Real Talk
Modern Parenting’s New Real Talk Episode Puts The Spotlight On Health
Delve into how our parenting styles can affect our kids’ health and what we can learn from the pros.
Nearly twelve months after the pandemic hit, we’re still studying how the COVID-19 affects our bodies and the best ways are to keep ourselves safe. We’ve gone from one possible solution to the next, from wearing the right kind of mask to analyzing airflow to reduce transmission, but the answer to stopping the virus in its tracks remains elusive. But above everything else, one clear priority remains the same: our health.
Why it matters to parents
As parents, we are the frontliners of our own households. It’s our duty to shield our children from the virus and make sure we are taking the necessary precautions to ensure their wellness from the safety of our homes. We need to set good examples to our children to instill the importance of being healthy.
For the new season of Modern Parenting’s Real Talk series, we put our health on the center stage and have reached out to the pros to shed some light on the subject with wisdom from their own expertise: lifestyle and parenting influencer Aliza Apostol, pediatrician Dr. Andrew Vicencio, and renowned dentist Dr. JV Jaurigue.
Living in a pandemic-riddled world and having to take care of children with delicate immune systems is stressful if you don’t have proper information on the virus and how to address health concerns. Insights from Dr. Vicencio cleared out most of the questions that parents these days are anxious about.
He also shared some best practices that we can adopt to ensure our safety if we have to go outside of the house for errands, keeping in mind that our homes are our only safe space now. Hands-on mom and lifestyle influencer Aliza Apostol also weighed in with some words of encouragement to help families start living a more active lifestyle even at home, and emphasized how being fit and healthy are some of our best defenses against the virus.
Oral hygiene and COVID-19
One of the main highlights of the episode was during Dr. Jaurigue’s segment where he talked about the importance of oral hygiene and how it can protect us from COVID-19. “Our mouth has resident microbes inside—we don’t really have an absolutely microbial-free mouth. But if we don’t have good oral hygiene, our mouth can be overwhelmed with microbes, and the bacterial load can be so overwhelming that for people who suffer from some kind of respiratory disorder, like COVID-19, these microbes inside our mouth can cause diseases and be aspirated into the lungs and respiratory pathways.” While hand washing is the most popular line of defense, however the mouth and throat are other crucial parts of the body that should be given equal protective care and attention.
He also stressed that our mouths are gateways to our bodies for nutrients as well as viruses, so maintaining good dental hygiene is not only necessary to reduce plaque and bad breath, it can also minimize risks of contracting the virus and incubating it in our system.
As the current president of the Philippine Society of Periodontology, Dr. Jaurigue only uses the best products for his patients as well as his family. Since his practice has started again amid GCQ, he’s been aware of the new risks that his profession entails. With each patient, he risks contracting the virus from potentially asymptomatic patients. To bolster an added safety measure, he has been using Orahex-AF as the standard mouthrinse in his clinic before procedures and also in his home to keep himself and his family protected. “The mouthrinse that we use is known to suppress the virus and decrease the viral load inside the mouth, particularly the saliva,” he explained.
Why Orahex works
Orahex-AF is an alcohol-free professional mouthrinse that is recognized by both medical and dental specialists. It has bactericidal and bacteriostatic properties, and it’s also safe and well-tolerated by the soft tissues in our mouths. Orahex has .12% Chlorohexidine Gluconate, while Orahex-AF is alcohol free and is recommended by pedia-dentists for kids. “The difference between Orahex and other regular mouthwashes is that other mouthwashes work only for about 30 minutes after rinsing. But with Orahex, the thing that really sets it apart is being a broad spectrum mouthwash-antiseptic. It has a substantivity factor—when you rinse with Orahex, it stays in your mouth for as much as 8 to 12 hours. Expect that the mouthrinse will stay on the surface of your teeth and keep the bacteria level low. Thus, giving you a cleaner mouth.”
The Health is Wealth episode was filled with educational tips and handy information that we can all benefit from and use at this troubling time. We hope you have all learned how to take better care of your family’s health, and that you’re more well-equipped to protect them from the virus.
For more information on Orahex-AF, visit their website or follow them on Facebook
