Caring For Your Teeth Over Christmas
Don’t let festive cheer spoil your teeth and gums!
Christmas is nearly upon us and regardless of whether or not you’re excited about it, there’s no doubt you will be indulging in plenty of slap up food with the rest of us over the coming weeks. Buffets, Christmas dinner, Boxing Day leftovers, various tins and boxes of chocolates, cookies, cakes – the list is endless. Whilst all this delicious food is fabulous for our tastebuds, our teeth really aren’t such big fans.
At such an exciting time of the year with presents, music, socialising and generally having a good time it really is no surprise that all aspects of our health are neglected. Oral care inparticular is something most people don’t think about at all over the holidays, usually because there’s often no obvious quick consequence like there is with overeating or drinking.
At Abbey Road Dental, NW8, we aren’t trying to be party poopers, but we do love to help you care for your teeth, so it’s important we gently encourage you to protect your beautiful smile over Christmas so you don’t end up suffering in the New Year.
Here are some festive treats to be aware of in relation to your oral health:
Food That Cracks Your Teeth
We get a lot of cracked teeth to treat over the Christmas period, which some people may find surprising. However, when you think about the many different types of food we indulge in, it becomes more obvious why so many people’s enthusiastic eating has caused them this oral injury. Toffee is a common culprit for cracking teeth, especially as many people don’t eat it often and forget that it can be rock solid, unfortunately something they only remember once the damage is done. Whole nuts are another common cause of cracked teeth, with people either biting into a particularly hard nut, or failing to see a bit of the shell still attached to the nut and biting down on it.
Food That Actively Damages Your Teeth
There’s a lot of sugary and acidic food around at Christmas – exactly what your teeth hates. All the sweets, cakes and chocolates can damage your tooth enamel. Red wine, coffee and strong coloured foods can stain your teeth, and all the acid in the fruits and alcohol can provide a hefty acid attack that leads to tooth corrosion. Basically, all of the popular Christmas treats combined make for a pretty terrifying few weeks for your teeth.
Neglecting Your Oral Care
Unfortunately, this is the time of year when we most commonly put the least effort into our oral care. The amount of patients who have told us they have fallen asleep without brushing (at least once), or they have simply not had time to even think about flossing or paying any attention to their teeth over Christmas is high.
What To Do About It
First and foremost, here at Abbey Road Dental in NW8 we completely understand that Christmas is a really hectic time of year – we’re human too! It is important to be kind to yourself, relax and accept that not everyone is perfect and you will eat more treats than usual, and you might well forget to floss once or twice. However, your oral health does still need to be considered so you don’t end up regretting this after a few weeks indulgence, in the New Year. Consider your oral health part of your general health; that way, it won’t seem like you’re having to make any extra effort.
● Only treat yourself to the nicest, most special foods when you do have something naughty, don’t waste your indulgence on any old treats!
● Stick to government guidelines when it comes to drinking (you can find out more about government alcohol guidelines on-line easily enough)
● Chew on sugar free chewing gum after eating to increase saliva production which helps combat decay
● Leave your toothbrush and toothpaste out if you’re going out and think you might forget to brush – if it is right there in front of you, you might be more likely to remember
● Drink lots of water in between eating
Talk To Abbey Road Dental About Festive Oral Care
Avoid starting the New Year with toothache, cracked teeth, missing fillings or stained teeth and care for your teeth over Christmas so you can keep grinning through all the festivities.
If you’re due for a visit to us in the next few weeks, please ask us about caring for your teeth over Christmas – we want to help you go into 2016 smiling!