Neglecting Healthy Habits
Even if you're not traveling far this year, the holidays tend to disrupt our normal habits. With time off work, scheduling zoom calls, visiting nearby family, buying presents, and other holiday activities... It can be hard to keep up with important dental and hygiene habits. Make your health a priority and set reminders to brush and floss your teeth every day, bring a refillable water bottle with you to stay hydrated, and carry floss picks and travel mouthwash with you to stay fresh.
Overindulging
During the holidays, it can be hard to manage your impulse control. After all, how often do you have a full feast of delicious foods and desserts spread out in front of you?! Not only do we tend to eat too much during the holidays, but we also tend to eat too often. As you spend time in the kitchen with your family preparing dishes for dinner, you could fall into a bad habit of snacking all day. It's just a taste test, right? Unfortunately, if you are eating food all day - especially food high in sugar and fat - that means it's in contact with your teeth for a longer amount of time. The longer food is in contact with your teeth, the more opportunity bacteria has to grow and accumulate. Try to avoid snacking throughout the day in order to keep your teeth feeling fresh. If you do choose to snack during the day, be sure to drink plenty of water to flush away food particles.
Food & Drink Selections
In addition to eating too much and too often over the holidays, we tend to make worse choices. Instead of eating a lightly seasoned fish filet with steamed veggies, we indulge in gravy-smothered dishes high in carbs, fat, and sugar. It can be easy to make excuses for the holidays, especially when you think ahead to January and promise yourself that your resolutions will make up for the bad choices now. Unfortunately, the bad food choices you make over the holidays can do more than just add pounds. Bacteria feed on sugar, so the more sweets you consume over the holidays, the more the bacteria in your mouth can grow. If you choose to indulge this season, try to limit the amount of sugar you consume, and make sure to rinse your mouth and brush your teeth after a particularly sugar-rich meal.
Visit Access Dental!
You should see a dentist every 6 months to make sure your teeth are in good condition and don't have any serious issues. If it's been a while since your last check-up, after the holidays could be the perfect time. Access Dental and Dentures has several convenient locations in southern Missouri, and we would love to help you keep you teeth in top condition year after year. Give us a call to learn more and schedule an appointment!
