Don’t Let The Grinch Steal Your Family’s Smiles! [BLOG]
Now that your family’s teeth have survived Halloween and Thanksgiving, you’re faced with yet another threat to their beautiful, healthy smiles!
Christmastime treats! But don’t worry!
Our team at Alluring Smiles is here to help in our continued commitment to your family’s oral health. Today, we’re sharing ways to keep everyone’s teeth and gums in your household safe from the Grinch so he won’t steal their smiles!
The Holidays Mean Higher Sugar Intake
It’s no secret that sugar is bad for your teeth. That doesn’t mean you have to totally deprive yourself, or your family, from all the glorious holiday treats of the season!
It does mean, however, that some awareness and caution are in order to keep your family’s smiles protected from the damage sugar can cause. When the harmful bacteria in your mouth grabs hold of the sugar left behind from pie, cookies, and candy, it will feed on it and create acids.
These acids put your teeth and gums under attack, leading to an increased risk of cavities and gum disease. But Dr. Portocarrero and our team at Alluring Smiles wants to help keep that from happening to your family!
Keep The Grinch From Stealing Your Family’s Smiles
Here are a few helpful hints on keeping your family’s teeth and gums safe from the Grinch this year!
Leave Hard Sweets & Gooey Treats For The Grinch
Let the Grinch keep the hard candy canes and gooey caramel this year. That’s because these are two types of holiday treats that are bad for your teeth. Sticky candy likes to hang around in your mouth, giving bacteria a longer time to feed on the sugar left behind.
As far as hard candy, they can cause you to injure a tooth, which isn’t something you should have to deal with at Christmastime!
Use Tools For Opening Gifts, Not Your Teeth
If you’re a parent, you know just how tough it is to unleash your kids’ toys from packages these days! It seems like standard tape or thin twisty ties aren’t enough to hold items in place. Now, you have to fight with zip ties to free toys from boxes.
While you’re ripping through all the presents this year, keep scissors and other cutters nearby so you won’t be tempted to use your teeth as tools. You don’t want a dental emergency to cut your family’s gift giving short!
Rinse With Water Between Meals
Everyday, your body creates saliva, and this is part of what helps keep your teeth and gums clean in between brushing. But during the holidays when you’re likely to be snacking on sugary treats throughout the day, it’s beneficial to give your body some extra help!
Rinsing your mouth with water will keep your family’s smiles safe from the excess sugar that might try to hide between your teeth. Keeping water close by through the holidays will help give your teeth some extra protection from cavities.
Stay Consistent With Oral Hygiene
Christmastime brings out the traveler in us all. You might be heading out of town to stay with distant relatives for the holidays. This is such a great opportunity to catch up and spend quality time together.
But you also know how traveling disrupts your normal routine. In fact, even if you’re staying home, your routine is different! The kids are off of school, and you’re busy with added preparations for parties and other events.
Through it all, it can be easy to forget your oral hygiene regimen. Especially with all the added sugar of the season, you’ll want to make sure you keep up with daily brushing and flossing. Placing your oral care tools out in the open where you know you’ll see them will make it easier for your family to stay consistent.
Schedule Your Family’s Next Checkup!
We love to see you and your family at least twice a year for your dental cleanings and exams. This is an important part of prevention so your teeth and gums are safe from cavities and gum disease.
This time of year is perfect for dental checkups because it’s a great way to help your mouth recover from the holidays and to start the new year with fresh and clean smiles in your family!
Call us today at 480-830-6300 or fill out our online form to schedule an appointment.
