What are you looking forward to most about this holiday season? Whether your favorite part of the holidays involves going to parties with families and friends, baking sweet treats for your loved ones, or exchanging gifts, it’s important to be aware of how the holidays can affect your teeth.
Limit your intake of tooth-damaging treats
Hard candy, soft candy, sugary cookies — the holiday season seems to give you a new reason to eat sugar every day. Rules of thumb: stay away from hard candy and chewy candy like taffy, limit your intake of other sweets, and never chew ice.
Nibble on snacks that clean your teeth naturally
Eating fruits and veggies is a good way to clean the gunk from your teeth naturally. Of course, it’s not as good as actually brushing your teeth, but it will help protect your smile if you’re at a party and can’t brush.
Stick with your regular dental care routine
Brushing and flossing might not sound like much fun after you get back from a seasonal get-together with friends, but you should take the time to do it anyway. Just five minutes of oral care every day can make a big difference down the line, so maintain good habits over the holidays.
Avoid using your teeth for opening packages or presents
When you want to open a package right away and you don’t have any scissors nearby, it’s tempting to use your teeth instead. Don’t do it, though. You can easily chip or crack a tooth this way, and that’s probably not the kind of memory you want to make this holiday season.
Drink lots of water throughout the holiday season
The weather is chilly and you have lots of holiday drink options available, but that doesn’t mean you should forget about water. Drinking plenty of water rinses damaging acids out of your mouth and cuts down on your cavity risk.
Schedule an appointment with your dentist in a timely manner.
A little accountability can help you keep your dental health on track throughout the holiday season. Come see us at Metro Dental Health for your check-up to ensure that your teeth are still as healthy as possible.
