It’s the most wonderful time of the year, however the festive period can be damaging for our teeth. Which is why we have put together a list of handy hints and tips to help you through the festive season.
Make time to brush and floss
The festive season can involve long hours of food preparation and present wrapping, late nights after Christmas parties, and overnight stays with family and friends. All of these can have an effect on our usual routines.
Be sure to make time to continue your usual morning and evening routines, even through the busy periods. Your oral health will benefit from regular flossing and brushing, so as tempting as it might be to go straight to bed after a long day, be sure to take those few extra minutes to clean your teeth in the evening.
Beware of the festive treats
The Christmas period is usually laden with lots of lovely sweet treats; mince pies, Christmas pudding and chocolates are very tempting and almost impossible to resist. So, rather than trying to avoid these temptations, we advise that you consume them in moderation, and restrict them to mealtimes. How often you consume sugar, is just as important as the amount of sugar you consume. Each time we eat a sweet treat, acids attack our tooth enamel. Therefore, limiting these to mealtimes is the most sensible way to enjoy these delicious treats, whilst also looking after our oral health.
We would also advise that you take care when consuming toffees and nuts. These popular sticky and crunchy Christmas snacks are well known for causing damage to our teeth.
However, the good news is that cheese is a great way to reduce the acid levels in your mouth after eating. So bring out that post-dinner cheese board, knowing that you are doing your oral health a favour.
Your teeth are for biting and chewing food
Using your teeth as tools, to cut sellotape or crack nuts, is a huge risk. It may weaken or crack your teeth, or even dislodge a crown or veneer. Make sure to have the scissors and nutcracker to hand. And please, don’t ever use your teeth to open a bottle!
