When at home, I would blow my nose into a tissue to clear out my nasal passages as well as I can. When I arrived home, I would rinse/gargle for 1 minute with 1.5% hydrogen peroxide solution to decrease any possible new microbes that may have entered my mouth at the grocery store. Before I leave, I would grab the disinfectant wipes and use it on my hands again prior to leaving. Practice social distancing of 6 feet or more while I am there. You may also consider bringing your own if you have them. I would use their hand sanitizer wipes, which most now have, to sanitize my hands as well as wipe the shopping cart handle prior to starting.

– Wear a cloth mask when going to the store If I were going to the grocery store and picking up groceries, I would do the following: I feel that it is important to advise you, our patients, to rinse with hydrogen peroxide 1.5% solution twice a day to decrease oral microbes and aide in decreasing risk of disease during this stressful COVID19 pandemic time.Īs we all will be going out to get groceries periodically I encourage the following practice when doing so. This will require a dilution to half strength (with water) before you gargle or rinse. Most hydrogen peroxide bottles from the retail stores are a 3% solution. On an updated note, latest information in the ADA website shows to use 1.5% solution to rinse with. Another benefit of this practice is that reduced oral microbe load also reduces microbes in your blood stream and thus your entire body, essentially improving your ability to fight viruses and other diseases. This essentially reduces the risk of oral microbe transfer. The result is a decreased oral microbe load.

Our staff has been rinsing with this solution in the morning and then again in the evening.

Since receiving these updates from the American Dental Association we have had our patients rinse with a 1% solution of hydrogen peroxide prior to their procedures and after their procedure, prior to leaving our office. This site doesn’t specifically address rinsing for COVID19, but does give general guidelines. “Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses, meaning they are one of the easiest types of viruses to kill with the appropriate disinfectant product.” COVID-19 “is vulnerable to oxidation,” so rinsing with peroxide, the ADA explains, “will reduce the salivary load of oral microbes.”Ī good general resource for guidelines for hydrogen peroxide rinsing is WebMD. In addition to universal precautions, the ADA also recommends taking temperatures, asking patients about recent travel, and having patients rinse with 1% hydrogen peroxide before each appointment. The American Dental Association has a new FAQ Page that was recently updated to address COVID-19.

Does hydrogen peroxide kill germs