5 Tips for a Healthy Christmas Smile

Christmas is upon us and with that comes sugar, whether that is in the form of your favourite gingerbread latte, or the endless supply of chocolate selection boxes, we are sure to be surrounded by tempting treats this time of year.

Although we wouldn’t dream of asking you to cut out sugar altogether at Christmas, we are here to give you a few useful hints and tips on keeping your teeth sparkly over the Christmas period!

1. Try to take sugar snacks off the table- Snacking on sugary treats is one of the main causes of tooth decay, we always try to explain to our patients that it isn’t necessarily the quantity of sugar that is the real issue, it’s the frequency of how often we snack on the sugar. It means our teeth are too frequently exposed to acid (sugar) attacks and they don’t have chance to recover. The best thing to do is keep sugar consumption to mealtimes, so save all those selection boxes for the kids up and give them out as a pudding at dinner rather than a 10 o’clock snack!
2. Stay hydrated- We all know how important it is to keep hydrated, drinking water strait after meals is proven to reduce acid content in the mouth. This time of year, is also prime time for those nasty Christmas bugs and colds, staying hydrated can help by reducing the risk of catching any nasties. The mineral Fluoride is also found in water (bottles and tap) it helps to keep our teeth healthy and strong. So whilst this time of year bring us the opportunities to have lots of different things to drink, try to make tooth-wise choices when choosing what you want to drink!
3. Make the most of those Christmas time bargains- Although Black-Friday is behind us, Christmas is a great time of the year to grab yourself some oral hygiene bargains. Oral B electric toothbrushes are often heavily discounted on Amazon and in high-street shops such as amazon. Go on, treat yourself!
4. Try to stick to your usual routine- Christmas is the time for socialising with friends and family, so that means whether your out until the wee hours for your Christmas party or whether you are at home binging on Christmas films, you still need to stick to your usual oral hygiene regime. Use the Christmas period to get back on track with your recommended regime that means brushing twice a day with an electric toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste, and also cleaning interdentally daily with floss or interdental brushes such as tepes.
5. Finally- have a merry Christmas, but not too merry if you know what I mean- Tis the season to be jolly of course but everything in moderation. Did you know the average brit consumed 26 units of alcohol a day at Christmas! And many more admit to drinking much more over the Christmas period than they usually would. Most alcohol is packed full of sugar and can be extremely acidic. We are also far more likely to forget to brush our teeth after drinking heavily – leaving the sugar and acid to bubble away in our mouth all night – another disaster for our oral health.

So, there we have it, 5 helpful tips to maintain your oral health over the Christmas period. Hope you all have a lovely break. We are open for emergencies between Christmas and New Year (for all of you who can’t resist the last toffee in the quality street tin) so do call us in the morning of the 24th, 27th, 30th and 31st if you need us.