Hot Weather Oral Health Care

Taking care of your teeth and gums in this pleasant but challenging weather.

Hopefully, most of our Ashby and Swadlincote patients are enjoying this rare spell of hot weather. Given how little of it we tend to get, it makes sense to take advantage of it where we possibly can. A lengthy spell of hot weather though, can present some additional challenges when it comes to looking after our teeth and gums.

In today’s blog, our Alexandra Dental Care dentists take a look at some of these risks, and how to address them.

Cool fizzy drinks

When we are out and about and start to feel thirsty, it can be the easiest thing in the world to pop into a nearby shop for a cool and refreshing drink from the cooler. There is little doubt that these provide immediate satisfaction and help to make you feel refreshed again. The trouble with many of these drinks though, is that they are likely to be very high in sugar, and, in many cases, fruit acids too. However natural these are, they can cause damage to your tooth enamel. Consuming an excess over a period of hot weather could cause significant damage.

Dehydration

Leading on from the issue above, we naturally want to stay well hydrated when the weather is hot. Not only will this make us feel better, but it is beneficial for our general health too. The immediate pleasure of a soft drink may feel great, but is far less effective than water in actually rehydrating us. Water is also free from sugar and is not acidic so there is nothing better for rehydrating us and helping our mouths stay moist. This helps to keep the number of bacteria that can lead to gum disease, to a minimum and it is also useful in flushing away small pieces of food that have become stuck between and on our teeth.

A nice cold beer … but!

Most of you will have noticed that the World Cup is currently happening, and that England are doing quite well for a change! Despite the CO2 shortage in the country, you can be sure that alcohol consumption has increased over the last few weeks. A combination of the World Cup and the hot weather will have made sure of that.

Whilst an occasional cold beer will do little harm; consuming it regularly, and in significant quantities can have a number of detrimental effects. As mentioned above, a dry mouth can increase the risk of gum disease, but also, when drunk to excess, accidents are far more likely to happen. A stumble could easily result in the loss of teeth if you hit your face when you fall. It is also worth saying that alcohol has also been implicated as one of the possible causes of oral cancers. So please monitor your drink and stay safe.

We hope that these few tips will help to keep your teeth damage-free until the cooler weather returns (which we suspect will not be long!) If you do need to see a dentist for any reason, and live in the Ashby and Swadlincote area, please call Alexandra Dental Care on 01283 216347 to arrange an appointment with us. Our team are on hand to help and we look forward to meeting you.

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