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From mince pies and chocolate, to your favourite festive tipple, the Christmas period brings many delicious treats. But what impact does it have on your teeth, and how can you manage it?
Our festive dental health tips will help you keep your teeth healthy over Christmas and beyond!
Sticky food such as Christmas cake, pudding and mince pies are laden with dried fruit, which is high in sugar and can stick to your teeth. Also sweets and biscuits covered in sticky substances such as caramel can also be incredibly damaging to teeth. Caramel is liquified sugar that hardens into a sticky goo that sticks to your teeth and can lead to tooth decay. The bacteria that lives in our mouths feed off these sticky residues, producing acid that wears away tooth enamel.
Hard sweets such as candy canes can last a long time, which is why children (and adults!) like them so much, However, sucking hard sweets for long periods of time creates a 'sugar bath' and produces acid that causes cavities.
It is therefore important to pay extra attention when brushing your teeth over the festive season. Parents can check their children are brushing sticky food from their teeth especially before bedtime, no matter their excitement that Santa is coming!
Click to watch dental hygienist Gillian show you how to clean your teeth thoroughly.
You should brush your teeth at least twice a day, no matter what time you go to bed or get up over Christmas and New Year! We’d recommend spending a minimum of two minutes brushing, using toothpaste containing at least 1450ppm fluoride, as this helps protect teeth from cavities. However, you must spit the remaining fluid out, and not rinse your teeth when you’ve finished brushing, to avoid washing the protective
fluoride away.
Interdental brushes or dental floss can be used to remove sticky plaque from in between your teeth. It’s important to supervise children’s brushing, and to remind family of all ages to brush their teeth thoroughly before they go to bed, even on Christmas Eve!
Teeth were never designed to open bottles, nor should they be used to open packets of crisps or nuts, to tear off labels or to cut tape when wrapping your presents! Always take a moment to find the bottle opener or scissors to prevent any damage to your teeth. If you do chip, break or crack a tooth, contact your dentist to book an appointment to fill the tooth or smooth rough edges.
And, if you lose a tooth due to trauma, don’t panic. Try and put it back in the socket without handling the root, keep it inside your cheek or place it in milk, and book in for an emergency dental appointment for prompt treatment.
After all your festive feasting, save a little space for the cheeseboard. Cheese is great for your teeth as it neutralises plaque acid, which helps prevent tooth decay.
Eating cheese increases the amount of saliva in the mouth, which is the body’s natural way of maintaining a healthy pH level. Also cheese releases chemical compounds that can form a protective layer on teeth, which protects against plaque acid that attacks teeth enamel.
Although this is a busy time of year planning for the festive season, take a moment to book your next dental check up or treatment as dentists are booking well ahead into the New Year. However, if an appointment gets cancelled, the Welcome Team at Elmsleigh House will contact those with appointments scheduled ahead to bring their visit forwards. Looking after your dental health is essential for your overall health, so take a moment to book in your check-up!
To schedule an appointment at Elmsleigh House Dental Clinic, simply call 01252 713797 or leave us a message online.
For more helpful information and other advice about how to keep your teeth healthy, read our Guide to dental care during Christmas.
