Here’s How to Enjoy Holiday Treats While Keeping Your Teeth Healthy

For many families, the holiday season, from Thanksgiving right through New Year’s Day, is a time of excess. You may enjoy more decadent treats than usual and also feel greater stress. That can be a bad combination for your oral health. 

Dr. Stephen Hiroshige and his staff wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season! We also wish you excellent dental health. Whether you’re concerned about your teeth looking less white than you’d prefer, or you worry the holidays will lead to the need for fillings, we can help. 

Here are our best tips on how to keep your teeth healthy during the indulgent holiday season. 

Begin with a healthy foundation

Make sure that your daily dental hygiene routine is excellent. Brush for at least two minutes, twice each day. Use a soft brush, and be sure to get along your gum line. 

Floss once each day. Flossing is perhaps the most skipped step in at-home dental hygiene, but it’s crucially important in keeping your teeth healthy. 

Drink plenty of water each day. It’s good for your body, and it helps to rinse away debris and bacteria from your teeth. 

Don’t skip dental appointments

The holidays are busy. There’s making cookies and other special foods, shopping, decorating, more parties than usual, and generally more to do than most of the rest of the year. 

Under such circumstances, it might be tempting to cancel your regular dental checkup, but we encourage you to make the time. 

Having your teeth professionally cleaned at regular intervals is one of the best ways to avoid gum disease. No matter how carefully you brush and floss at home, there are areas in your mouth you simply can’t reach—but we can. 

Watch the sticky sweets

Candy canes, fudge, and many other holiday sweets tend to be sticky, which is terrible for your teeth. The bacteria that lead to tooth decay thrive on the sugars, and the stickiness means those sugars are on your teeth longer. 

Keep the sticky items to a minimum, and when you do consume them, consider brushing about 30 minutes later. You don’t want to brush too soon, because you could end up brushing around the acids your mouth naturally produces. 

Think about drinks

Beverages like hot apple cider or hot chocolate can be bad for your dental health for the same reasons as sweet foods. Alcohol consumption tends to increase around the holidays, as well, which can also impact your teeth. 

Be sure to drink plenty of water, and regularly brush your teeth to keep them healthy when you’re drinking more sweet or alcoholic beverages than usual. 

Attend to your overall health

Good oral health is part of good overall health, and the same principles apply to both. During the holidays, it’s easy to get caught up in the rush and bustle. Doing the things you normally do to keep yourself healthy amid all the holiday activities can help. 

Prioritize sleep, get enough physical exercise, and keep balanced nutrition in mind. Moderation is always a good way to approach indulgences. Maintaining your usual healthy habits goes a long way toward balancing out what can be an excessive time. 

If you have specific questions about how to keep your mouth healthy, or if it’s time for your regular checkup, schedule an appointment with Dr. Hiroshige.