Not again!

You’ve been doing everything you can to get your sense of smell back. Then you get reinfected. Now what? 

I’ll start by saying that as of the time of writing, there is no research yet on recovery prognosis for people who have had loss of smell multiple times. There are, however, plenty of people in our communities who have reported on their recovery after multiple infections. 

Let’s start with some information that we do know from studies. Every time you get Covid, you get some immunity. The lasting effects of this immunity are not entirely clear, but there is some. In addition, the SARS Cov-2 virus has undergone changes since the pandemic began, and it seems that the earliest variants caused more damage to the sense of smell than the current ones–probably because people had no immunity. But it’s still unknown how transmissable the new variant is, so being careful with preventive measures will protect you and others.

Here is some practical advice if your infection is active. Take steps now based on these guidelines on mouth care and the use of a specific kind of mouthwash that kills the virus when it is in your mouth cavity. The viral load in the saliva is high. Using mouthwash several times a day is good for a couple of reasons. Reducing the viral load in your body is a good thing, and by using the mouthwash you’ll be stopping the virus in its tracks. Important to note that it is a specific ingredient, cetylpyridinium chloride, that has this action, and other mouthwashes that do not contain it will not kill the Covid 19 virus completely. Look for the following brands: Dentyl Dual Action, Colgate Total Peppermint Blast, Aquafresh Complete Care, and Crest Pro Health. There are others, too. Make sure you take a good look at the ingredients on the back of the bottle. When you use these mouthwashes, spit, don’t rinse. Spitting means that the residue remains in the mouth where it can continue working, and is not diluted by water. The same goes for the use of fluoride toothpastes. You should not eat or drink directly after using the mouthwash, for the same reason that you shouldn’t rinse. 

Nasal rinsing, done carefully with boiled water, is also a great way to flush out the virus. You can read our advice on that here. That’s a simple way of rinsing the viral load from your nose and upper airway. 

Both of these measures will help protect you and your family. 

September 01, 2023