How To Take Care Of Your Teeth During Christmas

Cookies, chocolates, gingerbreads, pies, puddings, and cheesecakes, Christmas is the season for all those with a sweet tooth. However, in the midst of munching on sugary goodness, don't forget about your teeth's health.

Otherwise, you’ll probably end up needing a root canal for cavities or even more extensive dental work later on. So, here are some things that you need to do to take good care of your teeth during the holiday season.

Make Sure To Brush

Sure brushing is one of the most boring things to do, but just a few minutes of it is life-saving for your teeth. While it’s tempting to let all the taste of sweetness linger in your mouth for a long time, just remember that the bacteria in your mouth will use that sugar to produce acids.

And these acids can damage the enamel of your teeth, which can eventually lead to cavities (and even tooth loss in more severe cases). So, for this reason, it’s important that you brush your teeth in the morning and at the end of the day for at least 2 minutes using the right technique.

Floss Your Teeth

According to the NHS, you need to floss every day as a part of your oral healthcare routine. And it is certainly important that you do so to make sure that Christmas doesn’t leave your teeth all rotten.

For one, flossing can remove any food particles, and debris stuck between tightly packed teeth. Not just that, but it can also help you get rid of any plaque that’s developed below the gumline. This will also lower your risk of gum disease, which is why it’s so important that you do it every day.

Drink A Lot of Water

Drinking water and especially swishing it around in your mouth before you gulp it down can also help you keep your teeth somewhat clean (it’s not a substitute for brushing or flossing).

It can, however, help the sugar from your teeth wash away. That way, your bacteria won’t have too big of an acid-producing fest inside your mouth. Additionally, drinking water can help keep your mouth from getting dry, which can also damage your teeth.

Eat Cheese (& Hold Off On The Wine)

Many Christmas feasts include wine and cheese, and one of these is actually good for your teeth. One of the many reasons to love cheese is that it’s good for your teeth because of all the calcium and phosphates in it. This can help with the mineralisation of your teeth.

Additionally, cheese can balance the pH levels in your mouth, neutralising the acid which would wreak havoc on your teeth. Therefore, it’s a good idea to look for those charcuterie boards.

However, at the same time, it’s important to avoid drinking too much wine because it’s acidic and contains sugar, which is, of course, bad news for your teeth.

Don’t Open Beer Bottles With Your Teeth

This party trick is popular enough but can be very dangerous for your actual teeth. Your teeth are made for biting into foods, not metal caps of bottles (especially when there are bottle openers around!).

The metal cap of the bottle can end up doing a lot of damage to not just your teeth but also your gums. You may end up chipping or cracking your teeth by trying to open a bottle with your teeth. Its cap can also cut into your gums. It even sounds painful, and it’s definitely not worth it, which is why you shouldn’t do it.

Conclusion

Christmas feasts are hard to stay away from. That much is true, but it’s also important that you take care of your teeth while you’re doing so. Because keep in mind that you only get one set of permanent teeth. If you damage them, there’s no going back.