Are you looking forward to gathering with family and friends again, and enjoying all your favorite foods, drinks, and treats this year?
We’re here with 7 tips that are easy to remember and stick with so that you can enjoy all the festivities without compromising your healthy smile.
1) Stick to your daily oral health routine
Even if you are busy with travel, cooking, shopping, and visiting, don’t let your daily oral health routine slip. You still need to brush and floss twice a day. The recommended length of time for brushing is two minutes – the perfect amount of time to hum or cue up one of your favorite Christmas tunes.
2) Schedule your post-holiday checkup and cleaning now
You know you’re going to be busy, so it’s good idea to get your next checkup and cleaning appointment scheduled ahead of the holiday season. When the holidays are over, it will already be on your calendar so it will be one less thing to take care of.
3) Pack a care kit
Wherever your holidays find you, it’s a good idea to take along a little care kit for yourself. A travel toothbrush, a small tube of toothpaste, and some dental flossers are small and easy to pack. Just think, you can smile confidently in those family photos without worrying about having leftover food stuck in your teeth.
4) Drink plenty of water
There are endless benefits to drinking water, such as keeping you hydrated, aiding in digestion, and clearing the body of toxins. Water also helps to freshen your breath by washing away bacteria, even when you can’t brush.
5) Eat these foods
Of course, at the holidays you should give yourself permission to splurge a bit and enjoy your favorite foods and drinks. Sugary treats and alcoholic drinks are especially high in acid content which can wear away at your teeth enamel. To help balance that out, nibbling on cheese can be helpful because the alkaline in the cheese can help to neutralize the acid. Crunchy fruits and veggies and whole grains also help because their abrasiveness can help clean away food acids. Not to mention, they are loaded with vitamins and minerals that help to keep your teeth strong.
6) Be careful with these foods and drinks
Candy canes and peppermints are everywhere during the holidays. You don’t need to completely avoid these treats, but it’s a good idea to be mindful when you indulge. Biting down on hard candies can crack your teeth, so be sure to let them dissolve in your mouth. You will also want to brush after enjoying them.
Red wines and cranberry juices have some health benefits—they are high in antioxidants—but they can easily stain your teeth. If you can, opt for light colored, or clear beverages. Using a straw can also prevent these beverages from touching your teeth when you drink them.
7) Don’t use your teeth to open gifts or crack nuts
Teeth are great tools when they are used for what they are meant for. Teeth are not meant for opening bottles or packages, or for cracking nuts. Using teeth for doing things like this can weaken the enamel and make the edges of your teeth weak. Over time, this can lead to breaking or cracking which can be very unpleasant both physically and financially.
We hope you found these tips helpful. Wishing you a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season from all of us at Burba Dental Partners!
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