This CNY season, just like every other, comes with its selection of delicious and flavourful snacks, but the more oily and sugary ones can take a toll on your dental health.
Of course these treats are hard to resist! But make sure you also prevent them from causing you problems like tooth decay, gum disease, and even bad breath. To help you maintain a healthy smile, here are five essential dental tips to follow after a period of indulgence.
1. Keep Brushing and Flossing Regularly
- This is the most traditional, but effective and tested-and-proven way to combat the effects of sugary and oily foods.
- Brush your teeth at least twice a day with fluoride toothpaste. This helps remove food particles and plaque, the sticky film of bacteria that forms on your teeth.
- Don’t forget to floss daily, it will remove food particles and plaque from between your teeth (some parts your toothbrush can’t reach).
- Pro Tip: Use a soft-bristled toothbrush and replace it every three to four months, or sooner if the bristles are too frayed.
2. Rinse Your Mouth With Water
- Sometimes, especially during visiting, we don’t have access to our toothbrushes. But the bare minimum would be rinsing your mouth with water
- This is an interim solution, but a decent one, since it helps wash away food particles and sugars that feed the bacteria in your mouth.
- If you have the habit of bringing mouthwash (antibacterial or fluoride options) around, you can use it too, to get added protection against tooth decay and gum disease.
- Pro Tip: A rare tip is if you have sugar-free dental gum, chewing it after eating can also stimulate saliva flow, which helps to neutralize and wash away acids produced by the bacteria in your mouth.
3. Choose Natural Options
- This is the typical doctor’s advice: while it’s okay to indulge, remember to balance your diet with healthier choices too!
- Generally, fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains can be beneficial for your teeth due to the nutritional content they contain.
- Pro Tip: Choose foods that are also high in calcium and phosphates, as they are known to be the minerals that build strong teeth.
4. Limit Snacking Frequency If Possible
- Frequent snacking, especially on highly sugary or starchy foods, can increase your risk of tooth decay. This is common during the CNY period!
- Here’s a way to look at it: every time you eat, the bacteria in your mouth produce acids harmful for your teeth. By reducing your snacking frequency, you give your teeth a break from these acid attacks.
- It also reduces the chances of food getting stuck in between your teeth, or having residues staying on your teeth’s surface.
- Pro Tip: Opt for teeth-friendly options that don’t stick much to the teeth – typically these means less sweet stuff, but just be sure that even if it’s non-sugary, .
5. Visit Your Dentist Regularly
- Regular dental check-ups and cleanings are important, because dentists can spot and treat issues like cavities or gum disease in the early stages.
- Professional cleanings (also known a scaling and polishing) remove tartar, a hardened form of plaque that brushing and flossing can’t clean.
- That is the reason it is often recommended to do a dental check-up and cleaning every six months.
- Pro Tip: CLICK HERE to schedule a scaling and polishing session (which is inclusive of dental a check-up).
Conclusion
In conclusion, while enjoying all these delicious festive treats is important, so is taking care of your dental health! By following our tips, we hope that your teeth and gums stay healthy and strong, and be ready to take on the year’s challenges ahead!
