Enjoy Those Festive Sweets Without the Risk!
With the winter holidays come endless cookies and cakes decked in sweet red, green and silver embellishments… mmm! But while our taste buds will surely be enjoying all of the sugary bliss, the same can’t be said for our teeth if we don’t take the right preventive measures.
Protecting Your Teeth During the Holidays
So, how can you ensure your teeth stay cavity-free this winter? Follow these guidelines below and you’ll be on the right track:
- The obvious tip: brush and floss after each sweet indulgence
If you brush and floss after you consume any sugary holiday treats, you’ll be doing your teeth a huge favour. If you won’t be at home where brushing is convenient, bring a portable toothbrush with you if you can. Just be sure to wait at least 30 minutes after consumption before you brush. This gives your enamel a chance to re-harden after an acid attack… and you don’t want to be brushing when your enamel is in a vulnerable state. - Carry a pack of sugar-free gum with you
Chewing sugar-free gum will help to boost saliva production, which will help to neutralize acidity in the mouth and wash away food particles and debris. Gum sweetened with Xylitol, a natural sweetener commonly derived from wood, is thought to be extra helpful in the prevention of acid attacks and decay. - Limit sweet snacking
Try to limit your total exposures to sugar by eating the sweets along with meals, or by reducing the number of times you snack throughout the day. This will help to keep the number of acid attacks down, thus helping to protect your teeth from decay. - Try to avoid stickier sweets
Sweets that tend to stick around on the teeth for a long time, such as caramel chews or taffy, can pose a bigger threat to the teeth compared to sweets that easily wash away with saliva or water. Oh, and don’t bite on your candy canes! You might fracture or chip a tooth (restorative dentistry for the holidays, anyone?). - Swish, swish, swish with water
Swish some water around in your mouth for several seconds after indulging in sweets. This is a very convenient and simple way to wash away food particles from the mouth, while keeping the mouth nice and moist… which will both aid in decay prevention.
Bundle Up & Brush Up…
Our Toronto dentist and Bite Dental team wish you a very happy winter holiday, full of joy and free of decay. Stay warm!
