Healthy Holiday Teeth

A healthy smile should always be at the top of your wish list.” — Academy of General Dentistry

Holidays usually lead to lots of treats and plenty of special drink from eggnog to champagne. Since family gatherings and back and forth parties with friends can last for days as everyone enjoys association, meals and after dinner desserts, people often get lax about their daily oral hygiene. Maybe you are away from home and by the time you get back to your own house, going to bed is all you want to think about. But remember, exposing your teeth to all that sugar and drink spells dental disaster if you forget or ignore brushing and flossing.

Year-Round Tips for Dental Health

The Academy of General Dentistry says this: “Holiday get-togethers tend to lead people to consume sugary treats and drink alcoholic beverages more than usual. Additionally, with their busy schedules and increased stress levels…patients’ oral hygiene suffers. They forget the most basic of oral hygiene tasks that can counteract the effects of sugary snacks and drinks.” How can you avoid the “gift” of cavities, gum recession and tooth enamel loss?

• Alcoholic and Sugary Drinks — drink water after servings of other beverages to rinse acidic fluids from your tooth enamel and to wash away the sugar that oral bacteria feasts on.
• Sweets and Candies — like the drinks, if sugary residues are left to cozy up to your enamel, bacteria will have a party in your mouth. Your enamel then suffers, perhaps sending putting areas beyond repair. Use water to swish around your mouth or chew sugarless gum to encourage saliva to do the same as a temporary fix before finding the opportunity to brush.
• Bring Your Toothbrush — family and friends should understand your desire to have clean teeth. Plus, they probably appreciate it! Friends don’t even have to know you carry a travel or pocket toothbrush, as they are quite inconspicuous. If that’s just not possible for you, make sure you brush your teeth before crashing into bed. The sooner you deprive bacteria of their share of the feast, the sooner your enamel gets back to repairing any inroads made by tooth decay.

Combine your regular daily oral hygiene with semi-annual trips to our local Yuba City dentists and your teeth will be happy all year. We look forward to seeing you at our convenient office, so call us today to make an appointment!