Oral Care Tips To Keep Your Teeth Healthy During The Holidays

At Bondi Dental, we’re excited about the upcoming holiday festivities–the friends, the gift-giving, and the food of the holiday season.

This is a time for spreading love and joy; that kindness should include a little extra love and kindness for the little friends in our mouths.

Our teeth work overtime during the holidays.

This is why, as we count down our advent calendars and plan our 12 days of Christmas, we need to think about our dental health.

To help that thinking, we’re offering you 4 suggestions for dental-healthy advent calendars and 8 general oral care tips to keep your smile shiny and healthy during the holidays.

Four Tips For Advent Calendars

Replace advent calendar candy with:

1. Sugar-Free Trinkets – Find simple trinkets to fill each day on your calendar instead of candy. The dollar store is great for finding fun items without spending a lot.
2. Holiday Activity Fun – For each day of the month, devise a fun holiday activity you can do together as a family. Put the task on paper and insert one note into your advent calendar every day.
3. Story-A-Day – Nothing compares to a good story. Choose a holiday-themed book for each day of the countdown. Before bed, have your child open a new book and read it with you each night.
4. A Puzzling Treat -A customised puzzle might provide your child an enjoyable challenge. On a blank puzzle, doodle a picture or write a particular message. Separate the puzzle pieces and arrange one on your advent calendar daily.

Eight Oral Care Tips For The Holiday Season

#1. Teeth are for chewing and smiling

This holiday season, use your teeth only for what they’re meant for – chewing and smiling. Anything else will put your oral health at risk. Don’t open packages, tear tape, cut the ribbon, or perform any other tasks that teeth aren’t designed to do.

#2. Practice Moderation

It might be challenging for children to understand the crucial idea of moderation. Be a good example by maintaining equilibrium, particularly when eating. Christmas sweets are delicious but don’t forget to “indulge” in foods that will aid in absorbing the excess sugar.

#3. Be careful with candy

Hard candies can crack your teeth if you bite down on them in the wrong way. If you have to eat candies, let them dissolve in your mouth instead of biting. Also, brush your teeth after eating sugary foods, and only eat them in moderation.

#4. Cigarettes and alcohol

During Christmas, alcohol consumption tends to increase, and even individuals who do not smoke have been known to indulge in one or two cigars. Due to dry mouth, which is brought on by both of these, bacteria are not normally washed away by saliva, which raises the risk of gum disease. The greatest course of action for having healthy teeth and gums is to make sure you don’t smoke or drink too much.

#5. Keep Hands Busy

For both parents and children, Christmas means a vacation from work and school obligations. Although this is calming, spending too much time alone may lead to overindulging in desserts. Play games or play with toys given to family and friends for Christmas. While they play, give them sugar-free chewing gum to keep their hands and mouths occupied!

#6. Watch the wine

Note how this can stain your teeth if you enjoy a lovely red colour. Your white teeth are less vulnerable to damage from white wine. If you want red wine, try to consume it with food to lessen the amount that gets on your teeth. If you do enjoy reds, make sure you brush well.

#7. Water, water, water!

We occasionally get hungry and need to drink water to stay hydrated. Give your loved ones lots of water to help wipe away any sticky, sweet residue left on their teeth and help balance out the food. Offer a range of natural flavours for their ice water, like freshly cut lemon wedges or peppermint leaves.

#8. Don’t forget your Bondi Dental dentist!

Even though the holidays can be hectic, you still need to care for your teeth. Remember to see your dentist in December if you need work done or are due for teeth cleaning.

The Bondi Dental Advantage

This holiday season, celebrate with joy and take proactive steps to ensure our smiles shine bright by following the oral care tips above.

Bondi Dental is located in the Sydney area at Bondi Beach. We offer high-quality dental preventative, restorative, and cosmetic services for all patients, including children. Bondi Dental offers free parking at the rear of the building.

We are open 7 days a week 8am – 8pm!

Call your Bondi dentist on (02) 9365 7187 or see us at 134 Curlewis St in Bondi Beach.