It’s a season to be jolly and of course, there would be plenty of edibles. This season is when families come with all sorts of detectable treats for friends and loved ones. But there can be unintended consequences with joyous feasting and not just added pounds come January. One more extra season gift we neglect is the risk of dental diseases. Our motion is not to spoil your plans for your holiday fun. We are focused on helping you maintain good oral hygiene. With these four tips below, you can enjoy your holiday snacking from causing tooth and gum issues.
Choose Healthy Choice.
Sugar is one of the major causative agents for tooth issues. It is important to know that the more sugar you consume, the more bacterias would build in the mouth. With this knowledge, try as much as possible to reduce savory treats and flavored offerings. Remember that cheese and other dairy products could help reduce the effect of sugar on bacteria.
Be Conscious of Snack Intake
It is almost impossible to neglect eating sweet sumptuous snacks during this period, however, snacking increases mouth acidity. The more the acid sits on your enamel, the more it would soften the enamel paving way for tooth decay. In truth, Saliva helps with rinsing the mouth, however, with too much snacking, you could prevent saliva from completely cleansing the mouth.
Keep Your Oral Hygiene Top Notch
Your oral hygiene should be the topmost priority. The relaxing effect of the holidays could rub off on your brushing techniques (oral hygiene routine) thus exposing you to oral diseases. Try as much as possible to avoid this, ensure that you are conscious of your brushing and flossing routines. Brushing and flossing would help reduce the thin biofilm called dental plaque. If you miss a few days, they could build up on the surface of the teeth. However, as aforementioned, you can win over plaque by brushing and flossing daily.
Avoid Brushing After Eating.
It sounds odd, right? Nevertheless, you should avoid brushing after eating. This is because the acid in the mouth increases after eating. We initially mentioned that the saliva helps in cleaning the mouth and placing it in a neutral state thus reducing the effect of acid on the enamel. The saliva takes at least an hour to perform the cleansing effect after meals.
After food consumption, the enamel is rather still in a softened state, so if you brush immediately after eating, you may likely brush away tiny bits of the enamel. So, it’s important to wait at least an hour after a meal before brushing. Enjoy your holidays and follow these tips to ensure it’s a healthy and happy one for your teeth and gums. If you would like more information about dental care during the holidays, please contact us or schedule a consultation.
