Your Holiday Guide to Happy Teeth
Because dental emergencies aren’t on anybody’s wish list.
The holidays are coming, which means all the best food is coming! This is the time of year I look forward to the most. It also happens to be the time of year I see a lot of emergencies (and before you ask, no, your dental emergencies don’t bring me joy). So, in the interest of keeping your teeth on the nice list this year, we’ve come up with a few guidelines to help you enjoy the treats of the season:
If you have significant dental work already in your mouth, lay off the sticky candy! Dental fillings and cement really are no match for the sticky, ticky, tacky of things like taffy or caramel. The candy will always win and you can pull out fillings and crowns. SO, either let these candies mostly melt in your mouth before taking a bite, or switch to something softer like a Three Musketeer. All for one and one for all!
Take smaller bites at Thanksgiving. It is hard not to just want to Gobble, Gobble down all of the delicious food, BUT the majority of teeth that break or crack all of a sudden happen on soft foods! I don’t know about you, but most of my Thanksgiving dinner is soft. If you take a huge bite of soft food, it’s hard for your mouth to direct where to put it all, which can lead to accidentally blocking your airway. In response, your jaw might jolt out of the way, and crack goes your tooth. So take small bites; it will help you savor this once a year meal and prevent future “remember that one Thanksgiving when” stories.
Christmas goodies should be eaten in moderation. We know that already, but they are irresistible. SO, eat them with a meal and not as a snack so that they cause the least about of mischief. After all, Santa and the Tooth Fairy are not one in the same.
Decrease your holiday stress! Nobody wants a sore jaw for the holidays. Sip some mulled cider and buy online. If you do find yourself tensing up, you can use a warm compress for 15 minutes on the side of your face and gently stretch your jaw open. A nice peppermint essential oil on your muscles can also help calm things down.
Happy 2021! I know everyone is just waiting for the clock to strike midnight this year and give us a hard reset. Don’t go popping that champagne with your teeth though, let the bottle opener do it’s job.
Most of all though, enjoy the holidays. We love celebrating here at Magnolia Dentistry on Market and wish you all the kindness and joy that this time of year reimagines over and over again.