What You Should Avoid at the Holiday Table

As you get ready to throw your diet to the wind during the holidays, you may want to consider your choices at the holiday party table. Some of the foods you munch on could cause some serious damage to your teeth and gums, and let’s face it; the last thing you want to deal with in January is never ending trips to the dentist’s office.

Although you may be tempted to tuck into the Christmas caramels, your dentist advises against it. Caramels are one of the worst things that you can do to your teeth and are right up there with candy canes and gummy bears. Caramels and other sticky sweets will get caught between your teeth and the fissures and crevices on your molars. Once that happens, the sugar will quickly convert to acid, eroding the enamel on your teeth. If you must enjoy make sure that you brush and floss as quickly as you can, or rinse with water.

You may think you are doing yourself a favor by drinking white wine instead of red, but you would be wrong. According to the American Dental Association, white wine has large amounts of acid and sugar. Coupled together, that glass of wine could cause problems for the enamel on your teeth. Although red wine can stain, it is a much better choice than a glass of white wine. Make sure that you brush afterwards or try one of those new wine wipe ups that are available online or at your local pharmacy.

Dried fruit may seem like a great choice when it comes to the holiday buffet, but be careful. Those dried apricots, figs, dates, mangos, and pineapples are a diabetic’s nightmare and full of sugar. If that isn’t bad enough dried fruit, just like caramel, will stick to your teeth.

Not everything is bad for your teeth when it comes to the holiday buffet table. Instead of sweets or starchy goodies, which could cause more damage, sample cheese as it is loaded with calcium. Veggies are another great choice as carrots and broccoli can help give your saliva a boost while celery is known as nature’s dental floss.

This Christmas remember to watch what you eat, and don’t forget to schedule your annual checkup with your dentist before the New Year.

A New Smile that Will Turn Heads

If you are looking for a solution to your not so attractive smile, call or click and schedule an appointment with your dentist who can determine what cosmetic dentistry solutions would be best for your particular needs.

Web MD explains that Cosmetic Dentistry has certainly changed over the years with innovative technologies that can give you a celebrity smile in just one or two dental appointments.

Some of the available cosmetic dentistry techniques include porcelain veneers, which could take two or three appointments, fixed dental bridges, which may require two dental visits, inlays and on lays, tooth whitening, tooth colored fillings and dental bonding, which could be completed in a single dental appointment. Another new dental procedure is called Invisalign. Invisalign is the clear alternative to conventional braces and can straighten teeth in as little as 6 to 18 months.

When you schedule a no obligation cosmetic dentistry appointment, your dentist will make sure that your teeth and gums are healthy before proceeding with any dental treatment. If you are given the go ahead the two of you will discuss what you do or don’t like about your teeth, a time line and a budget.

In some cases, all you may need is tooth whitening. Unlike those over the counter products from your local pharmacy, professional tooth whitening will give you better results in less time as the tooth whitening gels are much stronger than those that are available from the pharmacy.

There are two types of professional two whitening procedures available. Chair side or custom made bleaching trays that you take home.

Chair side tooth whitening can lighten your teeth up to 12 shades in less than an hour while custom-made tooth whitening trays will give you results in about two to four weeks. Whichever tooth whitening procedure you decide on, you will notice better results that you would from over the counter tooth whitening gels, pastes, strips, and rinses.

If you would like a new smile that turns heads, call and schedule a no obligation cosmetic dentistry consultation withGentle Touch Family Dental today.