Ah, December! Sunshine, summer, and a whole lot of festive food! Take a look at our top tips for maintaining your oral health during the silly season to avoid starting the new year with a toothache.
What’s your favourite festive food? Nuts, candy, chocolate, and champagne are all part and parcel of celebratory feasting during December; however, all these foods can cause damage to your teeth. Luckily, there are some things you can do to reduce the damage while still enjoying all the gastronomic benefits of the holiday season.
Pay Special Attention To Your Dental Care Routine
While we hope you brush and floss at least twice a day, keeping up with your oral hygiene is especially important during the holiday season. Alcohol and sugar are both very damaging to your teeth, and both things are frequently in near-constant supply during the festive season. Both sugar and alcohol harm the protective enamel covering your teeth and can also cause unsightly staining. Ensuring you’re brushing for a full two minutes with fluoride toothpaste, using an anti-bacterial mouthwash, and cleaning between your teeth with floss or interdental brushes will go a long way to reducing the potential damage caused by an indulgence in festive treats.
Remembering the importance of daily dental care is equally important for tiny teeth, so be sure to monitor your tot’s dental care routine. With all the excitement of the festive season, reminding your child to brush appropriately every day and night is incredibly important. Cavities are a terrible way to welcome a new year, so help your child avoid dental damage!
Your Teeth Are Not Tools!
When searching for a pair of scissors to open that bag of snacks seems like too much of a hassle, it can be tempting to tear open the packaging with your teeth. Please don’t do that! Using your teeth to open bottles, tear packaging, or even break through the sticky tape when wrapping presents can cause immense amounts of damage. Bottle tops are especially notorious, and while you may think it improves your image to be the one who can twist a cap off using their molars, you may find that your image is less visually appealing with some broken, cracked, or chipped teeth. As dentists, we beseech you to use your teeth for eating and not as tools for everything else!
Treat Yourself With A Cheeseboard
One of our favourite festive treats is an enormous board filled with all manner of tasty cheeses. While an overindulgence in dairy might not be too good for your waistline, it can be great for your teeth! The calcium in dairy helps to strengthen your teeth, and the protein content helps to maintain good levels of protective tooth enamel. Additionally, cheese increases the amount of saliva produced, which helps the mouth maintain a healthy pH. This in turn reduces damage caused by any acids that may be present in other foods or drinks.
Resolve To See Us in the New Year!
Once the dust has settled from all the excitement of the holiday season and welcoming the new year, be sure to schedule an appointment with us here at My Dental Care. The beginning of a new year is a great time to come in for a full check-up and cleaning, so you can start the year with a shiny, bright smile. We’ll also be able to get rid of any residue left from all the delicious festive foods you’ve been munching, ensuring that your teeth are in tip-top shape for the new year.
How Can We Help?
If you have any concerns regarding your teeth in the run-up to the festive season, please come in and see us before the holidays properly kick off! Needing an emergency dentist on Christmas Day will certainly put a damper on your festivities, so if any small problems are bothering you, let’s fix them! Our team of dentists, along with our canine companion, Molar the therapy dog, want to do everything we can to ensure you have a painless and enjoyable festive season, free from any toothache or dental damage.
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To schedule an appointment, call (07) 3846 2548 or drop us a line here.
