Ten Christmas Teeth Tips

Hooray!! ….Christmas is nearly here.

For many, Christmas is about celebrating, being with the family or community, going to church, having time off; but it also usually involves a time for indulgence.  It’s a thoroughly enjoyable time of year, but spare a thought for your teeth…they will thank you later.

London Orthodontics have thought of TEN Top Tips to help you reduce the potential harm that could be waiting for you in the days ahead.

1. It may surprise you that it’s more about how and not how much bad stuff you eat. So try and resist the number of times you snack during the day, especially when it comes to the sweet stuff.  So, go on, finish your chocolate bar in one go and do not make it last all morning.
2. Eat the harmful stuff with your main meals.  The saliva that is produced when you eat has a protective effect.
3. It’s Christmas! Buy yourself a new toothbrush.
4. Better still, buy an electric tooth brush!  Which one? Ask your dentist or wait for our next months’ post on electric tooth brushes.
5. Use it!  Ideally 2 to 3 times a day.
6. Respect brushing time. Christmas is a busy time and it is easy to skip brushing your teeth especially after a night out.  Once is not the end of the world but more often and your teeth will not thank you.  If you are heading out put your tooth brush on your pillow to remind you.
7. Choose the less harmful stuff, for example cheeses and dark chocolate which are better than sticky toffee or sweets that  linger in your mouth for a long time.
8. Stay hydrated.  The excesses of alcohol, caffeine and reduced sleep have a dehydration effect, reducing the amount of your protective saliva.
9. Staining. Many of the festive drinks, red wine, mulled wine, coffee, tea and liquors all stain your teeth. Don’t leave it too long before you brush your teeth or at lease rinse your teeth with water.
10. On Christmas day crack your crackers but avoid the Christmas teeth crackers! Watch out for the traditional coin in the pudding, toffees and nuts.  Don’t bite hard nuts or whole ice cubes.  Teeth can be brittle at certain angles so don’t use your teeth to cut sellotape, open packets, bite your nails or open bottles!

Christmas is a time to enjoy and we all like to treat ourselves at this time of year, but because we are eating and drinking more than usual, we can risk damaging our teeth and the last thing you want is a dental emergency over the festive period. If you do damage a tooth, it’s always best to get it looked at as soon as possible, to avoid further damage or discomfort.