Christmas 2022 is here!
It’s that time of year again, when all that Christmas cheer is upon us!
Things tend to be a little different in December; routines are scattered with the kids on school holidays and perhaps a family holiday thrown in, there’s the Christmas parties and family gatherings, and just good old summer in Brisbane – it’s a wonderful time! Unfortunately, all that Christmas spirit can lead to some unwanted effects on our oral health, so here’s a couple of gentle reminders to keep up your sleeve during the festive season.
Kids, routines and sugar
While the kids are on holidays, it is easy for the toothbrushing to go out the window somewhat. Without the regular morning routine of getting ready for school and perhaps a sleep in instead, oral hygiene can go by the wayside. It is important as ever to remind our kids to be cleaning their teeth morning and night, especially at this time of year when the diet may be less than optimal with increased access to sweet treats and softdrinks.
Mind your alcohol consumption
Here’s one for the adults to keep in mind – the effect of increased alcohol consumption over the festive season. With seemingly one Christmas party after the next, it is easy to see alcohol consumption – and its ill effects – creep up on us. Alcoholic beverages often contain increased levels of sugar, with alcopop type drinks, cocktails and high sugar mixers all major culprits. In addition, wine is quite high in acid and beer is also high in carbohydrates, so the news isn’t great! Adding insult to injury, alcohol also dehydrates us, leaving the mouth dry and the teeth susceptible to decay. The take home message is to monitor your alcohol consumption over the holidays, and consider choosing beverages which are lower in sugar, while remembering to remain hydrated with water with spacers between your drinks, ideally.
Maintain your dental visits
It is certainly a busy time of year, but it is important not to overlook your routine dental visits. Many dental practices close or drastically reduce their hours of operation over the Christmas break, as well as through January as staff take holidays. As a result, access to appointments for routine and emergency treatment will be in hot demand. If you find yourself in trouble over the festive season, and your regular dentist is unavailable, check out the ADA’s dentist finder here to find a dentist who may be able to help you.
The team here at Clarence Dental would love to take this opportunity to wish all of our patients current and incoming a wonderful, happy and healthy Christmas. We think our patients are the best out there (no bias there at all) and we are so appreciative of you and your patience as we have navigated the Covid-19 pandemic over the last few years. If you feel inclined to be proactive and get those dental appointments booked in before school and work goes back next year (it’ll be here before we know it!) get in touch now and we would be more than happy to arrange that for you. Merry Christmas!