Christmas is fast approaching! Everyone is getting ready for the festivities. Mince pies, champagne, selection boxes and lots of sweet goodies will no doubt make their way into our festive diets. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable time of year, but please do spare a thought for your teeth.
Constant snacking, drinking and eating of sugary foods and drinks over Christmas can make the holiday period a miserable time for teeth. The indulgences and tempting treats on Christmas Day and Boxing Day in particular means that teeth are going to be in harm’s way for over the 48 hours over the festive period.
It’s important to be extra vigilant with your dental health over the festive period. Remember, teeth are under attack for up to one hour after eating or drinking, and if you think about how much is consumed, and how often, particularly over Christmas and Boxing Day, your teeth don’t really get the chance to recover.
Dental emergency’s spike over Christmas as we tend to indulge in treats we would normally avoid. Here are our top 4 tips for avoiding an emergency trip to the dentist:
1) We can all confess to attempting to open a bottle of beer with our teeth at some point in our lives. But, please remember your teeth aren’t tools!
2) Nuts! If you have any heavily restored teeth than try and avoid harder nuts such as Brazil, Hazlenut and Almonds. Instead, opt for softer ones such as cashews and walnuts.
3) Don’sip all day on sparkling wine. The sugar and acid combo mean your teeth are at a very high risk of decay and erosion. Limit the sparkle to meal times or have a little snack on cheese to reduce the impact.
4) Toffees! Over Christmas people tend to let their guard down and this is probably the most common Christmas culprit for breaking teeth or pulling out a filling over Christmas – just avoid!