Taking care of your teeth can and should always be one of your top priorities. However, over the holidays, dental care and the health of your teeth are not always the first thing that you are thinking about as you celebrate and indulge. If you want to avoid an embarrassing conversation with your dentist about how and why you have developed so many cavities and other dental problems, then you may want to get to know more about some of the indulgences that you should avoid or limit over the course of the holiday season. Then, you can be sure that you are doing everything that you can to take care of your teeth over the holiday season.

Holiday Eggnog

One of the drinks that is most popular over the holidays is also one of the drinks that can be most detrimental to the health of your teeth and gums. Eggnog is an extremely rich drink full of a great deal of sugar, cream, and oftentimes alcohol. All of these things can cause damage to the teeth.

The combination of sugar and dairy as well as the richness of the egg yolks in the mixture make eggnog a drink that coats the teeth and mouth and sticks to them. Alcohol, if added to the eggnog, is also a type of sugar and acts like sugar in the body and on the teeth. This just makes the eggnog even more damaging to your teeth. If you absolutely love eggnog and cannot make it through the season without it, be sure that you brush and floss your teeth shortly after imbibing to prevent lasting damage and effects.

Fruitcake and Other Sticky Sweet Treats

If you have braces, other orthodontics, or any type of dental prosthesis (like dentures, dental implants, or dental bridges), the last thing you want to do is dive into the fruitcake over the holidays. While it may look tasty and moist, traditional fruitcake is also very sticky and chewy. This can cause a great deal of damage to those orthodontics or dental prostheses that you have. Your crowns could be pulled out of place, dentures damaged, or braces snapped off.

Even if you do not have these dental and orthodontic issues, you may still want to avoid the fruitcake and other sticky and sweet treats over the holidays. The stickiness means that the the sugars and other food particles will remain on your teeth. Bacteria that live in your mouth normally will feed on those food particles that are stuck to your teeth and will multiply, potentially causing cavities and infections.

With these indulgences to avoid or limit over the holidays in mind, you will be able to take the best possible care of your teeth so that your next visit to the dentist is a positive one.

For more information, contact local professionals like Centre Family Dentistry.