12 Tips For Good Oral Care During The Holidays
The holidays are full of friendship, food, gifts, and fun. But good oral care during this busy season can be challenging, especially with the bombardment of sugary sweets and savoury drinks. There is so much to do that routine can be interrupted.
Counting down to holidays (through an advent calendar or the “twelve days of Christmas”) is a fun activity for you and your kids, but if these days are filled with chocolate, sweets, sugary foods, and sweet drinks, they aren’t so great for our teeth.
So, at our dental practice, we’ve devised four great tactics for making an advent calendar dental-smart and eight bonus tips to make your holiday season healthy and happy for you, your loved ones, and their teeth! Together, we can make this holiday festive, fun, and full of healthy smiles!
An Advent Countdown With Less Sugar And More Fun!
- A Puzzling Treat – Give your child a fun challenge with a personalised puzzle. Draw a picture or write a special message on a blank puzzle or paper. Break the pieces apart, cut the paper, and place a puzzle in your advent calendar daily.
- Story-A-Day – Pick out a holiday-themed book for every day of your countdown. Open a new book each night at bedtime and read it together.
- Holiday Activity Fun – For each day of the month, devise a fun holiday activity you can do together as a family. Write down the activity on paper and tuck one note into each day of your advent calendar.
- Sugar-Free Trinkets –Find simple trinkets to fill each day on your calendar instead of candy. The dollar store is great for finding fun items without spending a lot.
8 Tips To Smile Through The Holidays
#1. Limit “Grazing”
It may be tempting to graze your way through the holidays, but this puts your teeth at risk of decay and toothache.
Instead of leaving food out until all hours, set up specific times of the day to eat.
These can be sit-down meals or buffet style, but it’s essential that there is a set time frame for eating.
This will help keep everyone from constantly reaching for food high in sugar and fat. Also, be sure to brush after you eat or drink!
#2. Make the holiday meaningful
We often structure our holiday events around food, which can take a toll on your teeth and waistline.
Set up activities like board and card games, craft projects or holiday movie marathons to take the focus off food.
#3. Watch the wine
If you like a nice red wine, be aware it can stain your teeth. White wine is less of a risk to your white smile.
If you drink red, drink it with food to mitigate how much it gets on your teeth. Be sure to brush well if you do indulge in reds.
#4. Try fruit for dessert
Consider fruit instead of sugary desserts at your holiday meal. If you’re having a big social event, rather than prepping several cakes and pies, try sticking to one sweet dessert and then prep a big fruit plate to satisfy your sweet tooth.
Cheese is also a great, dental-friendly food for the holidays.
#5. Protect your teeth during games
Wear a mouthguard whenever you play sports – or reindeer games – this winter.
Skiing, ice-skating, or any contact sport – a mouthguard is an investment in many holiday seasons of smiling teeth!
#6. Dip into veggies
At holiday events, skip the trays of Christmas cookies and brownies and instead pile your plate with veggies.
Broccoli and carrots are great treats for your teeth because they’re loaded with Vitamin A and serve as a ‘natural toothbrush’!
#7. Stock your stockings well
Christmas stockings are often stuffed with sugary treats that can cause cavities.
Consider eliminating candy or stick to one sweet item. Also, consider giving a new toothbrush as part of every stocking.
#8. Visit us at Main Beach Dental!
Dental cleanings are vital for your oral health. They help you deeply clean your smile, nourish and strengthen your teeth, and prevent dental issues like tooth decay and gum disease.
The Christmas holiday can be very damaging to a smile, so it’s essential you give your teeth and gums the best chance of survival by getting a professional dental cleaning.
Dental Care in Main Beach
At Main Beach Dental, your oral health is essential to us. We provide gentle, professional care for all conditions and work to prevent disease, decay, and unnecessary dentist appointments in the future. Our commitment to our patients is dental health for a lifetime!
Your trusted Main Beach dentist wants you to have the best holidays. Use the following tips to maintain the health of your teeth.
FREE consultation for Dental Checkups
Call us on (07) 5503 1177 or request your appointment online today!
We are located at 1/26-30 Tedder Ave in Main Beach.