With Christmas just a few days away, we are all ready to enjoy the festivities. From mince pies to champagne, selection boxes to hundreds of sweets, this time of year tends to be a time we all eat too much! However, while it’s great to enjoy yourself spare just a little thought for your teeth.
We know that snacking and drinking sugary products is something we all do, but at Christmas this can make it a pretty miserable time for your poor teeth, especially over Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
Traditional foods like Cranberries tend to be a delicious addition to your Turkey based lunch but did you know they also offer some benefits to your teeth? Some studies have shown they can help prevent gum disease and tooth decay. However, it’s important to note that they are also acidic so over-indulging can have a detrimental effect on your teeth.
Here’s five tips that may help you over the festive period and maybe, they will at least mean you can take steps to minimise damage to your teeth and help keep them safe amongst the sugars.
Mince Pies and Christmas Pudding
Mince pies and Christmas pudding are a staple of the Christmas diet. However they are full of sugar. As well as being full of dried fruit (which tends to be high in sugar) they are also known to stick to teeth. So if you do choose to eat them, try and remember that anything sticking to your teeth will be damaging them.
Don’t be tempted to lose your routine
If you’re a stickler for your oral hygiene don’t treat Christmas any differently. While your teeth are taking a bit of punishment, there’s no need to forget about your flossing, brushing and overall oral care.
If you’ve got kids, don’t be tempted to allow them to forget about their teeth brushing, before Christmas presents!
Cheese!
As well as the word that’s used in photographs it’s also good for your teeth. You may not realise but cheese is great for helping your mouth get a natural acid balance. Again, off-set against sugary goodies, it could really help to minimise damage.
Don’t get too enthusiastic with the beer!
While lots of people drink over the festive period, some will often use their teeth as bottle openers. This is really not a good idea – even if you have super strong teeth. Your teeth aren’t tools, so make sure you’ve got a bottle opener to hand when you need one and then you can avoid getting any chips or breakages!
Moderately does it!
Moderation is something we can all benefit from when it comes to foods! So while you want to enjoy yourself (and why wouldn’t you?) do take it easy and try and look after yourself.
Even if you replace one glass of fizzy pop for a glass of milk – it all helps!
