The rule book gets thrown out of the window in most homes over the Christmas period. It’s the only time of the year when drinking Buck’s Fizz for breakfast and eating chocolate and mince pies directly afterwards is deemed acceptable. If you do that at any other time of the year people will say you’ve got a serious problem!
The holiday season allows people to let their hair down and take a much-needed break from work. However, the lack of structure to a day, combined with a never-ending flow of alcohol, can cause people to lose track of time and forget what day it is. Every day will feel like a Sunday as you entertain guests or go to visit relatives.
There is no routine at Christmas and everyday tasks can be forgotten about. But there’s one thing you must not forget to do in order to keep your teeth, mouth and gums healthy and that’s brush your teeth twice a day or run the risk of tooth decay.
You will be faced with an array of sugary treats over the festive period. From sweets and chocolates to syrupy drinks and cocktails, your teeth and waistband can take a right beating. But while you can hit the gym in January and fight the flab, it’s much harder to combat the effects of sugar and tooth decay if you forget the basic rituals of brushing your teeth morning and night.
Just two minutes twice a day can ensure you have a great Christmas, keep your teeth in check and prevent tooth decay.
But there are other potential hazards that you should try and avoid at Christmas time. Eating too many nuts and Christmas toffees can lead to a trip to the dentist. Toffees are notoriously sticky and can pull off crowns and fillings, while cracking nuts with your teeth could shatter your molars.
Wrapping up Christmas presents seems a pretty innocuous task for teeth, but what do you do when the scissors aren’t close by and you have a parcel to wrap? You tear off a piece of Sellotape with your teeth, don’t you. Well, don’t. It may not seem that risky, but doing this puts pressure on your teeth and can crack or weaken teeth.
Then there’s the party animals who have had one too many and think they are Jaws from the James Bond films. Why search the kitchen for the bottle opener when I can use my teeth? If you get to this state it’s probably time to go home before you are left with serious dental damage. You can crack teeth putting that much pressure on them, resulting in a costly trip to the dentist.
You should also try to refrain from too much Prosecco and modern-day ciders. Their high levels of acid and sugar can put great strain on your teeth.
By all means enjoy yourself and have a great Christmas. 2019 has been a tough year for everyone so please have fun. But please, please, please, most importantly take care of your teeth.
