Christmastime is such a fun, exciting time of year for everyone. One of the reasons for that is all the sugary treats we get to enjoy!
But the season for sugar plum fairies comes with certain risks to your teeth and gums. Two of those potential dental problems are cavities and gum disease. Our team at Duffield Dentistry wants to make sure these don’t happen to you.
That’s why we’re devoting today’s blog to guiding you through the potential pitfalls of the holiday season so you can have a beautiful, healthy smile!
Your How-To Guide For A Healthy Smile
Here are some helpful how-to’s for your healthiest holiday smile!
Keeping Your Teeth Clean All Day Long
There are two things about the holidays that can lead to tooth decay more than any other time of year: holiday traveling and lots of sugar!
First, you might be traveling to visit distant relatives and friends, which means your routine is off and you’re probably staying overnight in relatively unfamiliar surroundings. This can make your normal oral hygiene regimen open to disruption. You can avoid that trap by keeping all your dental care items in a spot where you’re sure to seem them each day.
As far as sugar, there’s nothing wrong with spoiling yourself a little bit around the holidays. It’s not like you consume that much sugar through the rest of the year.
But it does make you more susceptible to tooth decay. To combat that, you can rinse your mouth with water after you eat or drink sweet holiday treats so your teeth and gums stay clean between normal brushing and flossing.
Keeping The Harmful Candy Out Of Reach
Whether you smash them up to top your homemade peppermint bark or you hang them from your Christmas tree, candy canes are a staple of the holiday. They’re also on the naughty list when it comes to your teeth!
Candy canes, and other hard candy for that matter, aren’t a very good choice because they put your teeth at risk for damage. Sugar content aside, many dental emergencies like broken teeth and restorations are caused when people bite down on something hard. Not only that, but making a habit of chewing on hard foods and candies can wear your teeth down over time.
Not to pick on candy canes, we should mention another holiday treat to stay away from, and that’s the sticky stuff!
Anything stringy, gooey, or sticky is not good for your teeth. It’s because those types of sweets don’t go away very easily. The leftover stickiness plants itself in the nooks and crannies in your mouth where harmful bacteria can feast on it and cause problems like cavities and gum disease.
Keeping Your Teeth Reserved For Chewing
During the frenzy of uncovering the buried treasure that is your gift, you can become ferocious with the tearing, ripping, and unwrapping. It’s one of the best parts of the holidays!
But in all that excitement, it can be really tempting to quickly rip off a price tag or open a finicky package with your teeth. This is a holiday habit we suggest you quit!
Your teeth are incredibly strong by design, that’s true. But the fact is, your teeth are made for one job, and that is chewing. Your teeth aren’t built to cut and tear hard objects. That’s what scissors and other tools are for. So protect your pearly whites from chips, cracks, and breaks by keeping the proper tools for opening packages within reach!
Call Now To Schedule Your Next Dental Checkup!
You can’t keep your teeth and gums safe every minute of every day. But during those times of the year where your oral health is more at risk than usual, you can at least go that extra mile in keeping your mouth safe.
Scheduling a dental cleaning and exam at Duffield Dentistry is a part of that! We like to see you at least twice a year for your dental checkups.
Spreading those visits out so that one of them is around the holidays is a great way for us to make sure there aren’t any potential dental problems waiting to happen.
Make sure you finish out the year strong with healthy teeth and gums! Call our Royal Oak, MI dental office today at 248-541-1388 or fill out our online form for an appointment.