Overindulged? Here’s How To Protect Your Teeth

Social occasions and public holidays can lead to excesses that harm oral health. Here’s how to get back on track.

Easter has been and gone. It may not be an occasion that we tend to celebrate in the way that some countries do, where it is more important than Christmas, but it is still an occasion where many of us take the opportunity to relax and perhaps overindulge in things that are less than beneficial for our oral health.

Whether you have gorged yourself on easter eggs, or perhaps eaten a lot of sticky barbequed meat, washed down with a fair amount of alcohol, today is a day to take stock of any damage that may have been done and consider ways to start to get your teeth back on the right track.

Most negative things that have happened will be reversible with a little care, but if you have experienced any significant problems such as a broken tooth, please don’t wait for your next appointment and contact our Wickford dentists as soon as possible to arrange a prompt appointment.

Sugar and snacking

Even if you are sick of Easter eggs by now (and you probably aren’t), the reality is that at Easter and most other public holidays, we tend to take the opportunity to overindulge in things that are not particularly good for us, however enjoyable they may be. Naturally, all this sugar has the potential to lead to tooth decay if allowed to continue.

Snacking can be a problem too. Not only the contents of what you are eating (often sweet), but also the fact that constant snacking doesn’t allow your teeth time to recover. The lack of opportunity for saliva to wash sugars etc away means that decay and enamel erosion of the teeth is quite possible.

Smoking and alcohol

Hopefully, readers of our Cygnet Dental Practice blog know by now, the dangers of smoking for their oral (and general) health. Alcohol too, in excess, is potentially harmful for your teeth and gums. Both of these are significant contributors to gum disease and oral cancer. If you have overindulged, it is time to rein back on these, and in the case of smoking, quit altogether if at all possible.

Neglect

Despite the fact that many of us relax over public holidays, there is always so much to do. We often meet up with friends and family for social occasions and there is still the housework and other things as well. Add to this the effects of alcohol and tiredness and it is quite possible that we may not have cleaned our teeth as well as we should have during this time. We may have even skipped a brushing or two as well. Combined with the other factors, this could potentially signal trouble for our tooth and gum health.

Getting back on track

Now that Easter is over, the first thing to do of course, is to get back to your normal eating habits, perhaps even giving away any remaining Easter eggs if you can bring yourself to do so. Once any Easter ‘leftovers’ have been eaten, it is a good idea to try to eat a more tooth friendly diet for a while to give your teeth a bit of a break.

Other than the above, there are a number of things that you can do to help your teeth and gums recover from a long weekend of overindulgence.

Brush your teeth well

This goes without saying, but brushing your teeth is essential if you want to avoid problems like tooth decay. Brush them well for two minutes using a good quality toothpaste that contains fluoride. Make sure that you not only brush the teeth but around the gum line too. This will help to remove food and bacteria that have become trapped there.

Use floss

Sticky barbeque sauces, chocolate and other sticky ‘goodies’ that we have consumed will often find spaces to become trapped between the teeth where toothbrush bristles might not be able to reach. Using dental floss or an interdental brush will help to remove these. Unfortunately this is an area that too many people neglect and can result in decay and gingivitis, or worse still, periodontitis which can lead to tooth loss.

Hydration and gum care

The chances are that with the increase in alcohol consumption, you are probably already a little dehydrated. Not only can this cause us to feel even more tired but can be a problem for our oral health. A dry mouth means that oral bacteria that can attack our teeth and gums are likely to increase. Make sure that you drink plenty of water over the next few days to rehydrate yourself. Chewing a sugar free gum will help too as it encourages the production of saliva and may also help to remove tiny food particles that have become trapped. It should not be used as a substitute for brushing or flossing though and you should still do these things as well.

Need our help?

As mentioned earlier, any significant problems such as a broken tooth should mean a call to our Wickford dental practice as soon as you can. Even if no immediate damage is noticeable though, it doesn’t mean that we can’t help you. If you feel that you would like us to give you a check up to make sure all is well, then we are always happy to do that. A trip to the dental hygienist will also give your teeth a thorough clean and really get you back to where you should be with your teeth and gums.

If you would like to contact us, please call the Cygnet Dental Practice on 01268 733078.