Your guide to surviving the silly season

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Christmas, its the ‘most wonderful time of the year‘! It is the time of year where we celebrate with our loved ones; we dress up, we feast on festive treats and indulge in a little more ‘Christmas cheer’ than we usually would. So how do we make it through this indulgent time and still manage to maintain our oral, and overall, health? Our guide to surviving the silly season will help you through!

With all of the Christmas parties and catch ups, it’s natural that we want to look our best and often we may wonder whether our smile could do with a little brightening. With all the busyness at this time of year, buying an over the counter teeth whitening kit or toothpaste can be tempting as they are accessible and reasonably inexpensive. It is important to remember, however, these products may not achieve the desired result as they contain low concentrations of carbamide or hydrogen peroxide, the agent which whitens teeth. In addition to this, whitening toothpaste contains harsh ingredients that can cause damage and wear away the surface of your teeth if used too frequently, often resulting in sensitivity.  Learn more about chemist and supermarket whitening products here. If you would like to learn more about safe teeth whitening with brilliant results, your Medland Dental Dentist or Hygienist can provide you with all of the advice that you’ll need.

Even before Christmas Day arrives, there is always lots of festive foods to enjoy. If you are looking to make better food choices this festive season, try to avoid too many sugar-filled treats and head for the fruit and cheese platter. As well as being delicious, the fruit contributes to your overall health, while the cheese acts to neutralise acids in your mouth which will lower your risk of decay.  It isn’t only the food that we need to consider when being mindful of our health, but the amount and type of drinks that we consume. While the ‘Christmas Cheer’ may be flowing, making sure that you drink lots of water will help to preserve your oral health, not to mention your general wellbeing the next day!

The use of a remineralising topical creme like Tooth Mousse can help to prevent any damage from the consumption of acidic or sugary festive food and drinks. Applied before going to sleep, this is a useful product for preventing decay and acid erosion. Tooth Mousse comes in a range of flavours and is available at Medland Dental and selected pharmacies.

Candy canes, pork crackling, new trampolines and bikes can be hazardous to our dental health! Teeth that are heavily filled, or worn from clenching and grinding, can be more susceptible to chipping or fracturing, especially when biting on something hard. For our younger patients, the excitement of Christmas day and new toys can sometimes lead to accidents which can cause damage to little teeth. These dental disasters can happen at the worst times,  diminishing Christmas cheer and causing discomfort and frustration.  Rest assured that should any of our patients experience a dental emergency over the festive season, one of our exceptional dentists will be on call to assist you between Christmas and New Year and, should a dental emergency occur out of our opening hours, patients can call our emergency number 0479 040 708 to speak with the on call dentist. Click here to find out what to do if your child knocks a tooth.

Quick tips for surviving the silly season:

While indulging in delicious treats is all part of the Christmas festivities, these tips will ensure your oral, and overall, health is in good shape for a happy and healthy 2018. On behalf of everyone at Medland Dental, we would like to wish you and your family, a very Merry Christmas and we look forward to seeing you all in the new year.

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