Keeping Your Teeth And Gums Healthy This Christmas

Festive oral health advice for our Wickford patients.

Whether you are a fan of it or not, Christmas is now just a few weeks away and many of us will be rushing around at the last minute to buy presents and to book (or avoid) the Christmas parties and social gatherings with friends and family. It can be a great time of the year for most people and one where we tend to forget our everyday routines. Doing so though can have implications for our teeth and oral health in general. In today’s blog, we are going to take a look at some of the things to consider in order to prevent problems with your teeth and gums over the festive period.

Stick to your routine

Most of us will find ourselves out of our usual routine at some point this festive season. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it can lead to us forgetting to do things like cleaning our teeth, especially before going to bed. Add to this the tiredness and sometimes alcohol consumption, and it isn’t hard to see how this can have a negative impact on your teeth and gums. Whatever else you do this Christmas, do try to keep to your teeth cleaning routine as best as you can, and especially at night when you are likely to have a lot of sugary food residues stuck to them. If necessary, set a reminder on your phone for your evening clean.

Watch your sugar intake

One thing that is almost guaranteed is that you will eat and drink more sugary products than you normally would. It is hard to resist the chocolates, cakes and pastries that are offered around and potentially impolite too. Our Cygnet Dental Practice team enjoy the Christmas break as much as anyone and wouldn’t want to spoil your fun by trying to deter you from eating sweets etc but we do urge you to try to keep their consumption to a sensible level. One beneficial thing you can eat as an alternative is cheese. In fact, a small piece of cheese at the end of a meal is a great way of rebalancing the PH levels in our mouths which help to keep our teeth and gums healthier.

Drink water

Drinking enough water is important at any time, both for our oral and general health, but doing so during the festive fun period is a particularly good idea. In addition to using it to moderate your alcohol intake (more of that shortly), it is also good for washing away trapped food that gets stuck between our teeth after eating. While it shouldn’t be seen as a replacement for using dental floss, rinsing the mouth with water after eating anything is a very effective and simple way of helping your mouth health.

Moderate your alcohol consumption

Drinking too much alcohol is a common issue at Christmas and is likely to be the cause of many hangovers, especially in those who rarely drink the rest of the time. Alcohol is also one of the leading causes of gum disease though as it causes a dry mouth which enables potentially harmful bacteria to thrive and multiply in the mouth. Although not to the same degree as smoking unless consumed in large quantities, alcohol may also contribute to serious issues such as mouth cancer. Finally, excessive alcohol consumption greatly increases the risk of accidents such as falls or collisions. You really don’t want to be trying to find an emergency dentist over the Christmas period so try to avoid overdoing things!

No smoking please

Christmas is one of those times when even people who stopped smoking a while ago might be tempted to have ‘just one’. Whether this is a cigarette or a celebratory cigar, please don’t do it. It is all too easy to start smoking again, with the well known associated risk of gum disease and oral cancer amongst other diseases and health issues.

Don’t abuse your teeth

Finally, and this is often related to alcohol consumption, don’t do anything foolish with your teeth. They are made for eating food with and not for opening packets and even bottles. More than one person has ended up in the A&E with facial lacerations after attempting that and even more mundane things like opening crisp packets with your teeth can result in them chipping or even breaking. Especially as we are closed for a period of time over Christmas, do try to avoid doing anything as silly as this.

We hope that this blog provides some (tooth friendly) food for thought and helps you to have a safe holiday.

For any bookings, cancellations or general oral health queries, our Wickford dental team are here to help. Simply call the Cygnet Dental Practice and please speak to one of our receptionists on 01268 733078.