Your Essential Christmas Oral Health Guide From Kent Smile Studio

Keep a healthy smile over Christmas with this important guide from your local Maidstone dentist.

Christmas is such an exciting time of the year, when every family relaxes and enjoys the festivities.

From parties to pantomimes, chocolate caramel barrels to Christmas carols, there’s so much to enjoy during the holidays.

Through all the smiles and memory making though, the Christmas period can be quite risky for your smile. All the sugary drinks, the alcohol, starchy carbs and chocolate, amongst other risk factors, can mean your oral health takes a hit throughout December and January.

This could simply mean you struggle with sensitive teeth temporarily or being on the back foot with your oral hygiene. But it could trigger painful issues that leave you having to get emergency treatment over Christmas. You could also exacerbate problems that were previously being managed well, such as gum disease.

In order to help get through to New Year with a healthy, pain-free smile that looks great, your Maidstone dentist has created an essential guide for you to take a look at:

Make Good Choices When You Can

Obviously there are lots of things you can avoid on the buffet or in the office (we’ll get to that in a minute…) but there are lots of great things that you can have that are good for your teeth. Cheese, for example, is a great source of calcium. Crudites like peppers are a great source of vitamin C and paired with humous you get a great protein hit too. Stews, chillis and other one pot meals are also great for providing nutrients for your mouth and body, especially if they contain lots of vegetables. In general, anything naturally colourful on the buffet is a great idea. In terms of drinks, following food with water and drinking water in between alcoholic drinks, will also help your oral health. Sugar-free chewing gum is also a good thing to have after eating, to stimulate saliva and help clear your mouth of tartar-forming debris.

Avoid Using Your Teeth As Tools

Unfortunately we can all get a bit merry and take unnecessary risks over Christmas. Emergency departments see a surprising number of dental injuries caused by teeth being used as tools, to crack nuts or, open beer bottles, for example. Taking those risks can permanently damage the teeth, causing painful and unnecessary injuries. It may also be a good idea to avoid hard toffees or very stale bread if you have dental restorations or devices that are unable to handle the pressure.

Keep That Oral Hygiene Care Going

At your local Maidstone dentist we always encourage a great oral health regime to keep your smile in great condition. Over Christmas with so much going on you might feel tempted to skip a brush here and there, or to rush flossing, or maybe you simply forget to brush after waking up late after a party the night before. Skipping these important sessions means your teeth will not have the bacteria disturbed. That bacteria irritates and aggravates the teeth and gums and can lead to cavities and gum disease. Just two minutes, twice a day brushing effectively is really important, ideally along with flossing daily too. If you would like tips on brushing effectively, why not pay a visit to your local dentist here at Kent Smile Studio?

Keep The Naughtiest Foods For Mealtimes Only

One of the biggest problems with Christmas food isn’t so much the sugar, acid and sticky consistencies (although they aren’t ideal for the teeth!) but more the way we eat them. Chocolates get handed around constantly, then there’s the buffet to graze on, drinks constantly being topped up – the teeth are constantly exposed to all the nasties in food and drink. To help limit the damage you can limit the window of time you expose your teeth to bad foods and drinks. Consuming everything at mealtimes only, means that your teeth aren’t dealing with a constant stream of bad ingredients. Then after your meal times you can drink some water, chew some sugar-free gum and let your oral health recover until you brush properly before bed.

Go To The Dentist

If you are due a checkup with your dentist, it might be tempting to avoid going because you’re so busy. The problem with doing that is that any issues you might have won’t be caught early. This can then lead to the issues getting worse and being more painful, or expensive to treat later down the line. If you have pain or symptoms that really need addressing, there is even more reason to see a dentist. For example , untreated abscesses can lead to blood poisoning which is life threatening. Visit the dentist when you planned to, and especially if you have issues that need looking at. If you feel OK, at the very least reschedule rather than cancelling so that you know you’re not going to wait long before checking in with your dentist again.

Hopefully you’re dedicated to keeping your smile healthy and happy for the end of 2019, going into the beginning of 2020. Make sensible choices, maintain your oral hygiene and seek advice and help if you need to.

If you do experience a dental emergency over the holidays and we aren’t open, please call 111 to source your nearest emergency dentist.

Otherwise, please get in touch to book an appointment or to get further advice on keeping your smile looking and feeling great over Christmas.

We also have lots of cosmetic treatments like teeth whitening which could be worth considering for the New Year if you struggle with smile confidence. Please call us on 01622 754 662 to speak to one of our friendly receptionists. Your Kent Smile Studio team is here to help you remain pain-free, with a smile you’re confident about all year round!