Keep Your Teeth Happy While Enjoying Holiday Sweets
The holiday season brings with it an abundance of decadent treats, and few of them are good for your oral health. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t still indulge. Just follow these simple tips to help keep your teeth happy while enjoying holiday sweets.
Mind the Nutty Snacks
Nuts add a bit of nutrition to otherwise unhealthy treats, but in some cases, they can lead to damaged teeth. Nutty snacks like peanut brittle and some kinds of toffee can cause teeth to crack, chip or break. Even whole nuts, like pistachios, can cause problems because many people use their teeth to extract the nut from its shell. It’s best to avoid snacks filled with hard nuts, and if you want to eat whole nuts, use a nutcracker. People who have braces should avoid nuts entirely.
Skip Chewy Candies
Chewy candies, like taffy and caramel, are classic holiday favorites. However, while they seem like a far safer bet than hard treats, you might be surprised. These sticky treats adhere stubbornly to your teeth, which leads to a greater risk of cavities and tooth decay. They can even pull fillings out of teeth. If you must eat chewy snacks, chew them carefully and eat them sparingly.
Rinse After Indulging
While saliva helps to neutralize sugars and acids from foods, it’s often not enough on its own. After you’re finished indulging in your favorites, rinse your mouth out with warm water, making sure to swish it around to get in those hard-to-reach places. Ideally, you should repeat the process two to three times. This will help minimize harm to your teeth until you’re able to brush and floss.
Don’t Chew Hard Candies
When you’re really enjoying that candy cane, sucker or piece of hard toffee, it can be difficult to resist chewing it all. Unfortunately, this is the biggest reason for cracked and chipped teeth during the holidays. It’s best to simply let the candy melt away slowly. Not only will you get to enjoy it longer but you’ll also do your teeth a huge favor.
The holidays are fun for you, but they’re a terror for your teeth. The holiday season is one of the biggest causes of dental problems like cavities, tooth pain and cracked, broken or chipped teeth. If you’re suffering from any of these problems, please contact Daxon Dentistry today. We can help.
