Staying Cool, Looking ‘Cooler’

Maintaining healthy teeth during the hot weather

It probably won’t take long until we start to complain about the heat (if it lasts that long, of course), but many of us will have been taking full advantage of the recent hot weather this weekend. Especially with the various restrictions that we have had in our lives recently, it is understandable that we want to let our hair down, especially when we can safely do so outdoors without donning our hats and scarves!

Hot weather can contribute to a few dental problems though, but these are largely avoidable with a little care. So, for our local Ashby, Swadlincote and Burton patients, here are a few words of advice on maintaining a healthy mouth during this mini heatwave.

Dehydration

Dehydration can be very dangerous in some cases but most of us will have easy access to drinks and, providing that we remember to rehydrate, this shouldn’t really be a problem. It is important that we do drink regularly in this type of heat though, not only to minimise the risk of heat related problems but also because dehydration will leave you with a dry mouth. As regular readers of Alexandra Dental Care blogs will be aware, this is often a good indicator that gum health issues could follow.

Whilst we do encourage you to stay well hydrated during the hot weather, it is also important that we avoid or minimise the consumption of certain types of drinks that can cause significant harm to our teeth.

Sugary drinks

We have probably all been tempted by an ice cold can or bottle of drink when the weather is hot, and there is no denying the pleasure of that first mouthful of cold liquid which cools us down. Unfortunately, many of these drinks are also full of sugar and as they pass over the teeth, sticking to them, you won’t be surprised to hear that quite a lot of damage can be caused, especially if you drink this type of drink regularly.

Tooth decay is an obvious problem but enamel erosion, especially of the front teeth can cause significant discomfort too as it can lead to very sensitive teeth. If this occurs, that cold drink won’t be such a relief and you may well experience sharp pains on the exposed teeth. Partially because of the prevalence of high sugar drinks, this seems to be a growing problem and once the teeth are affected in this way, you may have to consider solutions such as the fitting of teeth veneers to try to resolve the problem. Our advice, as well as brushing and flossing your teeth well, is to stick to water for rehydration purposes.

Alcohol

We have covered sugar in non-alcoholic drinks already but it is worth also noting that most alcoholic drinks contain sugar too. There is an additional problem in that not only can drinking alcohol lead to dehydration but the risk of an accident also significantly increases.  It is likely that some dentists will be seeing patients today who have had accidents caused by alcohol during barbeques and parties over the weekend and who will need various types of teeth restoration treatments, for example dental crowns. By all means have a drink or two, but please do so in moderation and try to combine it with plenty of water in order to avoid becoming dehydrated.

We hope that you all continue to enjoy the hot weather while it lasts but please do remember to give some thought to your oral health.

If you are from the Ashby, Swadlincote or local Burton areas and are not registered with a dentist but would like to do so, please contact Alexandra Dental Care by calling us on 01283 216347.

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