Oral Hygiene Tips for the Holidays from your Warrnambool Dentist
As the holiday season enters full swing, Warrnambool Dental is here to offer everyone our holiday best wishes and let our patients know how pleased we have been to serve you in 2019.
We look forward to extending that service, for old friends and new patients, into 2020 and beyond.
But at this time of year, we are also worried about what the holidays can mean for teeth and dental health.
Holidays can mean more sticky, hard, sugary and chewy food. These foods are threats to your teeth, which means during the holidays you should also pay very close attention to your dental health.
This means, at home brushing twice daily and flossing once. Also, keep to your preventative dental visits to Warrnambool Dental.
Finally, this time of year brings an uptick in dental injuries, so be careful.
If you do suffer a dental trauma, Warrnambool Dental always tries to schedule same-day appointments for patients with dental trauma.
Oral Hygiene Tips for the Holidays
With your dental health in mind, here are some tips to protect your oral health through the holidays and into the New Year.
Let’s start with that delicious holiday diet – a diet that can wreak havoc on teeth.
Avoid hard foods
There is something truly enjoyable about crunching down on the ice in your drinks, on nuts, or snapping into a candy cane, but this can be very bad for your teeth. Hard or brittle foods can crack teeth, and damage or destroy dental treatments and appliances.
Chewy/sticky foods are just as bad
These foods can stick to dental work or appliances and loosen or damage them. Even if they do no immediate damage, they stick to the teeth, making plaque buildup more likely as they give bacteria a safe environment. Eating chewy or hard foods is taking a chance on dental damage or decay.
Splurge occasionally
On the delicious food and drink of the holidays. But, balance that out with crunchy fruits, veggies (carrots and celery are great choices), and the water that help clean your teeth.
Whole grains, cheese, and some nuts are also excellent choices. If you are making holiday treats, consider switching unhealthy ingredients for healthy ones.
Wheat flour can replace white, and artificial sweeteners can replace sugar; basically, anything can be substituted. The Internet is a great place to explore this idea.
Many holiday drinks are dangerous
Sodas and alcohol can destroy your teeth. Sodas overflow with sugar and have high acid levels.
If you want a carbonated drink, choose sparkling mineral water over soda.
If you drink soda, use a straw to keep acid and sugar away from your teeth.
Be very careful with alcohol. Red wine, particularly, can stain your teeth. If you drink wine, drink white wine.
In general, drink moderately, as too much alcohol dehydrates the body and leads to dry mouth. Dry mouth means saliva aren’t protecting your teeth, and bacteria and decay are free to set in.
Stock your stockings well
Protect your children from stockings overstuffed with sugar. Limit your child’s candy intake. Give them gifts that are good for their teeth – floss or toothpaste in an interesting new flavour, or coloured or superhero-related toothbrush.
Sugar-free chewing gum is another excellent choice, as it tastes like candy, but cleans gunky teeth.
Don’t use your teeth as tools
This is often overlooked, but every holiday season Warrnambool Dental sees an increase in patients visiting us with cracked or chipped teeth because they used their teeth as a tool to open hard-shelled food.
The holidays come with tape that needs to be cut, packages that need to be opened, bottles that need to be opened, and nuts covered in shells that need to be cracked.
Resist the urge to use your teeth. Using your teeth as a tool can cause chips and breaks. If you do suffer from any kind of damage to your teeth or mouth, Warrnambool Dental will do all we can to make it right, so you can resume enjoying your holidays.
Still, have some fun!
The holidays are an opportunity to cut loose, just a little, and enjoy food and drink we don’t normally have. But enjoy these foods in moderation, and if you do indulge in them, treat your mouth properly afterwards.
Brush, rinse, or chew sugar-free gum after enjoying a treat, keep up good oral habits at home, and if you have a scheduled dental appointment, be sure to keep it!
Visit Warrnambool Dental
While your holidays are busy, they are also a good time to visit a dentist. If you can’t visit a dentist during the holidays, schedule an appointment just after, to clean off any effects of holiday sweets!
Welcome to Warrnambool Dental
Warrnambool Dental is a full-care dental office in Southwest Victoria. We offer the highest calibre dental treatment in Australia.
At Warrnambool Dental, we offer our patients professional and affordable service – and useful oral hygiene tips for the holidays – in a comfortable, family-friendly environment.
We welcome patients of any age and condition and give outstanding service based on your specific dental condition, expectations, and desires.
We offer extended hours on weekdays (until 7:30) and Saturday hours from 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM.
Warrnambool dentist also serves local communities in Portland, Hamilton, Camperdown, Terang, Port Campbell, Colac, Timboon, Port Fairy, MacArthur and Casterton.
For more oral hygiene tips for the holidays from your Warrnambool dentist, call us on (03) 5562 4433 or request your appointment online.
We are located 454A Raglan Parade, Warrnambool.