4 Top Tips for Healthy Teeth at Christmas

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4 Top Tips for Healthy Teeth at Christmas

Christmas time is a time when we take a break from the daily grind and indulge ourselves. There are a few things we can do to help make sure our mouths and teeth stay healthy.

1. Lollies and Sweet Treats

There are lots of chances for over-indulgence at Christmas, both for adults and kids. From a dental point of view it is the frequency of consumption of foods with high amounts of processed sugars, rather than the the actual amount. What this means is that you are better off having a nice serve of Christmas dessert, rather than constantly going back and forth and grazing on all the various treats floating around. It may also be a good time to turn a little blind eye to all the sweets Nanna has given the kids so they disappear as quickly as possible. Finally, remember these sugars can come in many forms both, solid and liquid, and they all add up.

2. Alcohol

Many alcoholic (and non-alcoholic) drinks are acidic, and these acids soften the surface of your teeth. Alcohol also causes dehydration, which means you have less saliva, so it takes longer to neutralize these acids, and remineralise (harden) your teeth. If you then go and brush your teeth before you go to bed (which we should all be doing), the abrasives in the toothpaste, and the scrubbing action, can abrade the surface of the tooth, and once tooth structure is gone, we can’t grow it back.

You are better off just having a really good rinse with water and rubbing a little Tooth Mousse or Toothpaste into your teeth and leaving it there. This will help reduce the acidity, and provide your mouth with the right minerals as your teeth reharden, without stripping away the surface layer. I know it sounds wrong, but in these cases it is definitely better for your teeth. Also remember to drink lots of water.

3. Kids Toys

This one is for the Dads. Every year the emergency wards around Australia are filled with Dads who want to show that they have still got it by riding their kids Hoverboard, or Ripstick, doing flips on the new Trampoline. Unfortunately we aren’t as young or as agile as we once were, and disaster often follows. Collarbones, wrists, knees and ankles seen to be the most common injuries, but sometimes we break our fall with our face.

If you do break a tooth try and find the piece and bring it in, because sometimes we can reattach the fragments. If you actually manage to knock out a tooth you need to get it replanted as quickly as possible. Try not to touch the root and place the tooth in sterile saline if you have it, or milk if you don’t and find a dentist ASAP.

Front tooth knocked out

3 Months later. Tooth reinserted, splinted and root treated

4. Don’t forget to Pack your Toothbrush

In the rush when we are going away, toothbrushes and other oral hygiene aids can easily be left behind. the oral care packs Melany gives out at your Hygiene visits are perfect for taking away on trips.

On behalf of everyone at Plaza Dental I would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy new Year. We look forward to seeing you all next year.

Dr Martin Cahill

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