The Holidays and Your Oral Health
Best Time of Year to Focus on Your Teeth
The holiday season is upon us, and how many of you are looking forward to the traditional holiday menu items your family typically prepares? I know I can’t wait to feast on the Chistmas dinner my mother will make. It’s the same recipe from my grandmother. The smells and flavors take me back in time to my childhood. It’s absolutely delicious, but I can only eat it once a year due to the 3 hour coma it induces from all of the carbs, fats and sweets.
We often don’t realize just how bad these foods are for our teeth. Some of us may even consider this time of year as the last time to indulge before the New Year’s resolution to lose weight, so why not go for it. Well, there are several reasons why you shouldn’t that have little to do with your waistline. If you think about it, this is the worst time of year for your teeth. With Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas all back to back, our dental health can suffer. And let’s not forget about the weeks in between and after when some of us will have leftovers taking up space in our refrigerators.
The Main Culprits : Sugars, Starches and Acids
The problem is that the typical American holiday meal consists of high levels of starches like potatoes, breads, and pastas; acidic foods like cranberry sauce, ambrosia salad, spiced cider and alcoholic beverage; and sugary foods like, cookies, candy and deserts. All of which are the perfect ingredients for tooth decay, gum inflammation and enamel erosion. The bacteria that cause cavities thrive on these starchy and sugary foods and alcohol, and the other acidic items can wreak havoc on your tooth enamel. The good news is you can still enjoy these foods and adopt some new holiday habits that will have your teeth and gums thanking you.
Strategize and Prepare
The best ways to safeguard against the damage these foods can do to our dental health is to first of all devise a plan to manage and regulate space between meals and having on hand a toothbrush and floss. Adopting a brushing and flossing regime 3x a day, and drinking plenty of water to rid the mouth of starchy, sugary and acidic residue will give you an advantage. An important note remember is to not brush right after consuming acidic foods as it can damage your tooth enamel. Instead, drink a glass of water, milk or nibble on a few cubes of cheese afterwards in order to rebalance the Ph of your mouth and wait at least 30 minutes before brushing.
Perfect Your Game Plan
Taking on these strategies during well before the New Year will get you ahead of the game. Once Christmas arrives, you will be better prepared to handle the challenges and be able to make improvements to your game plan. There is no use focusing on your dental health one month and then letting it all go downhill the next. Utilizing these strategies will not only allow you to eat what you want, they will also assure that your teeth don’t suffer the consequences of the traditional celebratory foods.
End or Start the Year with a Clean Slate
Most dental insurance plans provide for two annual teeth cleanings. So, schedule your last cleaning at the end of the year after the holidays or the very beginning of the year to assure you have a clean slate. The dentists here at Wurzbach Parkway Family Dental pride themselves in providing in-depth dental care and wish you a happy holiday season. Click here to schedule your teeth cleaning appointment or call us at (210) 877-2273.
