Need some handy oral hygiene tips for your holidays?
Read our easy guide with a few important OH Holiday Tips to avoid any unnecessary dental visits over the holiday season!
Tip 1: Avoid those acidic sugary drinks! Yes, so tasty but also very nasty on your pearly whites!
To minimise the risk of damage caused by the consumption of those tasty sugary drinks this holiday season, try the following:
- Avoid sipping the beverage over a long period of time. This reduces the amount of time your teeth are under an acid and sugar attack.
- Rinse your mouth or drink some water every so often. This will promote saliva flow and wash your mouth of any lingering sugars and acid.
- Eat some cheese after acidic wines or other drinks. This will help to neutralise the acidity of your saliva.
- Chew sugar free gum after eating and drinking. This will promote saliva to clear the mouth of sugars and acid, and may even help you to stop snacking throughout the day.
Tip 2: Portion your sugary treats and ditch the hard candy! Control your temptations!
Christmas treats are often sweet, sticky or very hard and most of us will consume a lot more sugar than normal over the holiday season which is why these OH Holiday tips come in handy!
The bacteria within our mouth can convert these sugars into acid and when we continually snack on sugary Christmas treats, we are allowing a prolonged acid production. This acid attack can cause degeneration of our teeth, ultimately causing cavities and/or sensitivity. We understand that you are still likely to enjoy these treats, but the key is to enjoy them in moderation and always:
- Rinse your mouth with water after each treat to wash away the sugars and acid.
- Chew sugar-free gum to promote saliva flow and prevent continual snacking throughout the day.
- Always remember to brush and floss twice a day, most importantly at bed time!
Tip 3: Don’t forget your toothbrush! The most forgotten everyday item when packing for a trip away!
If your holiday destination is somewhere urban, then you’ll easily be able to remedy this situation because it’s just a quick trip to the shops and all is okay.
If you’re camping in the wilderness this situation is more difficult to resolve! You might want to avoid sugary foods, and rinse your mouth with water carefully after meals. You might even think about reverting to making an old-fashioned toothbrush: the chewed end of a stick but this is not very ideal and could be damaging! We don’t recommend!
Having a travel toothbrush and toothpaste kit in your bag avoids the hassle of having to spend the night with an icky feeling of not being able to brush your teeth— and waking up with an even ickier feeling of having morning breath! Gross!
