Heed Good Hygiene Practices During National Hand Washing Awareness Week

The first week of December is National Hand Washing Awareness Week. Good hand hygiene is a simple, effective way to prevent infections and illness. This is important for your dental health, too. Bacteria can get into your mouth if you fail to wash your hands before flossing, brushing, or whitening.

In fact, any time you put your fingers or hands near your mouth, you should wash your hands first. It just makes good sense when it comes to dental hygiene in Studio City.

Germs can get into our bodies through our eyes, nose, and mouth, making us sick. Handwashing with soap and water can remove germs from the hands and prevent illness.

According to the CDC, handwashing can prevent one in three diarrhea-related illnesses and one in five respiratory infections, including the common cold, flu, and COVID-19.

We often touch our eyes, nose, and mouth throughout the day without even realizing it, which introduces germs into our bodies. In fact, research shows that people touch their faces 16 times an hour!

Germs from unwashed hands can easily get into the foods we eat and the beverages we drink. Germs from unwashed hands are often transferred to other objects, such as tables, grocery store carts, doorknobs, or toys, and then transferred to someone else’s hands.

When Should You Wash Your Hands?

Handwashing throughout the day is essential for getting rid of germs, but there are certain times of the day that are more important than others. Wash your hands:

• Before and after brushing, flossing, checking teeth, or handling a retainer
• Before, during, and after preparing food
• Prior to eating food
• Before and after caring for someone who is sick
• Before and after treating a wound
• After using the bathroom, changing diapers, or cleaning up after a child who has just used the bathroom
• After blowing your nose, sneezing, or coughing
• After touching an animal, animal treats, animal cages, or animal feces
• After touching garbage
• Whenever your hands are visibly dirty

Did you know handwashing helps fight antibiotic resistance? Antibiotic resistance happens when bacteria are resistant to the effects of any given antibiotic, meaning germs are not killed and continue to grow. Illnesses caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria tend to be tougher to treat. The simple use of antibiotics can create resistance, which means avoiding infections in the first place will help you reduce the amount of antibiotics you have to use and reduce the chance that resistance will develop during your treatment.

Dental infections that require antibiotics include tooth decay and infections, such as an abscessed tooth. Untreated tooth infections or infections that do not respond to antibiotics can

travel to other areas of the body, resulting in possibly life-threatening infections.

To avoid infections of any kind, or even just the common cold, it is imperative to wash your hands frequently throughout the day.

Contact Studio City Dental Center

To make your next appointment at Studio City Dental Center, contact us at 818-762-2977.