Some Christmas Thoughts From Our Burton And Ashby Dental Team

A little gentle oral care advice to help you have a problem free Christmas

Undoubtedly, for many of us, this will be a very different Christmas than in previous years. Some of us may choose not to meet up at all whilst others may be more careful than before. In many areas, pubs and clubs will be closed and the usual socialising at this time of the year is likely to be heavily curtailed.

Having said all of that, Christmas will go ahead of course, and some things will almost certainly not change. The exchanging of gifts, the traditional Christmas dinner and also some of the traditional habits that can be potentially harmful to our teeth and gums. In the hope of minimising the number of post Christmas dental ‘emergency’ visits to Alexandra Dental Care, we offer some timely advice on how to look after your teeth and gums this Christmas.

Go easy on sweet treats – We know that most of us will indulge over the festive period and boxes of sweets, toffees and other sugary products will be eaten. Try to keep this to a sensible level though and especially try not to ‘graze’. It is better to eat several sweets in a short period of time and then leave a gap than it is to eat the same number over a longer period of time. Short bursts allow saliva to flush away the sugars whilst grazing provides an almost constant supply of sugar for our oral bacteria to feed upon.

Mind the alcohol – By all means enjoy yourself, and for many of us, that means having a drink or two. Alcohol is potentially harmful, especially for our gums. This is due to it often causing a dry mouth which allows the bacteria that can contribute to gum disease to multiply. If you do drink, make sure to stay well hydrated by drinking water as well. Too much alcohol can also lead to accidents and a broken tooth could result in a visit to have it restored using a crown.

Don’t smoke – This festive period is a time when many people that have stopped smoking may be tempted to start again. Especially with the difficult year that we have all had, this might be especially tempting. Please do try to resist doing this. Smoking is not only one of the biggest contributors to gum disease but also to potentially deadly diseases such as oral cancer. Just say no … even to a ‘one off’ Christmas cigar.

Clean your teeth – It should be obvious but Christmas can break our routines and, for some, can be particularly tiring, especially if you have children. At times like this, we may well forget to clean our teeth, or at least to give them no more than a cursory brushing. Especially as we are likely to have eaten a lot of sugary products, it is important to remember to both brush your teeth for two minutes and to floss, however tired you might be. Don’t be tempted to sneak a last mince pie before you go to bed either if you have already brushed your teeth. The only thing you should consume after this is water. Anything else is potentially damaging as you sleep.

And finally – A reminder that the little things that we might do without thinking can have a devastating effect on our teeth. Two things that spring to mind is a reminder that it’s not a good idea to put a coin in the Christmas pudding. Although this is much less common than it used to be, anyone considering doing this should remember that it could lead to a broken tooth, or even worse, choking.  Another thing we might do is to use our teeth to open things that we shouldn’t. Whether this is a bottle of beer or the wrapper on a Christmas gift, it can lead to chipped or broken teeth, and, in the case of a bottle, potentially serious facial injury.

We hope that these tips help you to have a trouble free Christmas and we hope that you all have a great one despite the current situation. This may be our last blog before the holidays (or we may squeeze one more in). In case it is though, we wish all our Burton and Ashby patients a very Merry Christmas from all at Alexandra Dental Care!

Yogi Savania – GDC number 64763

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