Oral Hygiene Tips for the Holidays in Hoppers Crossing

The holidays are a time for celebration with friends and family.

At this festive time of the year, Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants would like to take a chance to share our holiday best wishes with our patients and tell you that we have been happy to serve you in 2019.

We look forward to serving you again in 2020 and the years to follow.

Because we hope to see you, happy and smiling in the New Year, we are here to offer some dental advice for surviving the holiday with your oral health intact.

Holidays often mean hard, acidic, sticky, sugary, and chewy foods.

These foods are serious threats to your teeth, which is why, during the holidays, you should pay very close attention to your dental health, despite all the other excitement that might be going on.

This means, at home, stick to your good habits of brushing twice daily and flossing once.

In addition, keep to your regular dental visits to Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants, and if you don’t have one currently scheduled, consider making one for after the holidays, when we can help your teeth get over the effects of holiday food and drink.

Finally, this time of year brings an uptick in dental injuries, so be careful.

If you do suffer a dental trauma, Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants strives to provide same-day appointments for patients with dental injuries.

With that in mind, here are a few dental health tips to protect your oral health throughout the holidays. And into the new year.

Let’s start with our holiday diet.

Make traditional holiday treats a bit healthier

This is a substitution strategy that lets you eat many of the delicious treats you and your family love but makes those treats just a bit better for you.

Cookies and pastries can be baked with whole wheat flour instead of white.

Substitutions exist for almost anything bad for your teeth or general health, and the Internet is a great place to find the substitutes.

This also works for your groceries – there are healthier versions for most everything, and you can find them with an Internet search.

This allows you to make the foods your friends and family love, without costing them any of their dental health.

Drink carefully

Holiday events often feature drinks, both alcoholic and soda. But both can be very bad for your teeth and gums.

Sodas overflow with sugar and high acid levels. If you love carbonated drinks, go for sparkling mineral water rather than soda.

When you drink soda, use a straw to whisk acid and sugar behind your teeth and down your throat.

Also, be careful with alcohol to avoid stained and damaged teeth. Red wine, in particular, can stain your enamel.

If you drink wine, drink white wine. Overall, don’t drink too much alcohol as it leads to dry mouth and dehydrates your body, including your gums.

Dry mouth stops saliva from protecting your teeth from bacteria and decay, and this is particularly dangerous before going to sleep.

Avoid dangerous foods

Sugary, hard, sticky, chewy, or acidic foods can be delicious, but they are also terrible for your teeth and gums.

Dangerous foods include candy canes (which are both hard AND sticky!), ice cubes, mint chews, taffies, chestnuts and other usual holiday treats.

We don’t expect that you will avoid all of the delicious treats and beverages that come with the holidays, we just ask that you practice moderation and take care of your teeth.

Eat just a few treats and mix them with vegetables, cheese, and other healthy foods, including a generous dose of water, which helps clean and support tooth health.

And when you’re done eating these delicious treats, be sure to treat your mouth right by brushing, rinsing, or using chewing gum to clean your teeth.

Don’t crack nut shells with your teeth, cut tape, or open packages. Using your teeth as tools is another way to damage them unexpectedly.

Give yourself permission to splurge a little and enjoy some of the delicious foods that won’t come around again until next year.

But also, eat well, remember to keep your dental health at a high level, and be sure to visit us at Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants if you have any dental issues.

While the holidays are busy, they are also a good time to visit a dentist.

If you can’t visit a dentist during the holidays, schedule an appointment just after, to clean off any effects of holiday sweets!

Smiles in Hoppers Crossing!

At Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants, we believe everyone deserves high-quality dentistry, and we are here to help you achieve this.

Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants is a multi-surgery practice caring for the oral health needs of our local communities.

At Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants, our focus remains on providing patients with exceptional General, Orthodontic, and Implant dentistry.

We have a particular interest in implants, orthodontics, and smile rejuvenation via veneers, crowns, and bridges while also dealing with unexpected dental emergencies we all dread.

Sayers Dental Aesthetics & Implants serves local communities in Tarneit, Truganina, Werribee, Werribee South, Williams Landing, Wyndham Vale, Laverton, Laverton North, Altona, Altona Meadows, Altona North, Point Cook, Seabrook, Sanctuary Lakes and Alamanda.

To learn more, call us on (03) 9749 1178 or request your appointment online.

We are located at 483 Sayers Road in Hoppers Crossing.