The water increase has definitely been helping, but I still end up with dry mouth from the corticosteroids. On top of that, your doctor may have warned you of the threat of thrush if you don't rinse your mouth out well after taking your meds. I don't know if you have ever seen or experienced thrush before, but take my word for it: it's NASTY. Don't be that guy. More importantly though, residual medicine hanging out in your mouth can get into your blood stream increasing the risks of side effects (Think a cocaine user putting excess powder on their gums or someone that needs their Xanax to work faster dissolving it under their tongue).
Some of the known effects of asthma on oral health: Dry Mouth & decreased salivatory flow (which could be brought on by the medication or just mouth breathing), tooth damage from acid reflux, some asthmatics have a tendency to anxiously grind their teeth, the medications often contain sugar which gets stuck to teeth and gums, and bone loss as a side effect from some meds.
All of this just makes me want to take better care of my mouth. I feel like if my mouth is clean and healthy then it can do a better job of keeping germs out. The good news is that most of us already have some pretty good habits here & can just step up our game a little. Just make sure to be diligent on brushing and flossing your teeth, twice a day after using your inhalers, preferably with a spacer to help the medicine bypass your mouth and get more to your lungs. Don't forget to gargle. And if you need a night guard, wear it.
Now there's one other thing that I like to add to my routine: Oil Pulling. I know it's trendy and controversial, but hear me out for a minute. I am not saying I oil pull to cure my asthma. I'm not even saying that there is any evidence that it is helping my asthma. I'm just saying that I do it.
The practice of oil pulling comes from the Ayurvedic dinacharya, or daily routine. The practice is oddly similar to what most people do to get ready for their day and includes many things that could benefit anyone, including waking up, meditating, washing your face, drinking water, pooping, tongue scraping, cleaning between the teeth (flossing), oil pulling, chewing, brushing the teeth, exercising, practicing breathing, cleaning the nose, ears & body and moisturizing. It just happens to have a particular emphasis on mouth cleaning because in Ayurvedic medicine the mouth and tongue are very important to diagnosis, treatment and disease prevention.
What I do: In the morning after I take whatever inhaler I need to take, I drink some water and swoosh it around but I still feel like there is all kinds of crap left in my mouth and on my teeth. I haven't had my one cup of coffee yet or eaten my breakfast so I am not quite ready to brush my teeth, I've flossed the night before and my mouth is dry anyway. So I put a teaspoon of coconut oil in my mouth and swoosh it around for 20 minutes. The first thing that I notice is that I have to focus on breathing through my nose and take nice deep breaths. Then I notice that I'm salivating more and that my mouth feels less dry. So I'm moisturizing my mouth. As the saliva mixes with the oil it creates kind of a soap-like feeling (which makes sense since soap is essentially an oil and an alkaline and saliva fits that bill) that feels like it is cleaning all of those little gross particles off my teeth. Afterwards I just feel like I did a a little breathing exercise and like I have a little coating that will prevent my coffee from staining my teeth.
Don't worry, my boyfriend thinks it's stupid too, but at least he doesn't have to listen to me for 20 minutes.
The truth of the matter is that while the oil pulling isn't necessary, taking care of your mouth is. Brush your teeth at least twice a day, floss at least once and it will just add to the overall health goodness that you need to keep your asthma on track.
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