If you are reading this in the middle of June, an article relating to Christmas might not seem that relevant, so bookmark the page and come back to it.
We say that because Christmas is a time of year when your teeth are likely to take more abuse than any other due to what, and how much you eat and drink.
So we thought we would give you ten easy ways of ensuring that the teeth that you start the festive season with are still intact and healthy when the 2nd of January comes along.
Avoid Too Many Sugary Foods, Snacks, And Drinks – Ok, we know we seem like party poopers, but it is a simple fact that the less sugar goes in your mouth, the less chance there is of your teeth developing tooth decay and cavities.
Ask For A New Toothbrush For Christmas – Effective brushing of your teeth requires you to have a decent toothbrush, so why not add one to your Christmas list.
You never know, you might even get one of those impressive rechargeable ones with the revolving brush head.
Maintain Your Daily Oral Care Routine – Even if you have numerous parties and lots of visitors over the Christmas period, make a point of sticking to your normal daily dental care as much as you can, including brushing and flossing after meals and before you go to bed.
Floss More Often – By eating more food and some foods and snacks that you might not normally eat, you are likely to get some of it stuck between your teeth.
Do not be tempted to use a cocktail stick as a makeshift toothpick. Instead, use floss as it is more effective and safer.
Order A Cheeseboard (Or Two) – Did you know cheese is good for your teeth? It helps your mouth’s acidic balance by neutralising plaque acid, and the less plaque acid in your mouth there is, the less damage is done to your teeth.
Use A Bottle Opener For The Drinks – We have all seen movies where the cool person uses their teeth to open a bottle of beer.
No matter how much you want to impress your guests, do not try this, as it may work once or twice, but all it takes is one bottle cap to be stuck, for you to find yourself with a broken tooth.
Use Straws When Drinking – Most sugary drinks can be drunk using a straw and it benefits your teeth by doing so. A straw limits the amount of sugary drink that comes into contact with your teeth.
No Crunching On Ice – Ice will most likely be used in lots of the drinks you have over Christmas, but when the drink is finished and the ice is still in the glass, do not be tempted to put the ice in your mouth and crunch it.
It risks cracking or damaging your teeth.
Use Nutcrackers To Crack Hard Nuts, Not Your Teeth – On a similar vein, the nutcrackers are so named as that is what they do best.
Your teeth do not, and you risk damaging them if you try to crack a particularly solid nut.
Make An Appointment With Your Dentist For The New Year – Even if you have had none of the mishaps we have just described, it makes sense to arrange a check-up in the new year with your dentist to ensure all is still well with your teeth.
