Happy Holidays! Trust you are having fun. This is a season where we have so many sweet things at our disposal. From the hampers full of chocolates and sweets to the sweet drinks, Ice cream and cakes we stock the house with. It’s a time conducive for cavities/tooth decay to develop.
Children are mostly affected because the holiday excitement increases their appetite for sweets coupled with the fact that there is little supervision as the parents are busy attending to guests.
Tips for staying cavity free
- Don’t take sweets throughout the day: The longer you have sweet things in your mouth, the ‘happier’ the bacteria causing holes are. This is because the conditions are right for them to start causing holes. You could give a time frame for finishing all sweet things say between 30mins to 1 hour after which, you’ll brush your teeth.
- Eat healthy meals and avoid skipping meals: the holiday excitement may make you skip meals. However, if you are full, you’ll crave sweet things less.
- Watch out for sticky sweets and chocolates, they stay on the teeth for longer period of time.
- Brush before going to bed: after visiting and entertaining guests, you might be so tired that you are tempted to skip brushing and just go to bed.
- Floss regularly to remove food residue in between the teeth. People who brush regularly but do not floss may still develop holes between the teeth. This is because the toothbrush is not designed to clean in between.
Happy holidays! Stay healthy, stay cavity free.