Dentists Declare New Phenomenon Called "Mask Mouth" From Patients Wearing Masks.
- flipneleanor
- Oct 2, 2021
- 2 min read
These covid mandates and laws are forcing people to wear masks everywhere they go. Dentists say wearing a mask for a long periods of time impacts your breathing and forces you to breath more through your mouth.
“As a result, this restricts the flow of moisture which can cause dryness in your mouth. A dry mouth has the increased tendency for cavities, gum disease and bad breath.” -Dr Jeffrey Sulitzer
Wearing a mask can also cause problems for your skin, including acne, rashes and itchiness.
Colgate says:
Disrupted breathing patterns. A study conducted by PNMedical shows how wearing a mask can impact your breathing, causing more rapid, shallow breaths using your mouth, chest, and neck instead of your diaphragm. Breathing out of your mouth decreases the amount of saliva, which plays an important role in your oral health — washing away food debris and defending your teeth from cavities.
Dehydration. Wearing a mask also causes you to drink less water than usual. Dehydration can lead to dry mouth, increasing your risk of tooth decay and bad breath.
Recycling air. When you wear a mask, you trap more carbon dioxide in your mouth than usual, according to Aerosol and Air Quality Research. This amount of carbon dioxide does not have a toxicological effect on your body. However, it can increase your oral microbiome's acidity, which might put you at risk for infections or inflammatory conditions like gum disease.
The CDC says:
"Mask Mouth" is also known as bad breath under your mask, and is likely caused by an imbalance of bacteria in your mouth.
"Mask wearing, combined with factors such as not drinking enough water; consuming too much sugar; and/or drinking too many acidic beverages such as coffee, can feed the bacteria (plaque and tartar) in your mouth. A build-up of plaque and tartar can increase your risk of developing cavities, gum disease and/or tooth decay." -CDC
Hopefully one day people will refuse to wear masks, but until that day comes we must tell our friends and families of the health problems masks cause.
Sources:
https://www.cda-adc.ca/en/about/covid-19/masks/mask-mouth.asp
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