The Holiday Season means more than taking care of your Christmas tree, shoveling snow, and warming up next to a fire. It’s also important to identify how to care for your teeth during the holidays, especially as tempting yet unhealthy foods and beverages seem to linger everywhere this time of year.
Use these five tips to enjoy the Holiday Season and stay merry without harming your oral health.
Your mouth is filled with tiny nooks and crannies where sugar and bacteria love to hide, far from the reach of your toothbrush or floss. Certain foods make it very easy for bacteria and food debris to become lodged in these nooks and crannies. Chewy treats are some of the worst culprits!
Holiday dessert platters are often loaded with sticky, clingy treats that damage tooth enamel, yank out fillings, and encourage widespread decay. Protect your teeth by avoiding trays of chewy treats, and if you do indulge, rinse with water soon afterward.
Holiday nuts make a great source of protein, but only once they’ve been shelled. Don’t try to crack nut shells with your teeth…. Because the only things you’ll end cracking are your teeth themselves! Get in the festive mood with a nutcracker to enjoy chestnuts and other holiday treats.
The same rule goes for peanut brittle and other notoriously hard, crunchy foods. Your teeth may not be able to safely chew through those foods, so if you’re unsure, skip them altogether.
The holiday season is notorious for throwing us off our normal routines. You may travel more, go to bed later, or eat different meals than usual, but it’s important for your smile to stick to a consistent dental care routine.
Your at-home dental routine defines your overall dental health and wellness. By cultivating the best oral care routine possible, you can revitalize your smile and protect your teeth and gums long past the New Year’s Eve ball drop.
We all know the holiday season is a busy and stressful time, but canceling your six-month dental checkup isn’t a good idea. Every dentist appointment services a critical purpose in the long-term maintenance and protection of your oral health.
First and foremost, it gives your dentist the chance to evaluate the condition of your teeth, gums, and mouth with a comprehensive visual exam:
Even with the best mirrors, this type of comprehensive dental exam isn’t something you can do at home. Only an experienced dentist can properly perform a visual exam to assess the condition of your mouth and recommend future treatments accordingly. Of course, your dentist does more than just look at your teeth. He also thoroughly cleans your mouth to remove plaque, tartar, and debris using the following steps:
Without a professional dental cleaning every six months, plaque and tartar have the opportunity to grow and spread until they cause gingivitis, the first stage of gum disease. Visiting your dentist twice a year- and especially over the holidays!- ensures that your mouth is protected from disease.
In order to really care for your teeth during the holidays, you need to have an emergency dentist on speed dial.
A dental emergency is defined as an urgent health problem involving the teeth, gums, and mouth. It’s all too easy to suffer a dental emergency, but not quite as easy to find a dentist with the hours and flexibility to treat your dental issues immediately.
As the holiday season approaches, make sure you have yourself covered for the unexpected by finding a dentist who offers reliable and accessible dental emergency services.
The following signs indicate that you’re most likely experiencing a dental emergency that a dentist needs to handle:
In many cases, seeking help for a dental emergency can save your tooth and prevent further health complications. Abscesses, for example, can spread toxic infection through the body if they’re not treated properly. Lost teeth also have the best chances of recovery if reattached quickly after they all out.
DeAngelis Family Dentistry is proud to serve Carlsbad, California with comprehensive family and emergency dentistry services. Through all stages of life, personalized dental care makes all the difference in your confidence and health. Call DeAngelis Family Dentistry to learn more and schedule your appointment with Dr. DeAngelis today.