Holiday Dental Survival Guide: Protect Your Teeth During December
Short on Time? Here’s a Quick Summary:
To protect your teeth during the holidays, brush twice daily, limit sugary foods and drinks, consume plenty of water, avoid using your teeth on packages, and manage stress to prevent grinding. Burnaby residents should also consider using end-of-year dental benefits for a cleaning or whitening before holiday photos.
The holiday season is here with all its sweet treats and sugary (and acidic!) drinks. Each of these brings a unique risk—from chipped teeth to tooth decay— to your oral health. At Kensington Square Dental, we believe in educating our clients at our dental clinic in Burnaby, so they know how to enjoy the holidays (and all the goodies) and take care of their smile. And with all the photos being taken at this time of year, we know you want your smile to look its best. So here is our best advice for how you can protect and care for your teeth this holiday season.
Maintain Your (Good) Oral Hygiene Habits
The simplest thing you can do to protect your teeth this holiday season is keep doing what you’re doing. This is, of course, assuming you have excellent oral hygiene habits. Just in case, let’s quickly refresh what good dental care habits include: flossing daily, brushing your teeth twice a day for two minutes at a time, staying hydrated, and of course, visiting your dentist every six months for a cleaning. If you are already taking good care of your oral health, just stay committed to your routine.
However, we do understand that the holidays often mean a disruption to routine for many of our Burnaby patients. With family visits, parties with friends, and work holiday events, your usual schedule is out the chimney, making it easy to forget to pause and take care of your oral health. Here are a few tips to help you stay consistent:
Dental Tips to Protect Your Teeth During the Holidays:
- Set reminders on your phone so you don’t forget to brush
- Leave yourself a Post-it note on your bathroom mirror reminding you to floss
- A Great Season Ahead. Go Bulldogs!
Enjoy Holiday Treats in Moderation
None of the team at Kensington Square Dental are going to tell you not to enjoy your Mom’s famous holiday cookies. However, we do suggest enjoying them in moderation, as the sugar that makes her cookies so tasty can have negative effects on your teeth. Excess sugar can lead to tooth decay, not to mention being associated with many health conditions.
Be careful when you’re eating any sticky or crunchy foods as well. Those holiday-spiced nuts, or toffees, can be dangerous for your teeth, with risks of breaking teeth or damaging fillings, crowns, or dentures.
There is a direct relationship between the foods we eat and our oral health, just as our oral health can affect the foods we eat. For instance, eating excess sugar can negatively affect our teeth, leading to problems like tooth decay and pain, and having tooth decay and pain can make eating difficult and unpleasant, which may impact the foods we eat.
Bottom line: enjoy your holiday treats, but do so carefully and with moderation.
Dental Tips to Protect Your Teeth Against Holiday Treats:
- Drink plenty of water to help keep your mouth clean.
- Wait 30 minutes after eating before brushing your teeth. Use a fluoride toothpaste.
- Use dental floss or a toothpick to make sure there’s no sticky candy residue left behind.
Best Practices for Holiday Drinks
Food isn’t the only potential holiday treat that poses a risk to your oral health; all those holiday drinks do too. From sugary, holiday-flavoured coffees to glasses of wine at all the dinners and parties, this time of year is full of sugary and acidic drinks that can harm your teeth. As with your food, enjoying these holiday drinks in moderation is a great place to start when it comes to protecting your oral health, but we do have a few more helpful hints for you.
Dental Tips to Protect Your Teeth From Holiday Drinks:
- If using a straw isn’t possible (say you don’t want any strange looks sipping wine from a straw), alternate your drink with a glass of water to rinse your mouth.
- Use a straw whenever possible. (An environmentally friendly straw, of course. Reusable glass straws, or these portable stainless steel straws, can make excellent stocking stuffers.)
Use Scissors, Not Your Teeth
From champagne bottles to presents, many people have a bad habit of using their teeth on tough-to-open items. This can easily lead to chipped or broken teeth. Use the proper tools for the job and avoid an emergency trip to the dentist.
Manage Holiday Stress to Avoid Grinding Your Teeth
If you grind your teeth or clench your jaw muscles when you are stressed, the holidays can be a difficult time. Grinding your teeth can slowly wear away enamel and erode your teeth, leading to the need for procedures like crowns in the future.
Dental Tips to Protect Your Teeth From Holiday Stress:
- Try to find healthy coping mechanisms for stress, like deep breathing exercises and meditation. Even screaming into a pillow would be better than clenching your jaw and grinding your teeth.
- Talk to your dentist about getting fitted for a mouth guard to help with grinding during your sleep.
Make Use of Your Benefits
If you have access to extended health coverage, use it. Kensington Square Dental offers direct billing to most health insurance providers, making it even easier for you to save money while caring for your health. A fresh cleaning will also help your smile shine even brighter for holiday photos.
Dental Tips for Using Your Extended Health Benefits:
- Call to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. The holidays are a busy time of year, as many people try to use up their benefits before they expire.
Bonus: Schedule a Teeth Whitening Treatment for Holiday Photos
Photos with friends. Photos at the staff Christmas Party. Family holiday photos. Photos of all the Christmas activities. The holiday season is filled with photos, and we want you to feel confident in smiling in every one of them.
We offer professional teeth whitening at-home kits that can help your teeth look whiter and brighter for photos. You can add this service to your regular check-in appointment or book it separately. Give our dental office a call, and one of our team members will be happy to help you schedule an appointment. Please keep in mind, at-home whitening kits are a 2-appointment process; plan accordingly if you are interested in this service.
Holiday Dental FAQ
1. How can I protect my teeth during the holidays?
Brush twice a day, floss once daily, drink plenty of water, and limit sugary or acidic treats. Staying consistent with your hygiene routine is the best way to prevent cavities and sensitivity during the holidays.
2. Which holiday foods are most harmful to teeth?
Sticky candies, toffees, hard nuts, and crunchy treats pose the biggest risks. They can crack teeth, damage fillings, or cling to enamel, leading to decay.
3. Do holiday drinks really cause tooth damage?
The short answer is, yes. Sugary coffees, hot chocolates, cocktails, and wine are acidic or high in sugar. These drinks can weaken enamel and cause staining. Using a straw or rinsing with water helps reduce the impact.
4. Why does stress make me grind my teeth during the holidays?
Stress activates jaw muscles, leading to clenching and grinding—often while you sleep. This can wear down enamel or cause jaw pain. A custom night guard can help protect your teeth.
5. Should I book a dental cleaning before the end of the year?
Definitely. Many insurance plans reset in January, so December is a great time to use your benefits. A professional cleaning also helps your smile look its best for holiday photos.
6. What should I do if I chip a tooth on holiday food?
Rinse your mouth, avoid chewing on that side, and call your dentist as soon as possible. Holiday foods like nuts and hard candies are common causes of chipped teeth.
7. Can teeth whitening help with holiday photos?
Yes. Professional whitening brightens your smile quickly and safely. You can book it alongside your regular checkup at our Burnaby clinicYes. Professional whitening brightens your smile quickly and safely. Custom kits are a 2-appointment process. Plan accordingly if this interests you!