Take care to protect your teeth during the holiday season.

It is a festive time of year. It’s a time for indulgences like cake and candy. I even saw cakes on the food channel with candy inside of the cake. It is creative and fun to look at, but it seems like a disaster in waiting for some unsuspecting guest. So as you go for seconds at the buffet, keep in mind that your teeth may need some extra attention and care to combat potential hazards of sweets on your choppers. You do not want an emergency room dental visit on Christmas Eve of New Year’s Day!

Lots of sweets and beverages will mean extra trips to brush. There are even disposable tooth brushes all ready to take with you, if you are out on the town or at work. Crunchy foods and sticky foods can harm your teeth, filings, braces, and other dental apparatus. Proceed with caution. Don’t chew hard candy and take it easy on the chewy choices. Then you have to brush! If you don’t already, that can be your New Year’s resolution.

Another risky time when you are likely to chip a tooth is the game of pick-up football. If you are a star player in your family’s holiday football game during the holidays, the chance of dental injury is high. Shhhhuuuure it is touch football, but not when your crazy 200 pound cousin is running with the ball. A mouthpiece is the smartest defense. It is inexpensive and can mean the difference between chipping a tooth in your quest for victory and scoring a touchdown for the record books unscathed. Get one and you will look like a pro out there. Who cares what the neighbors think.

There are lots of helpful hints on the internet explaining how to avoid injuries and how to handle one if it occurs. If your tooth gets knocked out. Do you know what to do?  So be safe and take care, so you don’t have to miss any of the festivities. 

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good bite.