It should go without saying that the winter holidays are fun. After all, they’re filled with feasts, festivities, and loving families! Still, these special occasions do have their downsides. The truth is that the holidays are bad for oral health. Unless you’re careful, they often lead to weaker teeth and gums. So, your Copperas Cove dentist wants to offer some help. Here’s how the holidays can harm your grin and what you should do in response.
How the Holidays Harm Oral Health
Put simply, the winter holidays encourage bad dental habits. The most notable of these are junk food grazing and poor oral care. When combined, the two actions usually cause various mouth problems.
Junk Food Grazing
Of course, there are many sweet treats to snack on during winter. Some common ones include chocolates, peppermints, hot cocoa, and more. However, grazing on them is awful for your mouth. Such items are packed with sugar, which triggers cavities and gum disease. Worse yet, constant eating leads to a dry mouth – an issue that causes harmful bacteria growth.
Poor Oral Care
Sadly, winter holidays tempt many to skip oral care. (They often involve plans that make regular brushing and flossing hard.) As such, the lack of teeth cleaning will raise your odds of tooth decay. This same neglect will also put you at risk of gum disease and similar infections.
What Can You Do About It?
All that said, the holiday season doesn’t have to ruin your oral health. Just keep your smile safe with better oral practices. Examples of these include the following:
- Stick to Meal Times – Rather than graze all day, only eat at proper meal times. That means stashing food away when it’s not breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
- Drink Water Often – As tasty as soda and wine are, they erode and stain tooth enamel. Drink water instead, as it’s sugar-free, non-acidic, and great for oral rinses.
- Pack a Dental Kit – Before any holiday traveling starts, pack a dental kit. (A good one will include your toothbrush, mini-toothpaste, floss, and mini-mouthwash.) By doing so, you’ll be ready to clean your teeth at any time.
Yes, the holidays are bad for oral health. Even so, you can overcome their dental difficulties with the tips and tricks above!
About the Practice
Benchmark Family Dental sits at the border of Copperas Cove, TX. Run by Dr. Caraveo, our practice seeks to give thriving grins to all its patients. We thus offer preventive, cosmetic, and restorative services, as well as urgent oral care. That way, our team can improve oral health in its little corner of Texas. For other details or to book a visit, please reach us on our website or by phone at (254)-547-4866.