We've Seen It All
The Christmas holidays are usually a fabulous time for everybody. Family! Fun! Friends! Pressies! Food! Booze! Lots of food and booze normally. Santa surprises all the kiddies and then we get to ring in a New Year with even more parties, even more fun and, you got it, even more food and booze.
It might surprise you to learn that while most companies have a quieter time during the Christmas holidays, at Emergency Dentist Sydney it’s one of our busiest periods. Why? Because the festive season is fun, but not always very tooth friendly. Which is what we want to discuss today; the dangers that might be facing your teeth this Christmas and what you can do about them.
The Stress Catches Up
It's been a long year for all of us. Busy at work. Or busy at school. Certainly, busy at home and usually busy outside the home as well. The world has certainly been a strange place this year as well, and many of us are heading into the holidays feeling more than a little bit stressed.
What you may not know is that all that stress can affect your teeth. Those under a great deal of it are more prone to developing pericoronitis, inflammation in the soft tissues surrounding the crown of a tooth that is only partially erupted, usually a wisdom tooth.
This can cause pain, swelling, difficulty eating, even fever and fainting at times. In most cases it is a final signal that it is time to plan on finally getting those wisdom teeth properly accessed and removed, so that the patient can go into a new year pain free and with a much happier smile.
Eating Emergencies
As we mentioned, food plays a huge part in the festive season. All kinds of extra goodies are around to tempt us and lots of them are the sticky, sugary kind that are far from friendly to teeth. Combine this with a tendency to consume more sugary beverages - and that includes those colourful Christmas cocktails most of which are loaded with the stuff - and possibly poorer than usual oral hygiene, thanks to being too tired or 'tired' (drunk) to remember to brush and floss at bedtime and you often have a recipe for future disaster for your teeth.
New Year's Disasters
New Year's is a very strange time. Full of hope for the new year and nostalgia for the old many adults venture out to have a great night partying ahead of the big countdown at midnight. And all too often a few (a lot) more drinks than usual leads to falls, fights and broken - or knocked out - teeth. And even if you do stay in control and in good spirits once again you are quite likely to forget to start the new year with a good tooth brushing before bed as you may not actually remember how you got there!
Seasonal Oral Health Safety Tips
Don't slack on your oral healthcare routine- No matter how busy (or 'tired') you are twice daily brushing is a must and you shouldn't slow down the flossing either. With all the work you'll be asking them to do your teeth deserve a little extra pampering and TLC at this time of year, and that should always begin by making sure they are clean.
Cut down on the sweet stuff - Yes there are tons of cakes, puddings, sweeties and choccies around during the Christmas holidays but there is lots of other good stuff as well. Try to include more savoury snacks than sweet on your buffet plate and if possible find a way to brush your teeth after eating, or at the very least chew on a piece of sugar free gum and have a glass of water to help wash some of that nasty decay causing bacteria away.
Don't suffer in silence - If you do find that your wisdom teeth flare up, or that near cavity is becoming a real cavity now that it’s been exposed to too many sweets, or you have tooth pain for reasons you don't understand, you do not have to spend the holidays suffering in silence. Call an emergency dentist, they'll be there to help.
And if the 'worst' should occur and you fall (or fight) and crack, break or even lose a tooth don't panic. There are lots of things an emergency dentist can do to help in these understandably upsetting situations that will still allow you to start a new year with a smile.
Emergency Dentist Sydney Says:
We hope you have a lovely festive season and that dental problems are the last thing on your mind. But if they do crop up we're here to help and we'll even put the Christmas films on the telly for you if you must come in and see us, so that you don't lose too much of that festive vibe!