5 Dental Tips for the Holidays (Part 1)

‘Tis the season! Take a look at these simple dental tips so that you can still enjoy the holidays fully without compromising your white, bright smile or the health of your teeth and gums.

Focus on Consuming Teeth-Health Foods

Holidays provide plenty of opportunities to reunite with friends, mix and mingle and, of course, eat to your heart’s content.

You should definitely give yourself permission to splurge a bit and enjoy some of the decadence that won’t come around again for another 12 months, but be sure to balance that out with crunchy fruits and veggies (carrots are a particularly great choice), whole grains and plenty of refreshing water. Your teeth will thank you, and so will your wallet!

Avoid these Unfriendly Foods

Sticky, hard, chewy, gummy or sugary foods may be tasty and tempting, but they are no friend to your teeth and gums. That includes holiday staples like candy canes, soft mint chews, ice cubes, chestnuts and many others.

We get it, saying no to these traditional once-a-year treats can be quite the challenge! However, if you can practice visualizing the negatives associated with these indulgences, it can be a helpful deterrent while you’re finding a safer and healthier alternative.

Keep Your Daily Oral Health Care Routine in Place

As best as possible, you should set an intention to stick to your daily oral health care routine. Twice-daily flossing, brushing and gargling may not be the most fun part of your holiday schedule, but for your teeth and gums, this is as good as it gets!

With just a bit of extra planning and dedication during this time of year, you can look forward to a clean bill of dental health in the New Year.

Schedule Your Post-Holiday Cleaning Now

Get ahead of the game! This isn’t your first holiday rodeo, so you likely already know just how busy the next few weeks will be. You probably also realize that, despite all your best intentions and promises, there will be times you won’t floss or brush or gargle or do any of the things you know you need to do to keep your teeth and gums healthy.

So be it. The good news is, you can schedule your post-holiday cleaning and check-up now so that the moment the holidays are over, you can help your teeth stay clean, bright and cavity-free from day one of the New Year.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

Drinking water has so many benefits, especially during the holidays when you are out and about more than ever and want to look and feel your best. For example, water can keep your skin looking fresh, hydrated and blemish-free.

What else can water do? It can freshen your breath and aid in digestion and elimination. Water can also fill you up so you don’t have to add “diet” to your New Year’s Resolutions yet again. But, one of water’s best perks is that it can clean away freshly formed bacteria so you don’t wake up one morning with a sore tooth and an emergency trip to the dentist.

Stay tuned for part two in our series! And as always, contact us to schedule your post-holiday cleaning sooner than later – we’re looking forward to hearing all about your traditions and celebrations!