Be ‘Dental Safe’ This Christmas
The seasonal festivities can be great fun but also pose some additional risks to your oral health
Most of you will probably be looking forward to a break over the Christmas and New Year period, and also looking forward to meeting up with friends and family, with perhaps a few parties thrown in for good measure.
It is certainly a time of year when we let our hair down and sometimes regret it the morning after! The effects of overindulgence will go away in most cases, but some of the things that we might do at this time of the year could have a long term impact on our teeth and gums if we aren’t careful.
To help you avoid the worst of these, our Ipswich dentists have put together a guide to having a great Christmas whilst still maintaining healthy teeth and gums.
Maintain a good oral healthcare routine
Whatever else you do, make sure to continue your oral health regime, or even improve it. However tired you feel after partying, make sure that you brush your teeth well, not only in the morning, but the last thing before you go to bed too. Nothing should pass your lips after your evening clean except for water. Use dental floss too; this will help to remove any pieces of food that have become trapped between your teeth. If you are going away to friends or relatives, don’t forget to pack your toothbrush and floss to take with you.
Don’t be tempted to smoke
We all know that after a few drinks at Christmas, someone will almost inevitably bring out the cigars for a ‘celebratory smoke’. Don’t be tempted to partake in this, or even ‘just’ a cigarette, especially if you are an ex smoker who has managed to stop. Smoking is highly addictive and you may well find that it starts you smoking again. This brings many risks to your oral health including periodontal diseases and even oral cancers. Please don’t do it!
Drinking alcohol? Do it in moderation
Most of us will have a drink or two at Christmas. Some will drink a lot more and others who may not drink much during the rest of the year, might find themselves becoming a little ‘wobbly’ quite unexpectedly! By all means, enjoy a social drink but try to do so in moderation. Excess alcohol consumption can lead to a dry mouth which can contribute to gum disease. It also greatly increases the chance of a fall or other accident that may result in a broken tooth. We want our patients to enjoy their Christmas and not need to ring the Foxhall Dental Practice to try to find an emergency appointment!
Avoid too many sweets
This one should probably go without saying. Sweets and chocolates are everywhere over the festive period and most of us will indulge. Try not to go over the top though and only have the occasional one. Replace chocolates with fruit or better still, small pieces of cheese. Cheese is known to balance the PH levels in your mouth and reduce the acidity that can cause damage to tooth enamel.
Don’t use your teeth as ‘tools’
This one often follows the drinking of too much alcohol. Everyone reacts differently of course, but some people develop a tendency to ‘show off’. Party tricks are very common when this happens and one of the worst that people sometimes do is to attempt to open bottles with their teeth. Please do remember that your teeth are ‘living things’ that were definitely not designed to do this. Attempting to open a bottle with your teeth will result in a high chance of a tooth or teeth breaking. You may even slip and cause severe cuts to the facial area. Also, just a reminder that even more innocuous seeming actions such as using your teeth to open a packet of crisps etc can result in the teeth clashing and causing them to chip or crack. Please use the correct implements and not your teeth.
Stay hydrated (but not with fizzy drinks!)
One way of moderating your alcohol intake and also doing something beneficial for your oral health is to drink plenty of water, perhaps alternating it with your alcoholic drink. Water will not only help to remove any food that gets stuck between your teeth but will help you to avoid the rather unpleasant dry mouth which often comes after consuming alcohol. It will also help you to avoid gum disease too as potentially harmful bacteria thrive in warm and dry places such as a dry mouth. Please don’t replace water with fizzy drinks. Not only are these usually high in sugar but are often highly acidic too and can harm the enamel of your teeth.
We hope that these tips supplied by members of our Ipswich dental team will help you to enjoy your Christmas break whilst also minimising any risk to your oral health. We hope that you have a great time, and until our next blog in 2023, the dentists and staff at the Foxhall Dental Clinic wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!