It’s December! That time of the year when we start to wrap up major projects and look forward to gatherings of friends and family. As the festivities begin, food and drinks flowing, holiday bags packed and our healthy habits get left behind, our teeth health may suffer. Here are some tips we can keep in mind during this time of the year to ensure our teeth stay healthy to celebrate the years to come:
- Try to stick to your daily routine if you can: brush twice and floss once. 2 minutes morning and night is all you need. Remember to pack a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss in your toiletry bag if you are going on a trip.
- Try to enjoy your sweet treats during a main meal. Rinse your mouth with water after so that the sugary food and drinks don’t stay on your teeth for too long. Remember the more often you eat, the more frequently decay causing bacteria are exposed to sugar, meaning that they can metabolise this sugar into acid that can cause holes in your teeth.
- Keep hydrated. When you are hydrated, you will produce a good amount of saliva. Saliva has special qualities to safeguard your teeth.
- Chew sugar free gum. The chewing action helps generate saliva.
Other things to consider:
Make healthy choices: choose fresh fruits over-processed food. Fresh fruits require you to chew and that helps generate saliva. Fruits like apples are more fibrous and would be a good choice of snack. Sticky treats such as dried fruits can stay on your teeth for a long time. Please also be mindful when eating hard lollies like candy cranes, they are more likely to break your teeth if you bite into them, and if you suck them, the sugar will stay in your mouth for longer.
Continue all your extra oral health habits if you can: like wearing your retainers, or night splint, apply Tooth mousse at night if that is your regimen. This way your oral health doesn’t go backward while you are on holidays
We hope that you’ll find time to relax and reflect on the passing year. Breathe, smile and be well.