Winter Is Coming! Some Pertinent Oral Healthcare Tips

Taking care of your teeth and gums as colder weather approaches

No doubt, some of you will already have debated whether to put the heating back on, sensing that the colder weather is creeping up on us, and some of you may even have done so. With September only just starting, there is perhaps a little optimism that we might yet have more nice weather but the cooler air tells us that Winter won’t be that far away.

What does the weather have to do with our teeth you might ask? The fact is that a lot of things can affect both our teeth and gums and our habits do change over the year, often in line with the weather. For the benefit of our dental patients in Ashby, Swadlincote and Burton, we thought it would be useful to look at some of these factors and discuss how you can maintain good mouth health during the colder weather to come.

Tooth sensitivity

While those who have sensitive teeth tend to breathe through their nose as much as possible, this isn’t always an easy thing to do, especially if you are exerting yourself through exercise. As the colder air passes over the teeth, anyone who has compromised enamel is likely to experience an increase in their tooth sensitivity, sometimes painfully so.

You could wear a scarf over your mouth, which would help but it is also worth looking at a longer term solution such as a tooth sensitivity toothpaste, or for a more permanent solution, ask our dentists about dental veneers.

Dehydration

When it’s hot, we naturally drink more fluids to try to cool ourselves down. Whilst we are less likely to need to drink water for this reason, the reality is that we do still lose fluid from our body during winter too. As you will know from other blogs, dehydration is a significant factor in gum disease problems so it is important to drink sufficient water, even during the coldest days of winter.

Comfort eating

One problem that most of us will encounter when the weather turns cold is that we are likely to get an urge to eat foods that are high in sugar and fats. This helps us to keep warm and feels soothing to our body. Unfortunately, the high amounts of sugar consumed in this way can only lead to an increased risk of tooth decay. Although some ‘comfort’ eating is almost inevitable, especially when there is nothing else to hand, do try to keep this to a sensible level and try to prepare in advance by either buying or preparing and freezing some healthy foods such as soups and stews instead.

General hygiene

Last winter was a little unusual in that, aside from Covid, there were few cases of colds, flu and other respiratory diseases. This was largely due to lockdowns and the inability to mix indoors in groups, plus the wearing of masks on public transport etc. This could happen again this winter but even if it doesn’t, do make sure to wash your hands regularly and perhaps even consider wearing a mask on buses anyway.

What does this have to do with your teeth? The fact is that when we are ill, many of us will let our oral health care slip to some extent. Consumption of sugary foods and drinks are likely to increase and, especially if we feel unwell, we may well forget, or even deliberately skip, brushing our teeth as we drag ourselves into bed.

Hopefully, there is still time to top up the tan a little but it is also probably time to start thinking about digging out those winter clothes again so that we are ready. If you are already suffering from problems like sensitive teeth, why not arrange an appointment at Alexandra Dental Care so that we can help to rectify this and allow you to have a more comfortable winter ahead.

Burton and Ashby patients can call Alexandra Dental Care on 01283 216347.

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