Potential Dental Pitfalls Of Christmas And The New Year

The festive season can be great fun, but be wary of oral health issues that could arise….

As this is our last blog of 2021, we would like to take the opportunity to wish all of our Bedford patients a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Like many of you, we are keeping our fingers crossed that it will be a much more normal one than last year, although it does look a little bit uncertain again just at the moment.

Like other dental practices around the country, we will be closed for some of the holiday period but if anyone does require emergency care, please call our number as usual and if we are closed, there will be a recorded message with further instruction on what to do next.

Hopefully, no one will need to ring The Dental Centre Bedford over this period. However, accidents can still happen and there are a number of things you can do to minimise the risk of any problems over the next few weeks. Let’s take a look:

Carry on with your regular oral care routine

Whatever else you do, or don’t do this Christmas, do make sure that you maintain your usual teeth cleaning regime; or better still, improve on it. This can be a very tiring time of the year with all the preparations and keeping the kids (and adults) entertained. Add to that the likelihood of excessive alcohol consumption and there is every chance that, by the time you are ready to go to bed, you simply can’t be bothered to brush your teeth. This would be a very bad mistake to make. Even on a normal day, that would mean that your teeth would be coated in sugar whilst you sleep and this could easily be exacerbated given all the additional ‘treats’ consumed at Christmas. So please try to remain diligent with your personal oral care.

Take care with what you eat

As mentioned above, Christmas is a particularly hazardous time of the year for our teeth when it comes to what we eat. Christmas is a time when we let ourselves go and have fun, often ignoring advice about healthy eating etc. In addition to the many extra sweets, there are mince pies and Christmas puddings that are eaten too. Most of these foods are not only full of sugar but are extra sticky, meaning that they will remain on your teeth for a longer period of time.

There are three things that you can do to help:

• Try to moderate what you eat
• After eating, drink water and swill around your mouth before swallowing or spitting. This will help to remove a lot of the sugary food debris.
• As mentioned earlier, brush well and also use floss to remove any sticky food residues from between your teeth.

Drink alcohol in moderation

Many alcoholic drinks contain sugars but there are other potential problems too. Alcohol, as some of you will be aware, often causes a dry mouth. This means that whilst we sleep, the warm and dry oral cavity provides a great breeding ground for potentially harmful bacteria that can lead to gum disease. Alcohol is also sometimes a factor in oral cancer, especially if consumed regularly or to excess. It is also one of the most common reasons for accidents. A fall or collision could badly damage a tooth, requiring urgent dental care.

Try to drink moderately and also try to drink water too so that you avoid becoming dehydrated.

Avoid that celebratory cigar!

Smoking has declined in the UK over the last 20 years or so, and that is good news for both our general and oral health. Smoking not only causes gum disease but is the biggest factor in mouth and oral cancers too. As we often let our guard down a little at Christmas, it might be tempting to ‘just have one for old times sake’ or perhaps partake in a cigar after the Christmas lunch. However tempting this might be, we strongly recommend that you resist. Although one cigar in itself may not be too harmful, it could easily trigger a desire to start smoking again. Just say ‘no’.

Don’t ‘show off’

Dads, we know that some of you have probably done this. Most of us have at some point wanted to impress or show off to our kids, but you would be surprised how many dental visits are caused by people doing things with their teeth which they simply weren’t designed for. Cracking nuts with your teeth is a case in point. However strong your teeth are, they simply aren’t designed to do this and there is a real risk of significant damage if you try. Similarly, NEVER open a bottle with your teeth. Even more innocuous seeming things like opening crisp packets or snapping plastic tags from Christmas presents with our teeth can cause them to chip or break. Always use scissors and if you plan on having nuts in their shells, now is the time to go out and buy yourself a nutcracker!

We hope that the above gives you some food for thought and helps you to get through the Christmas period problem free. As mentioned earlier, if you do require emergency treatment and we are open, we will try to see you as soon as we can. If we are closed, you should still contact The Dental Centre Bedford on 01234 819868 for further instructions.

Happy Christmas Everyone!