When the Covid-19 pandemic began, the main symptoms were fever, cough, and fatigue. Loss of taste and smell quickly became common as well. Now that Covid has been around and evolved, many people are starting to notice some other unique symptoms.
Sticky saliva can happen for many reasons, but if you’ve had Covid, you may notice your mouth is a little drier and your spit is a little stickier. Find out from your McAllen family dentist if Covid-19 is to blame for your sticky spit.
How Does Spit Spread Covid-19?
Your saliva is home to all sorts of germs, and those germs are trying to get out and infect as many people as they can. Spit that’s infected with the Covid-19 virus spreads from one person to the next through direct or contact transmission. When an infected person sneezes, coughs, breathes, or even talks around another person, tiny droplets of their spit can fly through the air and land on anyone. This is considered a direct transmission.
Contact transmission, on the other hand, happens when the little droplets of spit land on surfaces, which people touch and then get infected. Covid can spread through contact with other bodily fluids, but your spit is one of the easiest and fastest ways to spread sickness.
Can Hyposalivation Make You More Vulnerable to Covid-19?
While it may seem obvious that spit spreads germs, you may not know that it also protects you. If you don’t have enough saliva, a condition called hyposalivation, you might have a weaker immune system and have difficulty preventing viral infections. That can actually make you more vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19.
Is Sticky Spit Related to Covid-19?
The symptoms of Covid-19 vary from person to person. While sticky spit isn’t one of the official symptoms, some people have reported dry and sticky mouths with their cases of Covid-19. In some patients, this has had severe effects, including respiratory problems. Some patients struggled to breath because of the thick, stick saliva.
How Can Covid-19 Affect My Mouth?
In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, loss of taste and smell was reported by many patients. Some people didn’t lose taste completely, but noticed that everything tasted the same, like a bitter, sweet, sour, or metallic taste. With time, we learned that these effects were likely being caused by the virus itself.
5 Ways to Get Rid of Sticky Spit!
Whether you have sticky saliva from Covid-19 or some other health concern, you can use these methods to fight off a dry and sticky mouth:
- Drink more water
- Floss and brush your teeth
- Turn on a humidifier
- Drink less caffeine
- Avoid alcohol, even in mouthwash
Alcohol and caffeine suck the moisture out of your mouth, so drinking them regularly can make your already dry mouth much worse. Keep your mouth clean and fresh with plenty of water, moist air, and a good brushing.
Fight Off Sticky Saliva With a Dental Cleaning at WhiteWing Dental!
A dry and sticky mouth can be very acidic, and that acid wears the enamel of your teeth down very quickly. If you have a dry mouth or sticky spit, whether it’s from Covid or not, our dental cleaning crew is here to help! After a battle with Covid, fight off any remaining sticky spit by getting your teeth cleaned at WhiteWing Dental!