How to survive Christmas (for teeth)
At this time of year you may be used to seeing similar posts on how to survive family gatherings or Christmas parties for example, but do you ever stop to think that you might need a ‘manual’ for your teeth too? With the amount of (often) excess food and drink that is consumed not only can it be havoc for the waistline but also for the mouth and teeth. In this article we look into this a little closer and what can be done.
General advice
As Christmas approaches and over the holiday period especially, the rise in dental problems and dental emergencies becomes apparent. There can be no strange coincidence to this. At this time of year we do things very differently to the other 11 months put together and inevitably for some, this can be enough to upset the balance and cause problems.
As the season approaches, watch what you are eating and drinking and look to see whether it is significantly different from normal. Any subsequent problems arising have a good chance of being related to this.
We all like a rest at Christmas but as far as your dental and oral routine is concerned you simply can’t afford to lapse. It can be easy to fall out of routine at this time of year when we have time off or rushing around having places to be. Allow extra time to do your normal and necessary things which includes looking after your teeth. You can even start a New Year’s resolution to pay more attention into looking after your teeth (just don’t use that as an excuse to stop over Christmas!)
Some specific advice
Watch foods like mince pies and Christmas cake. These foods often contained dried fruit which are high in sugar and can be a slippery slope where teeth are concerned especially if consumed in quantities without remedying action.
Say yes to cheese and biscuits. These are often a favourite accompaniment or party food at this time of year. As far as teeth are concerned, cheese is friend, helping to address acidic imbalances (and beyond that) aiding with tooth decay. Cheese and biscuits don’t sound like the most tempting dessert option but make perfect sense after a main meal for this reason.
Never use your mouth or teeth to open bottles or cans or even to cut sellotape for wrapping those Christmas gifts – however tempting a shortcut it might be. Replacing teeth can cost far more time, money and effort than an extra few seconds to use a bottle opener or scissors.
Remember it’s not just about food! Drinks can be an equal culprit to teeth problems and the average person does push the boat out at this time of year. Whilst water and milk are best you aren’t exactly going to look great at the party. Champagne and gin / tonic are said to be some of the best alcoholic drinks around if you are concerned about your teeth.
Whatever you are doing, we hope you have a ‘fangtastic’ Christmas and New Year on behalf of all the team at Ascent Dental Care Tamworth.
We are here as emergency dentists and more information can be found out about this by clicking the link.
