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Holidays are a wondrous time for family, travel, and treats!

Keep your smile safe and healthy during the holidays with these tips from Two Rivers Family Dental, LLC. Whether you young or old and are planning to stick close to home or visit family afar, these reminders will help make sure you can keep smiling with confidence.

Avoid These Holiday Dental Dangers

Instead of indulging in these holiday treats, try to make some healthy substitutions, avoid, or minimize how much of them you enjoy.

Chewy, hard or sticky sweets can damage your teeth and should be avoided. However, if you are going to eat a few sugary treats, do so after a meal and then brush your teeth right afterwards to minimize the damage they can do. If you eat these foods at a separate snack time and don't brush your teeth, they will have more time to erode your teeth's defenses.

It's common to find an assortment of nuts over the holidays and we're not just talking about odd house guests! When you want to eat whole nuts in the shell, don't ever use your teeth to crack the shell. Use one of those beautiful nutcrackers instead. (The nuts themselves? Go ahead. They are actually good for your teeth.)

Photo by Luis Quintero from Pexels of shallow-focus-photography-of-wooden-nutcracker

For that matter, don't ever use your teeth to tear open packages or bottles.

Smoking and beverages like red wine, coffee, soda and tea can stain your teeth. And carbonated drinks can really damage your enamel.

Finally, remember that it's easy to get anxious over the holidays. If you are a person who chews your nails or grinds your teeth, try to relax and be conscious of these nervous habits. They can hurt your smile!

Maintain a Dazzling Holiday Smile

A great way to keep your smile over the holidays is to snack smart. Instead of going for the gooey treats, enjoy a holiday orange or apple. Want to munch? Choose some raw vegetables which are great for your teeth. Even cheese is a good choice because it can clear food particles from your teeth and neutralizes acids.

Drink lots of water, too. Especially after you've had a meal (or if you can't brush right away), drink a glass of water. You can even swish and rinse to get rid of some of the excess food from between your teeth.

Keeping to a regular dental routine can be tricky during holiday visits and events, but it's more important than usual. Make brushing and flossing after meals a regular habit. If you have a mouthguard, be sure to wear it. You can even chew some xylitol gum either after or instead of a sugary treat.

If you've got children, you can help them keep to a schedule by making brushing time fun by using some colorful toothpastes or other novelties like a favorite cartoon character toothbrush.

And just to be extra safe, you should Appointment Request with your dentist before or after the holidays.

Protecting Your Smile While Traveling

The holidays often means taking a road trip or flying to visit with loved ones. Remember to pack dental supplies when you travel and consider what you might need if there's a minor emergency. If there's a real emergency with your teeth, know who you can call near where you are visiting. Definitely do not put off treatment until after the New Year!

On behalf of the doctors and staff at Two Rivers Family Dental, we wish you a joyous holiday season full of smiles!