What can I do to reduce my risk of pneumonia?

Brushing your teeth or Dentures

Cleaning your teeth twice a day will stop large growths of bacteria in the mouth and reduce the risk of them getting into your lungs. Sometimes the amount of bacteria growing on your teeth becomes so great that you can actually feel them with your tongue. We call this ‘plaque’ and it is easily removed by brushing. Tips for better brushing can be found below.

Even if you have dentures, the risk of bacteria getting access to your lungs remains. You should always remove your dentures at night, as research shows us that leaving them in does increase the risk of pneumonia. It’s best to remove and clean them thoroughly before going to bed at night. A video on how to clean a denture can be found below.

Staying Healthy and Hydrated

Eating a healthy diet and staying well hydrated supports your immune system and helps keep your mouth, throat and airways healthy. Good nutrition helps the body fight infection, while adequate hydration prevents the mouth from becoming dry, making it easier to clear bacteria and secretions that could be inhaled into the lungs.

Movement supports lung health

Regular movement and exercise help keep the lungs clear by encouraging deep breathing and coughing, which can remove mucus and bacteria. Staying active also improves circulation and supports the immune system’s ability to fight infection. As surprising as it may seem, even small amounts of movement will make a difference to your lung expansion, so take every chance to move that you can. Walking is an excellent exercise, but even simple stretching and moving of your limbs can help.

Hand hygiene matters

Washing your hands regularly reduces the chance of bacteria and viruses entering your body when you touch your face, eat, or prepare food. At home, clean hands are a simple and effective way to help protect yourself and those around you from infection.