Tips to protect our teeth this Holiday season
The holiday season is here, with all the festivities around Christmas and New Year creating a joyous celebration time. On behalf of Northcote Family Dental, we wish you all a happy holiday season and want you and your family to be safe, healthy, and happy. Even though this may be arguably the most wonderful time of the year, with an air of indulgence swirling around, the same cannot be said about our teeth. Yes, our teeth may take a back seat with us consuming various delicacies by throwing caution to the wind. At Northcote Family Dental, we understand the cravings for sweets and confectionaries this holiday season and have listed a few tips to be followed to keep our teeth healthy. Remember, we can enjoy the festivities to the fullest with healthy teeth and good smile.
Tips to keep our teeth healthy this holiday season
Drink plenty of water: In the holiday season, we may go overboard when it comes to consuming fast and sticky food, alcohol, or aerated drinks. And since these food items may give us a false sense of being full, it is important to keep ourself hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Further, water can wash away any food or drink adhering to our teeth which tend to form bacterial colonies on our teeth and gums thereby preventing the development of a carious tooth and sore gums.
Follow the routine dental hygiene: Given our busy routine of meeting friends, organizing parties, or getting into indulgence, there is a possibility of us not following proper dental hygiene. Avoid such a possibility by strictly brushing our teeth twice a day. Brush with right tooth paste and soft toothbrush for two minutes and try not to wash your teeth, instead spit out the excess toothpaste. And should you be travelling, it is better to keep a dental toolkit handy containing a travel size toothbrush, toothpaste, a bottle of mouthwash, tongue cleaner and floss.
Don’t use your teeth as an opener: Our precious teeth are not meant to be used as tools to open bottles or snack packets. Besides, in the holiday season, we are likely to consume a variety of nuts like walnuts, chestnuts, or almonds or stone fruits or olive pips. These are healthy snacks but notorious for causing cracks or chips in the teeth or fillings. So be weary about nutty, sticky or hard food substance. However if such a situation develops, it is time to visit a dental clinic to avoid any further complications.
Don’t bite on hard candies: Continuing with not using our teeth as a nutcracker, it is better not to use our teeth to eat on hard lollies or sticky substance. Besides being not good for our health, the sugary residue left behind by such candies inside the nook and crannies of our teeth can lead to decay.
Avoid certain beverages: Again, the holiday season means gulping gallons of beverages like tea, coffee, coke, aerated drinks, wines or other spirits. Since such beverages can cause discoloration of our teeth, it is better to take them in moderation. Further, most of these beverages contain high amounts of sugar/acid, which may lead to caries/erosion of our teeth.
Conclusion
Follow the few above-mentioned tips and enjoy the festivities. Make sure your holiday selfies or portraits look even better with sparkling teeth. And should you feel any discomfort or pain in your teeth, visit dental clinic in your area, call (03) 9481 5747, or visit www.northcotefamilydentail.com.au.