Is ‘COVID Teeth’ a Possible Symptom of the Fourth Wave of COVID-19?

The COVID-19 pandemic is once again rapidly rising in Asian and European countries. This is seen as the fourth wave of COVID-19. Soon, India may also face the fourth wave due to the subvariant of Omicron, BA.2, and XE variant. With such changing scenarios, we must be aware of the new symptoms or signs of COVID-19 and its variants. Recent studies show that the new variants may affect your teeth and gums, apart from fever and cough.

Being a severe respiratory disorder, COVID-19 infection doesn’t limit itself from affecting the lungs only, it enters other organs as well, leading to specific symptoms. COVID-19 symptoms are quite visible once the virus enters your mouth. Letus understand the relationship between COVID-19 and oral health to protect yourself from COVID-19.

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How does COVID-19 Infection Affect Teeth and Gums?

When the SARS-CoV-2 virus (virus that causes COVID-19) enters through the nose, it mixes up with the blood and flows into the bloodstream via a receptor called AEC2. This receptor works as a door for the virus to enter the cells. The maximum number of receptors are found in the mouth, especially in the tongue and gums area.

People suffering from poor oral health tend to have more AEC2 receptors, which explains the link between COVID-19 and oral health.

In a recent study, researchers stated that about 75% of the people who were hospitalized due to COVID-19 had poor dental health. This can be since dental health issues are also counted under chronic health conditions, making a person more prone to the virus infection.

However, tooth and gum problems are not new to COVID-19. Even after recovering from the deadly second wave in India, many people complained of tooth pain and sensitivity.

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New Key COVID-19 Symptoms

A report of 54 studies on major symptoms of COVID-19 suggested the top 12 symptoms did not include tooth pain or mouth-related symptoms. Some of the symptoms were fever in 81.2% of people, cough in 58.5%, and fatigue in almost 38.5% of the patients.

However, experts suggest that sudden pain in teeth and gums should not be ignored and must be consulted with a dentist or a doctor.

The following symptoms show up in your mouth or gums when the COVID-19 virus enters or affects your oral health:

• Pain in the gums
• Fever
• Persistent cough
• Extreme tiredness or fatigue
• Blood clotting in the gums
• Jaw/tooth pain

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Treatment for COVID Teeth Pain

If you have tooth pain during COVID-19 or after recovery, take 400 milligrams of ibuprofen to manage it. Cold compresses (washcloths soaked in cool water) applied to the outside of the cheeks may also help.

Some people can develop oral infections such as oral thrush, while having COVID-19. If this is the case, a doctor can prescribe antifungal medications.

It is also important to remember that you could have bad timing regarding dental pain and COVID-19. A cavity or otherwise infected tooth could flare up during COVID-19. As a result, you may need to call your dentist if taking over-the-counter pain relievers doesn’t help.

Reference:

1. Analysis of tweets on toothache during the COVID-19 pandemic using the CrystalFeel algorithm: a cross-sectional study - (https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12903-021-01778-8#citeas)

Source-Medindia