The holidays bring many things with them, including popcorn balls and candy canes, hot cocoa and egg nog, and festive spirits and gift giving. Unfortunately, the season can also bring dental dangers. Luckily, with a few preparations and cautions, you can keep these dangers at bay and ensure that your Christmas season is a joyful one with no emergency trip to the dentist.
1. Avoid Sticky and Chewy Foods.
During the holidays, you are going to have countless goodies at your disposal. However, some of these – you know, the ooey-gooey, sticky and chewy ones – aren't going to be good for you. These are foods like caramel, peanut brittle and candy apples. They will get stuck between your teeth or to your teeth and possibly even pull out a filling, bridge or crown. In other words, they're simply going to be problematic and cause you more issues than what they're worth no matter how good they may look and taste.
2. Eat As Much Turkey As You Want.
While you may need to avoid many of the tasty holiday treats, there is one holiday food that you can indulge in as much as you want: turkey. Turkey is a great source of protein and phosphorous, which are both excellent at battling tooth decay and keeping your teeth healthy. While you're at it, don't forget your sweet potatoes, which is high in fiber and can help scrub any built up plaque off the surface of your teeth.
3. Avoid Using Your Teeth as Tools.
When you are opening your gifts, and you are having difficulty getting that plastic packaging opened, the first thought that comes to mind is to put it up to your mouth and use your teeth to get it open. However, this is the last thing that you should do. Well, unless you are just wanting to visit the dentist over the holidays because your cracked or chipped a tooth rather than spend time with your family and open the rest of your gifts. You also shouldn't use your teeth to rip off those plastic fasteners that hold the price tags on clothes nor should you try to shell nuts with your teeth. This is what scissors and nutcrackers were made for!
4. Make Sure You Are Prepared.
Since many people travel during the holidays, you want to ensure that you are prepared in the event of an emergency. Accidents can happen at any time and often occur at the most inopportune times. So, make sure that you have your toothbrush, toothpaste, dental floss, over-the-counter pain medication, dental floss, dental wax, and anything else that could possibly come in handy packed into a small dental emergency bag. Don't forget to also have an emergency contact number on hand for your dentist in the event of an emergency. Click here for info.
Share13 December 2016
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