Having a healthy, bright smile is more than about your oral health. It’s about feeling confident in your smile and being able to enjoy the holidays without worrying about bad breath, stained teeth, or worse, a dental emergency.
You can have plenty to smile about this holiday season by taking care of your teeth and gums throughout the festivities and into the New Year. The following are some of the best tips for a healthier, brighter smile for the holidays.
Go Easy on the Sweets
Sugar seems to be everywhere during the holiday season, whether it’s the juice in your mixed drink, the refined sugar in cookies and sweet breads, or the decorative candy canes you hang on your tree.
When you consume sugar, it begins to break down in your oral cavity, which produces acids that can damage the hard tissues of the teeth, including tooth enamel and dentin [1]. As a result, the more sweets you consume, the higher your risk for tooth decay.
Enjoying sweets in moderation this holiday season can not only reduce your risk for cavities, but help protect your enamel, which can keep your teeth bright and strong so you can keep smiling all year long.
Sip Water
Although there are plenty of drinks available during the holiday season that can damage your teeth, including soda and alcohol, water is always the best choice for your smile.
Water helps rehydrate you and encourage saliva production, which keeps your oral cavity moist, bacteria in check, and washes away food particles for a cleaner and healthier smile [2].
Even if you choose to drink more acidic beverages such as soda or alcohol, always sip water to reduce the staining effect these drinks can have on teeth and the harm they can do to tooth enamel.
Bring a Dental Kit
Keeping a dental kit on hand during the holidays makes it easy for you to refresh your smile before an event. You can even include gauze and over-the-counter medication for dental emergencies, which can include bleeding, swelling, or an infection [3].
Your kit can include a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss for those occasions when you’re traveling and forget to bring your oral care supplies. For holiday events, you can pack mouthwash, whitening strips, or teeth whitening gel from your dentist.
A dental kit should also include supplies for a potential emergency and the contact information for local dentists that see patients with emergencies in your area.
Chew Sugarless Gum
Sugar-free gum is one of the best ways to help “clean” your mouth while you’re out and about, as it helps stimulate saliva production, which can reduce bacteria in the oral cavity and even the teeth-staining effect of certain foods and drinks.
In fact, chewing sugarless gum may even reduce your risk for cavities, which makes it worth keeping on hand during the holiday season when you’re eating and drinking things that can damage your teeth [4].
Choosing sugar-free gum with xylitol may have added benefits, but any sugarless gum you enjoy chewing can be helpful. For the best results, chew gum right after a meal or after consuming anything other than water and chew for about 20 minutes.
Smile Bright This Holiday Season
You can smile bright this holiday season with a healthy smile by following the above tips. For an extra healthy and white smile, schedule a professional teeth cleaning with your dentist to remove surface stains and reveal your brightest smile for the holidays!
Sources:
1. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/sugars-and-dental-caries
2. https://dentistry.uic.edu/news-stories/4-ways-drinking-water-improves-your-smile/
3. https://www.ada.org/publications/ada-news/2020/march/ada-develops-guidance-on-
dental-emergency-nonemergency-care
4. https://www.ada.org/resources/research/science-and-research-institute/oral-health-
topics/chewing-gum
