{"id":65,"date":"2020-03-11T22:32:36","date_gmt":"2020-03-11T22:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/?p=65"},"modified":"2020-04-23T22:33:04","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T22:33:04","slug":"at-home-dental-habits-safe-from-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/11\/at-home-dental-habits-safe-from-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Tips to Keep Your Smile Healthy &amp; Safe From COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-66 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/iStock-522453722-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Father and daughter practicing healthy at-home dental habits during quarantine\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/iStock-522453722-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/iStock-522453722-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/iStock-522453722-1024x683.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/>Can better oral hygiene keep you safe from the coronavirus? We know that COVID-19 is transmitted when infected respiratory droplets come in contact with our face. Since our hands can easily transfer these droplets to our mouth, it\u2019s especially important to keep our smiles clean without accidentally infecting them. Here are seven at-home dental habits from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/\">your Plano dentist<\/a> that can keep your smile healthy and lower your risk of COVID-19.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<h2>1.) Wash Your Hands Before Brushing<\/h2>\n<p>The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention have long said that \u201cregular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/handwashing\/index.html\">handwashing<\/a> is one of the best ways to remove germs, avoid getting sick, and prevent the spread of germs to others.\u201d Start practicing a dental routine that starts and ends with handwashing.<\/p>\n<h2>2.) Help Your Family Keep a Clean Dental Routine<\/h2>\n<p>When it comes to staying healthy, everyone needs to do their part:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Be sure that children are washing their hands before brushing and cleaning off their toothbrushes every time they brush.<\/li>\n<li>Family members who wear dentures need to wash their hands before removing or replacing them. They should also take the time to disinfect their dental devices daily.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>3.) Don\u2019t Share Your Toothbrush or Floss<\/h2>\n<p>Sharing dental products is an easy way to share germs. You or the person you\u2019re sharing with can be contagious with COVID-19 without showing symptoms for days, so use your own toothbrush and floss.<\/p>\n<h2>4.) Disinfect Your Toothbrush<\/h2>\n<p>You can kill off lingering bacteria on your toothbrush by:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Soaking it in a solution of one part bleach and nine parts water.<\/li>\n<li>Boiling it for five minutes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>5.) Store Your Toothbrush Properly<\/h2>\n<p>Bacteria thrive in warm, dark, damp places, which could be your toothbrush if you store it in a closed cabinet, drawer, or with a cover. Also be sure that your toothbrush isn\u2019t coming in contact with other brushes.<\/p>\n<h2>6.) Keep Your Toothbrushing Area Clean<\/h2>\n<p>Keeping your surroundings clean is just as important as keeping your toothbrush germ-free:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Rinse off cups or trays that hold toothbrushes or run them through the dishwasher.<\/li>\n<li>Disinfect frequently touched surfaces, like sink handles, vanities, and countertops.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>7.) Replace Your Toothbrush if You Get Sick<\/h2>\n<p>To prevent reinfection, you should always throw out an old toothbrush after recovering from a sickness. This is especially important now since so little is known about this coronavirus.<\/p>\n<p>Your oral health plays a significant role in your overall wellbeing, particularly now during the current pandemic. Practice these oral hygiene habits and you can look forward to leaving quarantine with a happy, healthy smile!<\/p>\n<h2>About the Author<\/h2>\n<p><em>With over 18 years of experience providing personalized dental care, Dr. Shannon Stokes of Plano, TX truly values the unique needs and goals of each individual patient. The best interests of his patients are always his top priority, especially in these unusual and uncertain times. That\u2019s why he strongly encourages following the recommendations put forth by trusted health experts like the CDC and practicing excellent oral hygiene at home. If you have any questions or concerns, please don\u2019t hesitate to contact him via his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/contact-us.html\">website<\/a> or at <strong>(972) 596-0200. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can better oral hygiene keep you safe from the coronavirus? We know that COVID-19 is transmitted when infected respiratory droplets come in contact with our face. Since our hands can easily transfer these droplets to our mouth, it\u2019s especially important to keep our smiles clean without accidentally infecting them. Here are seven at-home dental habits [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>7 Oral Hygiene Tips Protect Against COVID-19 Plano | Dr. Shannon Stokes<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here are seven easy at-home dental habits from your local Plano dentist that can help lower your risk of catching COVID-19.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/11\/at-home-dental-habits-safe-from-covid-19\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"7 Oral Hygiene Tips Protect Against COVID-19 Plano | Dr. Shannon Stokes\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here are seven easy at-home dental habits from your local Plano dentist that can help lower your risk of catching COVID-19.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/11\/at-home-dental-habits-safe-from-covid-19\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shannon Stokes DDS\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-03-11T22:32:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-04-23T22:33:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/iStock-522453722-300x200.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"shannonstokesdds\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"shannonstokesdds\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/11\/at-home-dental-habits-safe-from-covid-19\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/11\/at-home-dental-habits-safe-from-covid-19\/\",\"name\":\"7 Oral Hygiene Tips Protect Against COVID-19 Plano | Dr. Shannon Stokes\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/11\/at-home-dental-habits-safe-from-covid-19\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/11\/at-home-dental-habits-safe-from-covid-19\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/iStock-522453722-300x200.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-03-11T22:32:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-04-23T22:33:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d9471c555a1c5fe640c855b7cde11f43\"},\"description\":\"Here are seven easy at-home dental habits from your local Plano dentist that can help lower your risk of catching COVID-19.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/11\/at-home-dental-habits-safe-from-covid-19\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/11\/at-home-dental-habits-safe-from-covid-19\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/11\/at-home-dental-habits-safe-from-covid-19\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/iStock-522453722.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/iStock-522453722.jpg\",\"width\":2120,\"height\":1414,\"caption\":\"Father and daughter practicing healthy at-home dental habits during quarantine\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/11\/at-home-dental-habits-safe-from-covid-19\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shannonstokesdds.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"7 Tips to Keep Your Smile Healthy &amp; 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