Cold and flu season is approaching. Do you realize that cough drops contain sugar? One name brand has 4-5 grams of sugar in each one, which sits on your teeth for the entire time that it dissolves. Often, cough syrups can be much worse, but their grams from sugar vary widely. Look for ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose, or corn syrup toward the beginning of the ingredients list and comparison shop to avoid these. Having a cold or sore throat is bad enough. Who wants to create cavities in the process? Please consider the sugar-free options.
I am in favor of cough and cold medicine in a capsule or pill form because they don’t need anything to improve their taste and don’t linger on the teeth. This is especially important for anyone with diabetes, because they must manage their blood sugar.
Now comes the hard part. If you come down with a cold or the flu as your dental appointment approaches, and you want to keep your appointment because you’ve been waiting for one that fits within your work or school schedule, please reschedule. While we wear masks and gloves to minimize the spread of every germ, dental offices can almost shut down if someone contagious spends time in our office. We sterilize the instruments and decontaminate all surfaces, but might not catch every surface of the reception area or bathroom before someone else is exposed. We want to minimize the risk to other patients, their families, and the families that we enjoy each evening.