With Christmas just around the corner, it’s almost time to indulge in your favourite food and drink. But don’t panic. If you’ve got a brace on or if you’re taking particular care of your oral health, you needn’t deprive yourself of all the traditional gastronomy this Christmas. Here are 3 important pointers about how to maintain healthy teeth and a healthy brace at Christmas time, without missing out on the fun.
- Eat the right foods
Christmas is the one time of year when most of us don’t exactly monitor the kind food we’re eating, perhaps starting with an advent calendar, the odd chocolate here and there at work and leading onto a colossal feast on Christmas day. As it’s the busiest time of the year for many, it’s easy to forget about your dental health. For those with a brace, here is a bit of advice on the kinds of foods to avoid and to enjoy…..
Indulge in:
- Turkey – An unlikely suspect on the list. Not dissimilar to calcium, turkey contains phosphorus which helps keep teeth strong.
- Cheese – Neutralising plaque acid and easy to eat, cheese is an excellent choice of Christmas treat for those who are avoiding foods that interfere with their braces.
- Water – Water is the most important element of any diet. If you’re going to be eating foods that expose your teeth to acidic and sweet foods, be sure to drink water straight afterwards. This will help counteract the damage done by the acids and wash them away.
Be wary of:
- Sweets – As sweets are sticky, hard and coated in sugar, your mouth has to work hard to break them down. Bacteria and sugar stay in your mouth for longer than most foods, eroding your teeth enamel and seriously impacting on your dental health overtime.
- Wine – The chromogens pigments and tannis present in wine discolour and dry-out your mouth, making your teeth sticky and stained and in turn, corroding enamel and making your teeth weaker overall.
- Sugary drinks – It’s no secret that sugary drinks are to be enjoyed in absolute moderation, though it’s hard to maintain this during the festive period. Those with braces should be especially careful with their consumption of fizzy drinks as they can stain the brackets of the brace. Try to drink plenty of water to hydrate the body so it’s not craving sugar.
- Don’t neglect brushing
There are no statistics to prove it, but it’s likely that most of us will be doing less brushing time around the Christmas period, what with all the late nights, parties and falling asleep in front of the TV. Make sure you’re disciplined with your brushing and general oral maintenance this Christmas, especially if you’ve got braces or a retainer in.
- Maintain your brace
Try to consume your food in smaller pieces to avoid the build up of food in the brackets. As mentioned above, fizzy drinks are the enemy of a brace, causing damage to the brackets. If you can’t stay away from them, minimise the damage by drinking through a straw – a novelty one as it’s Christmas! Clean your brace after every meal as meticulously as you can.
Use the right products and equipment to look after your teeth whilst you’ve got your brace on.