5 HOLIDAY ORAL HEALTH TIPS
The holidays are meant to spend quality time with family and friends, not your dentist in North Port. Every year, so many people get wrapped up in their busy schedules that they accidentally neglect their mouth, causing common issues like cavities and gum disease to arise. Instead of spending all of your time battling an unexpected dental problem during what’s supposed to be a joyous time of the year, read on and follow these five oral health tips.
Don’t Open Presents With Your Teeth
It may be tempting to tear open your presents with your teeth instead of waiting for someone to grab a pair of scissors. However, that action will likely cause costly consequences that can ruin your smile. Your teeth aren’t indestructible, which is why using them as tools can easily result in chipping, cracking, or fracturing them, landing you in your emergency dentist’s office.
Make Your Dental Hygiene Routine a Priority
Between your holiday parties at work, multiple family dinners, and get-togethers with your friends, your schedule is completely full this season. With a lengthy to-do list, it can be hard to focus on anything other than what you need to get done before your celebrations begin. Unfortunately, this can cause you to forget to brush, floss, and rinse your mouth, leaving plaque and bacteria to accumulate on and between your teeth. To prevent oral health problems from taking valuable time from you and your family, be sure to set reminders so you floss once a day, rinse your mouth, and brush every morning and night.
Manage Your Holiday Stress
Many people don’t realize that something as common as stress can trigger a habit that can destroy your mouth. Bruxism is when you grind or clench your teeth and is commonly triggered by anxiety, worry, and stressful situations. It can cause your enamel to wear down quickly, leaving your pearly whites defenseless against harmful oral bacteria. The best way to combat this over the holidays is to take time to meditate, read, and calm your mind.
Break Bad Oral Habits
Bad oral habits like nail-biting and chewing on hard items such as pens and ice can increase your risk of damaging a tooth and cause excessive enamel deterioration. You can occupy your hands and mouth by chewing on sugar-free gum or bringing a stress ball with you to fiddle with. That way, you won’t be tempted to pick up and chew on hard, damaging objects.
Skip the Chewy Sweets
If your family loves baking for the holidays, you may be indulging in all of your favorite sticky and chewy sweets. Unfortunately, these are the worst choice for your oral health because your saliva isn’t powerful enough to clear the sugar away, attracting harmful oral bacteria. To keep this from happening, be sure to drink plenty of water and brush and floss after you snack on sugary or starchy foods that will stick to your mouth.
There’s nothing that can deflate your holiday spirit like a dental emergency or developing an oral health problem that’s causing you discomfort. That’s why the best way to start the season off is with a checkup and cleaning from your dentist in North Port! Preventive treatment paired with these five dental hygiene tips will ensure that you’re able to spend the most amount of time with your friends and family.
About the Practice
At Shore Dental, we have a team of three highly experienced dentists who are passionate about giving their patients the tools and knowledge they need to enjoy a healthy and happy smile. We focus on providing high-quality and thorough preventive dental care so we can treat our patients’ small oral health issues before they have an opportunity to become more severe. For questions or to schedule a checkup and cleaning, visit our website or call 941-257-0826.