The winter holiday is filled with a variety of mouth-watering foods, like sprinkled sugar cookies, pumpkin and cherry pie, candied apples, and Christmas fudge. Cool peppermint hot chocolate with marshmallows help to take the chill out of the air, while wassel or apple cider warms your insides. Sounds good, doesn’t it? These are wonderfully tantalizing, but also very hard on teeth. So, how can you maintain good oral health, while enjoying the festivities of the holidays?
The first thing to remember is to keep with your normal routine, by brushing and flossing twice daily. For added protection, it may be a good idea to brush more often during the holiday season. Reduce the number of goodies you eat and how often you eat them. If you are just too tempted, eat them all at once and then brush and floss your teeth afterward, so the sugar doesn’t stay on the teeth and cause tooth decay. Get a professional teeth cleaning at Shelly Ereth Barone, before the holiday season, to check for any trouble spots and to start with a fresh, clean mouth.
Be careful about what you eat. Instead of holiday traditions, like peppermint or old-fashioned hard candies, try some sugarless candy or foods with fructose – a natural sugar that is better than the sweet corn syrup prevalent in so many foods. Also, when snacking, chose foods like cheese, crackers, nuts, apples, pears, and the like. Not only are these foods healthier for you, they are much better on your enamel. Our dentist, Dr. Shelly Ereth Barone, may also recommend limiting soda, cider, or spirits that are highly acidic.
To find out more tips, please contact our dental team at 504-832-1164, and let us help you protect your teeth and gums with our preventive dentistry in Metairie, Louisiana.
