How to avoid starting the New year at the dentist
At Christmas, we can finally relax: we wake up later than usual, even being in pyjamas all day, and we also forget about diet. But if you want to start 2023 with a confident smile, don’t let go of yourself during the holidays when it comes to dental care.
Sugar shock
Since our childhood, we have associated Christmas with sweets. Therefore, it seems to sense that the majority of adults also consume a sizable amount of their annual sweets intake over the holiday season. Sugary foods may sweeten the holiday, but they are enemies for teeth, as they are the number one cause of tooth decay. This is because the high sugar content of plaque stuck to the teeth is an excellent breeding ground for bacteria, so they multiply rapidly and produce acid by breaking down sugars. This acid destroys tooth enamel because it causes minerals to be released from it.
The next stage is that the structure of the tooth enamel is loosened, and the bacteria break through the tooth surface, reach the tooth tissue, where they further decompose the tooth’s structure, and caries develops. Before we remove the next Bacon Parlour candy from the tree, let’s consider this tooth-friendly Christmas guide.
What’s the tooth-friendly Christmas menu like?
It is good to know that not only sweets favour the proliferation of bacteria responsible for tooth decay, but also the most carbohydrate-rich foods. However, you’ll find many of these on the festive table. For this reason, of course, it would be a pity to give up the traditional stuffed cabbage, but in order not to mind gluttony later, adhere to the following:
- As convenient as it is, do not serve lunch or dinner as a buffet, because the meal can take hours. And the longer we snack, the longer the bacteria work in our mouths.
- Serve as many raw vegetables as possible to accompany the main courses, and offer cheese after meals. Both help restore the pH of the mouth and remove plaque from the teeth.
- Make sweets part of your lunch or dinner, and don’t snack between meals, because we produce more saliva after eating.
Let’s talk about what’s on the bottom of our glass
Not only what is on our plate matters, but also what we sip from our glasses. Alcohol dehydrates the body, which leads to a dry mouth, which encourages the growth of harmful bacteria. In addition, one of the most popular festive drinks, for example, Champagne has triple harm to teeth: in addition to its alcohol content, its sugar content (especially in sweet sparkling wines) and carbonic acid also destroy the enamel. Avoid carbonated drinks because they are also acidic, so they are the enemies of our teeth. Orange juice is not the best choice, no matter how healthy an alternative we think it is. Of course, you don’t have to stick to only water during the holidays, but try to drink at least a glass of water after each toast or meal to protect your teeth and gums.
Don’t send your toothbrush on holiday
During the Christmas break, in addition to celebrating, relaxation also plays an important role. This is when we relax our daily routine, and let go of the year-round drive. In the spirit of a tooth-friendly Christmas, we should not neglect thorough teeth cleaning. Due to the more frequent consumption of sweets than usual, this is when we should put even more emphasis on it. Brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing at least once should continue to be observed. Include a quick brushing or rinse after every meal to remove food residues, and prevent tooth decay. Last but not least, not to smile at the festive photos with traces of poppy seed bejgli.
Use a Swiss army knife – not your teeth
Tooth enamel – in its healthy state – is the hardest substance in the human body. But that doesn’t mean it can withstand anything and be used as a Swiss Army knife. If you can’t find the scissors while wrapping gifts, don’t tear the adhesive tape with your teeth. Don’t tear the tape with your teeth if the child can’t take apart their lego. Don’t help them with your teeth, and don’t tear off the labels of the new holiday clothes with your teeth. Moreover, with these actions, we can easily injure the surface of our teeth and our gums.
Prepare for the unexpected
Even if we play by the rules of the tooth-friendly Christmas guide, our teeth can unavoidably suffer harm. We can fall while skating, slip on the icy road, or bite on the nutshell left in the beige. These are just some of the most common holiday tooth accidents. If this happens, do not delay. Visit the dentist as soon as possible. Dragging and procrastinating can exacerbate the problem. A quick treatment in the dentist’s chair and we can already continue the celebration with a smile.
