Festive Dental Care – Simple Tips

21 / 12 / 2017

Festive Dental Care – Simple Tips

Keep Your Teeth And Gums Healthy Over Christmas And The New Year

First of all, we would like to wish all of our Ipswich patients a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year from all at the Lighthouse Dental Practice.

We are sure that you are looking forward to the festive break as much as we all are.

Our practice will be closed for some of the holidays, but should you require urgent dental treatment, please call our usual number on 01473 257379 and listen to the recorded message for further instructions.

Although we can never avoid accidents 100% of the time, there are a number of pieces of advice which we hope will help you to keep your teeth and gums healthy during the festive period.

Remember to clean your teeth

It can be all too easy, when we are tired, to skip brushing our teeth, especially at night. It only takes a few minutes to do this and will prevent your teeth from being coated in harmful sugar and bacteria whilst you sleep.

Floss

Try to make a little effort to floss between your teeth. This time of the year sees many high-sugar, sticky foods being eaten, and some of this will inevitably find its way between your teeth.

Stay hydrated

Try to drink water throughout the day. This will help to prevent a dry mouth and will also help to reduce the effects of any alcohol that you might drink. A dry mouth increases the risk of gum diseases such as periodontitis.

Avoid accidents

While some accidents can’t be avoided, many can. If you attempt to crack open nuts or beer bottles with your teeth, you may very well suffer a broken tooth or even facial injuries. Drinking to excess is also likely to increase the risk of an accident.

Moderate your alcohol

Following on from above, falls and other facial injuries are often caused by too much alcohol. Try to drink in moderation, alternating alcohol with soft drinks, including water.

Don’t overdo the sweets

We don’t need to tell you what sugar does to your teeth! Try not to eat too many sweets, and leave gaps in between eating them to allow your saliva to remove some of the sugar.

Cheese is good

Cheese is well known to improve the Ph balance of our mouths. Try eating a piece of cheese instead of sweets for a healthier mouth.

Smoking temptation

When the alcohol flows, as it often does at Christmas, it can be tempting for an ex-smoker to ‘just have one’. The reality for most ex-smokers though, is that this triggers a desire to start again. Don’t risk your oral or general health by smoking at Christmas.

Hopefully, none of the above will impinge on your enjoyment of the festivities too much and will enable you to avoid dental emergencies over the holiday period.

The Lighthouse Dental Practice team look forward to seeing all of our Ipswich patients again soon!

We are here to help you.
If you would like to speak to a member of our friendly team about any of the issues in this article please visit our contact page or call us on 01473 257379.