3 Tips To Keep Your Teeth Healthy This Holiday Season
Posted on: 23 December 2014
The holidays are well known for often wrecking havoc on a person's diet. But while you might primarily be worried about how all of those holiday sweets will affect your waistline, there is another part of your body that you might want to pay close attention to during this time of year: your teeth and gums. All of that sugar that often ends up in your mouth during the holiday season can do quite a bit of damage to your health even before it works its way down to your stomach.
Here are a few tips for keeping your teeth and gums healthy at holiday parties and for when it's time to open those all those presents:
Eat Before the Party or Bring Your Own Snack
During the holiday season, you'll likely get invited to more than one holiday party. Each new gathering you attend is another opportunity to splurge on all of those cookies and other sweets that you see laid out before you. One way you can help curtail your hunger is to make sure you don't show up at the party on an empty stomach. You can accept a piece of your dessert from your host if you don't want to be rude, the problem only comes in when you start munching on everything you see for a prolonged period of time.
You could also consider bringing a healthier alternative with you. Just explain to your host that you are on a diet and that should be enough. No need to even mention your teeth.
Opt for Treats That Are Easier to Chew, Up to a Point
If you must partake in at least some of the sugary goodness at the snack table, try to stick to foods that will quickly dissolve in your mouth. Avoid hard candies or treats like fruitcake that may have harder chunks of food inside of them. Those harder foods can wear down your tooth enamel over time. At the same time, you don't want the snacks that you eat to be so chewy that they end up coating your teeth for the rest of the night. Anything with chocolate is usually bad news.
Scissors Are Much More Effective Than Your Teeth
Think about the last time someone gave you a present and you had trouble opening the box? What did you do to cut through the tape or ribbon? Hopefully the answer is you got up from your seat, grabbed a pair of scissors or a small knife and cut the box open appropriately. But sadly, some people are not that patient.
Using your teeth to cut through a ribbon or some other restriction that is keeping you from getting to your present is pretty common. But you should realize that every time you use this method to open your present, you are putting your teeth in harm's way. Don't risk a cracked tooth, go get the scissors and be safe about it. Your present will still be in the box when you get back.
The holiday season is a fun time for all, but it's also a season when some may overlook their dental health. Take care with what you are putting in your mouth during this time of year, or consider taking steps to pass on all of those holiday sweets entirely. When it's finally time to open your presents, use the proper tool for the job, not your teeth. To learn more, contact a company like Family Dental Office with any questions you have.
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