Don’t Neglect Your Smile During the Holidays
It’s not like avoiding cavities during the holidays is tops on your list, given all the toothy Holiday treats & confectionery goodness that seems to occupy your entire field of vision for the whole month of December.
How hectic is your Holiday schedule?
Are you keeping up a diligent daily dental hygiene regimen to avoid cavities during the holiday season?
The Holidays are a busy time of year, the malls are super-crowded and the streets are jam-packed with traffic.
For a lot of us, finding time to fit everything in becomes quite the challenge, never mind trying to avoid eating foods the cavity creeps just love.
With all the shopping, eating, drinking, caroling, & conversing, it’s actually pretty easy to forget about your dental health.
While you may feel more than a little stressed crossing off your shopping list & checking it twice, it’s important to remember your dental – and overall health.
After all, the reason for the Holiday season is to SMILE!
You might feel over-scheduled and a little stressed making your shopping list and checking it twice. Still, that is not an excuse to skip out on key preventive dental care.
Here are three simple steps you can take to protect your smile from the cavity creeps & other common dental health problems.
3 Ways To Avoid Cavities During the Holidays
1. Protect Your Smile With A Balanced Diet
The cavity creeps love sugar!
One of the easiest ways to guard your grill against tooth decay is to limit the amount of sugar you consume.
We know that’s easier said than done, whether you’re chomping down Christmas cookies or pounding down potato latkes, but if you don’t want to enter the New Year with a toothache, be sure to keep an eye on the sugar intake.
It’s the sticky bacteria in plaque that the cavity creeps feed on, so the more sugar you consume, the more likely you are to develop cavities and other dental health problems, including gum disease.
While all the Holiday treats are yummy and difficult to avoid, you can make some smarter choices to limit sugar in your diet and avoid a common dental emergency during the holidays…an unbearable toothache.
Fruits & vegetables are rich in smile-saving nutrients, along with lean proteins like turkey & chicken, and healthy fats like avocados and nuts.
Drink Lots of Water…Every Day
Another super-easy way to take care for your smile during the Holidays is by drinking plenty of water.
Water not only helps keep you hydrated, but it also helps prevent cavities (tooth decay) because drinking water produces more saliva which make sit difficult for the bacteria in plaque to stick to your teeth.
Water is a natural defense against plaque buildup.
Optimal hydration can also help prevent that dry mouth feeling, which can lead to bad breath, and eventually lead to other more serious dental health problems.
Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning. And after every cup of coffee, tea, glass of soda, wine, or alcoholic beverage.
Your smile will thank you!
Don’t Skip Your Dental Hygiene
Lastly, we know it sounds stupid, but don’t forget to brush your teeth everyday…for at least two minutes, twice a day!
And ALWAYS remember to floss! Whether you floss before or after brushing is up to you, JUST DO IT!
These three simple steps are guaranteed to help you defend your smile against the cavity creeps.
When you combine these healthy dietary tips with regular visits to your dentist, like routine dental checkups and teeth cleanings, you can spread your smile around during the Holiday season…and all year long!
Save Money At The Dentist With A Dental Savings Plan
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on Dr. Joseph Haddad and has been republished here with permission. It has since been updated for accuracy & comprehensiveness.
