A new year is quickly approaching and as you prepare for a “new you” in 2020, you must first come face to face with your grandmother’s sugar-filled treats she has laid out for all to consume this holiday season. Everything from candies, drinks, cookies, and pies, you can bet the hours she put in to make these delicious goodies will not be easy to dismiss. But if you want to keep from planning a full smile makeover because of decay and disease plaguing your mouth, you’ll need to keep a few things in mind. Like what? Let your dentist share 4 things you can do to better protect your pearly whites and soft tissues this holiday.
Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush
If you’re planning to travel this time of year, make sure you pack your toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, and mouthwash. While your grandmother will, no doubt, have extras at her house, it’s always better to use products you’re familiar with and know produce good results. During your stay, make sure you’re brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes, using fluoride toothpaste to protect against tooth decay and all those sugary sweets, floss at least once to remove harmful bacteria and trapped food particles and rinse with an ADA-approved mouthwash.
Take Care to Not Crack a Tooth
Cracking, chipping, fracturing, or even breaking a tooth during the holidays is surprisingly much easier to do than you think. With all this free time, you may be enjoying more outdoor activities than normal. Or, you may dismiss the trusted nutcracker and instead, use your teeth to crack open a walnut shell. While playing outside isn’t necessarily dangerous, you are more susceptible to a dental emergency, so be careful. Cracking open a nut’s shell; however, is a bad idea. Nutcrackers are designed to do just that – crack open nuts – so let them do their job and simply enjoy the reward inside.
Pass on the Sweets…Or At Least Try
The likeliness that you will avoid all sweets during the holidays is very slim. Your dentist knows that, which is why you should try to limit the amount of sugar you consume. If you plan to eat a cookie or slice of cake, incorporate it into your dinner and make it part of your meal. While you eat, you are producing much more saliva than when you wait to eat your dessert alone. Use this to your advantage and allow the increased production of saliva to wash away any sugar that tries to stick to the chewing surfaces of your teeth.
Don’t Chew on Ice
Chewing on ice can be a mindless habit. You fill up your glass with water or your beverage of choice and once you’ve finished with your drink, you find yourself tipping it up and chewing on large chunks (or crushed) bits of ice. This is a bad, damaging habit that can lead to excessive wear and tear on your teeth as well as possible injury. If you have a hard time saying no to ice, avoid putting it in your glass at all.
If your resolution is to create a better “you,” make sure your efforts are focused elsewhere and not on fixing the damage done to your smile. By adhering to these four simple tips, you’ll be ringing in the new year with beautiful, healthy teeth you can be proud of.
About the Practice
At Advanced Smile Design, our team of dentists offers comprehensive services to you and your family all under one roof! Providing a stress-free experience, we are dedicated to providing world-class dental care that is personalized to you. We use the latest technology and materials to ensure your smile looks its best each time you visit, and we will be happy to provide useful tips and techniques to help you keep it shining bright while at home. If you’re looking for a “dentist near me” who can offer a wide range of services and ways to help you stay healthy through the holidays, contact us at (215) 659-3334.
