During the holidays, people love enjoying family receipts with their loved ones. People’s tables are full of amazing desserts, traditional drinks, and grandma’s wonderful receipts. If you do not take the proper steps, these marvelous treats can hurt your teeth. Here are some steps you can take to keep a beautiful smile.
Step 1: Continue Practicing Good Oral Hygiene
Brushing your teeth at least twice a day is important for your oral health for multiple reasons. Your mouth is full of bacteria that accumulate if you do not brush your teeth. This harmful bacteria can hurt your teeth by creating high levels of acid that eventually lead to holes in your mouth called cavities. You should always carry a portable toothbrush in your handbag or car to avoid forgetting to do so. Remember to continue flossing and using mouthwash daily to further strengthen your teeth.
Step 2: Try Balancing Your Diet
During the holiday season, delicious treats are everywhere. The tables are full of cookies, brownies, pies, and even cakes. To be realistic, avoiding these delicious desserts is hard. One step you can try to take is limiting the number of desserts and high-calorie foods you consume. Eating natural sugars in fruit or low-fat yogurt with minimal sugar can help reduce the probability of developing cavities. If you bring these types of healthier desserts with you during a potluck or family gathering, it might make it easier for you to avoid high-calorie desserts and food. To prevent cavities from forming you may also want to avoid snacking constantly. Eating constantly allows more bacteria to accumulate in your mouth.
Also, the chances of you developing diabetes are higher if you eat a poor diet. Diabetes is linked to oral health complications which lead to tooth loss. For example, the chances of you developing a condition that dries your mouth are higher when you have diabetes. Taking care of your teeth is important to protect your overall health.
Step 3: Drink Plenty of Water
Brushing your teeth is only one of the ways you reduce the level of acid in your teeth. Another habit that also minimizes our mouth’s acidic level is drinking water. Drinking water not only helps your digestive system but also washes away any food or bacteria in your mouth that leads to bad breath and dental cavities. You should increase the amount of water you drink particularly if you are drinking alcohol or foods high in sugar levels. Alcohol dehydrates you and can severely damage your teeth. Carrying refillable water bottles with you can help you drink the water level you need to ensure a healthy smile.
Step 4: Schedule a checkup appointment with your dentist
Holiday seasons can be a very chaotic time period. You may forget to practice the steps previously mentioned. If that is the case, visiting your dentist to avoid oral health complications is a good idea.
If over the holidays you are near Chicago, IL, and you have severe pain or lose a tooth, at Chicago Dental Implants there are skilled implantologists available who provide a variety of cosmetic and implant dentistry solutions. Our medical team has 20 years of experience in treating complex dental reconstructive cases and has provided patients with life-changing results. The treatments available include:
If you have severe tooth pain or you already have missing teeth you may be the right candidate for one of these procedures. To schedule an appointment immediately with Chicago Dental Implants by calling (312) 951-8338.