Keeping Up With Dental Health During the Holidays

Holiday season is upon us. That means leftover Halloween candy, cookies, candy canes, eggnog, pies, and deserts aplenty. Despite a lot of social distancing thanks to the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, one thing probably won’t change: holiday food. People may not be meeting up with their friends and family to celebrate Thanksgiving, Halloween, and Christmas, but candy has certainly been flowing freely and the following holidays will see their fare share of desserts and wildly unhealthy food. A lot of Americans even have to worry about putting on extra weight thanks to the glut of rich, fatty, sugary food that marks the festivities. Not only is there more delicious and unhealthy food, the busy season means less time to exercise, making it a double whammy for weight gain. But don’t forget, everything that goes in your mouth comes into contact with your teeth. What can we do to make sure our oral health also stays on point during the holiday season?

Prevention is the best cure

Although it’s harder to maintain a diet with all the good food floating around this time of year, simply abstaining from eating unhealthy food is a surefire way to avoid potential tooth damage. If you are going to partake in some delicious pecan pie or caramel apples, do so moderately. Have one slice, or one candy at a time, and try not to gorge on everything in front of you.

Now of course abstaining from holiday treats is probably not the tastiest option…so read on to find more ways to avoid holiday cavities.

Eat desserts after a meal

Timing is everything, and with sweets, the same applies. Eating desserts/sweets after meals is the best time to do so. Why is this? Because during a meal, the mouth produces extra saliva as part of the chewing process (digestion does begin in the mouth). The extra saliva produced helps lubricate the teeth, preventing bacteria from attaching as easily and thus helping prevent cavities down the road. Eat your desserts after a meal so that the extra saliva in the mouth can put in some work to keep it clean.

The extra saliva production also neutralizes the pH balance (the measure of acidity) in the mouth. Cavities are created when bacteria makes acidic waste while processing sugar. With a less acidic mouth in general you will have less cavity formation.

Minimize sticky sugary food in your diet

Candies, caramels, and more are dangerous not just because of their sugar content – their stickiness clings to the teeth. This helps plaque-causing bacteria to stay right where they want to be. So, as a rule, try to minimize your consumption of sticky treats. Candies are the main culprit (gummies, caramel, candy bars, etc.), but dried fruit can have the same effect. If you do find yourself eating a lot of sticky-sweet goodness, then make sure to drink plenty of water to wash off the teeth during and after.

Alcohol intake isn’t great for you

Hopefully, alcohol is something you consume in moderation anyway. It may be a little hard to do so during holiday festivities, but don’t give up! Alcohol is very solvent, and excessive consumption is tied to tooth and gum damage. Additionally, alcohol dries the mouth out, decreasing saliva flow and making it harder for the mouth to wash out debris and maintain a favorable pH balance. Finally, a lot of holiday alcoholic drinks are loaded with sugar. Sugar is what cavity-causing bacteria feast on. Make sure to drink water, moderate alcohol consumption while you do your own feasting.

Hard stuff can be problematic too

Hard candies and nuts are also often big snack items during the holiday season. Not only are hard candies made entirely of cavity-causing sugar, but if your teeth are weakened to begin with, you risk chipping or breaking teeth while eating them. Hard candies also usually spend a lot of time in the mouth, as they need to be dissolved slowly over time. This increases the exposure of sugars to your teeth. Try to cut down on the hard stuff and remember to drink water if you do have some.

High-carb starchy foods pose their own threats

Potato chips, cake, cookies, pie, pastries…all delicious. Also, all silent tooth killers. These types of starchy foods can easily get stuck between the teeth, causing plaque build-up and leading to cavity formation. Again, drinking water helps, as well as consuming these types of food after a meal, when saliva production is high.

Eat healthy holiday foods

OK, so not many holiday foods are particularly healthy, but there are some great choices. Cheeses have calcium and proteins that are great for the teeth as do lean proteins like fish. The high vitamin count in fish and whole grains help your body absorb more of the essential minerals it needs to repair the teeth.

Don’t forget to keep on top of your dental health

As we say just about every week in our blog, nothing is a substitute for brushing and flossing regularly! Don’t let these good habits slip during the holidays. Additionally, use some of your time off to schedule a dentists appointment. If you are in the Carrollton Texas area, contact us at Josey Lane Dentistry and we would be happy to set up an appointment! You never stop caring for your teeth and neither do we. Happy holidays!