How can you enjoy your holiday treats without ending up facing a cavity-filled smile?

We see it every holiday season – the number of dental emergencies goes through the roof. With all the sweets, special events, and celebrating, oral health can fall by the wayside, and we end up treating our teeth with less care than usual. You and your family don’t have to find yourselves racing to the dentist with a broken filling or painful tooth on hand – instead, try our tips to keep your smile safe.

Protecting Your Smile Throughout the Holiday Season

• Never use your teeth as tools – Your teeth are meant to withstand only so much force. When they’re used to approach the opening of a bottle or a plastic package, disaster often strikes. Patients lose chunks of their enamel, or break existing dental work. Instead of going through this ordeal, take the extra 30 seconds to grab a bottle opener or a pair of scissors. It’s worth it, we promise!
• Choose chocolate candy – When buying Christmas candy for your kids, try to error on the chocolatey side of things. Chocolate melts quickly in the mouth, so it doesn’t linger and cause decay – and it may also have antibacterial properties that fight decay.
• Eat sweets with meals – When you eat a full meal, your mouth produces more saliva, which cleanses your teeth. Encourage your children to eat their candy or treats as a dessert, rather than at isolated moments/as snacks.
• Respect your teeth – Alcohol tends to play a role in plenty of holiday events, and ends up causing a certain amount of dental damage. Whether you accidentally hit your glass or bottle against your front teeth and chip a veneer, or let your consumption get the better of you and find that a tooth is damaged the next day, these are situations you want to avoid. Always keep your teeth in the back of your mind!
• Don’t skip dental exams – With so much going on during the winter months, it’s tough to keep all your appointments. But one missed exam can throw you way off track, especially if it takes some time to reschedule.

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