The Holiday Season and Your Oral Health: What to Keep in Mind

Oral health – With its family meetings, gift exchanges and huge meals, the holiday season is one of the most joyful times of the year. But to enjoy the festivities as much as possible, we need to make sure to take care of our mouth.

Whether on what foods to avoid, how to maintain your dental hygiene or what to do in case of emergency, Dr. Normand Bach can give you some advice to help you finish the year with a beautiful smile.

Avoid Sweet and Sticky Foods

During the holiday season, people usually offer a wide variety of sweet foods before and after the meals. Sugar is one of the main enemies of dental health, especially if you eat more than the recommended intake.

Foods that are sticky and sweet are even worst, because they allow sugar to stick to the enamel of your teeth, which increases the risk of cavities.

So, if you already anticipate that you won’t be able to take care of your teeth after a meal, it’s important that you avoid foods that stick to your teeth.

Oral Hygiene: Maintain Your Good Habits

For many people, the holiday season is a very busy time. However, it’s important to maintain your good habits. After all, bacteria do not take any days off.

Make sure to brush your teeth after each meal, preferably 30 minutes after you finish eating. This delay is important, because it allows your saliva to do its job in neutralizing certain acids inside the mouth.

Though it’s better to brush your teeth after each meal, brushing before bed is the most important. No matter how tired you are at the end of the day, it is crucial to take the necessary time to take care of your teeth.

You also need to continue using dental floss, at least once a day, to remove food particles that stays stuck between the teeth. Maintaining this habit helps avoiding dental plaque build-up in these areas.

In short, make sure to maintain the good habits necessary for good oral health and:

• Brush your teeth 30 minutes after each meal
• Use dental floss at least once a day
• Never skip brushing your teeth before bed

In case of unforeseen circumstances, say if you are not at home, there are a few tricks you can use to take care of your teeth, even if you do not have the opportunity to brush them. For instance, keep in mind that:

• Eating raw vegetables can help cleaning your teeth a little.
• Cheese stimulates saliva production, which helps fighting bacteria.
• Finally, rinsing your mouth can help reducing the negative consequences of an extended period without brushing your teeth.

These tricks are no alternatives to brushing your teeth! It remains very important that you brush your teeth properly as soon as you get a chance.

Maintaining Your Dental Appliances

Whether it is a bracket or an Invisalign clear aligner, it is important to take care of our dental appliances, even during the holiday season, a time when we often do not know which way to turn.

So, continue to carefully follow your dentist’s recommendations for your treatment.

For example, when you wear an Invisalign aligner, it’s always important to avoid drinks that are overly sweet, because sugar will find its way between the aligner and your teeth. As a result, you increase the risk of cavities.

Moreover, since we remove the Invisalign when we eat, it’s very easy to lose it during the holiday season, when we eat perhaps more often than we usually do. It is therefore very important to keep an eye on your aligner. Otherwise, think about bringing your previous aligner, or the next one, depending on which stage you are in the treatment.

Oral Health: In Case of Emergency

If you have a dental emergency during the holiday season, it’s essential that you book an appointment as soon as possible. If you underwent a serious accident and you have unbearable pain, you should go to the hospital.

Even if you have to postpone or cancel an activity, dental emergencies have to be treated as soon as possible to avoid possible complications and to get the best possible results.

We are there for you during this hectic time of the year. To receive quality dental care, trust Dr. Normand Bach, your orthodontist in Montreal.