Tips For Keeping Healthy Teeth Through the Holidays

The holiday season is quickly coming up, which means time spent with family opening presents and plate fulls of rich, sugary foods. We definitely want you and your family to enjoy everything there is to enjoy about this time of year, but being the dentists we are, we also want you and your teeth to be as healthy as possible. It can be hard to say no to pumpkin candies, pies, and candy canes, so here are some tips to help you make it through the holiday season with sparkling teeth and a healthy smile. After the holidays are over, remember to schedule an appointment at your local Seattle dentist.

Drinks

Holiday parties at home, the office, or a neighbors’ will most likely have soda or wine to drink. Nothing says the holidays more than a glass of wine for adults or a cup full of soda for the kids, but the acid from soda and the color from red wines can harm the health of your teeth. Try to avoid as much as possible these types of drinks. If the kids must have some soda at dinner, give them a cool swirly straw to drink through. This will keep most of the acid away from their teeth. After a glass of red wine, brush thoroughly to prevent staining.

Brush, Brush, Brush

Dentists definitely recommend eating as little candy as possible, but we understand it’s hard to avoid eating candy completely throughout the holidays. The important part is to brush thoroughly after eating it. We can’t say enough how important brushing is, but also the length of time spent brushing. Everyone should brush their teeth for around two minutes. Sing your favorite holiday song while brushing to ensure that the entire time has passed.

Use Scissors, Not Your Teeth

When Christmas morning comes around and everyone is trying to open their gifts, it can be tempting to use your teeth to open the packaging. As much as you want to open your new toy, find a pair of scissors instead. Using your teeth in this way can lead to chips and breaks. Be wary of how you are biting down on candy canes as well. This can also lead to chips. What do you do if this happens? Call our dentist’s office for an emergency appointment.

Good Foods to Eat?

We wouldn’t leave you with just things you can’t do or eat, there are plenty of teeth friendly holiday foods that you can enjoy. Find a gingerbread recipe that uses only half a cup of sugar and pumpkin, which has fiber in it. Instead of making chocolate chip cookies, make oatmeal or almond cookies, which will have less sugar. Cheese trays are always a festive option and they’re better than rich desserts or fatty appetizers. The pH balance in the cheese will also help neutralize acid from the soda or alcoholic beverages, not to mention that the calcium is good for your teeth.

Even dentists want to have a good time throughout the holiday season, and we want that for our patients as well. We don’t want to make you feel guilty about indulging in some tasty treats, as long as you brush after. For all of your dental needs before and after the holiday season, give First Hill Dental Center in Seattle a call.