduct of hay fever, and seasonal allergies.
Saliva is necessary to fight bacteria and help prevent cavities and decay. As soon as there is a lack of saliva, conditions in the mouth become much more favorable for the rapid production of bad bacteria.
Why do these allergies cause decreased salivation? One of the main reasons for this is that hay fever causes an increased prevalence of mouth breathing, the nose being so stuffy that it is not easy to breathe. Mouth breathing, especially during the night, leads to dry mouth, and from there it can be the start of a whole host of related problems.
The lack of saliva and the resulting possible increase in bacteria makes cavities and decay more likely. If the problem is not addressed or monitored, the chances of gum problems, both gingivitis and the more serious periodontitis, may increase.
Bad breath is a common unwanted visitor that attributes itself to dry mouth and a lack of saliva.
How to Fight Allergies?
The good news is that there are ways to limit the impact of hay fever and allergies on your oral health.
Taking antihistamines is an obvious start and you’re probably already aware of, but while this may reduce some symptoms of hay fever (for example, it reduces mucus formation) it increases others. Antihistamines, like some other medications, tend to reduce saliva, increasing dry mouth issues.
To counteract this, it’s important to sip water throughout the day and practice other methods of keeping the mouth moist and full of saliva.
Artificial Saliva
Chewing sugar-free gum can help, but some people prefer tablets, sprays, or gum designed to increase saliva production, sometimes referred to as “artificial saliva,” and thus prevent dry mouth.
Hay fever and seasonal allergies shouldn’t take a toll on your oral health, but it’s good to know the effects they can have and what you can do to prevent any damage.
If you have allergies, it’s worth mentioning this to your dentist so they can help them check if any extra procedures are needed.
