Oral Care Tips For The Holiday Season
With EK Dental Surgery

Taking care of your teeth during the holidays can be difficult with the easy availability of sugary sweets during the season. And with all the gift-buying, giving, parties, and events, it can be difficult to keep up your good dental habits.

EK Dental Surgery is here to help! The holidays can be festive fun, but if those days are filled with chocolate and sweets, it isn’t so great for your teeth. To help you count down to Christmas with good oral health, EK Dental Surgery offers you the following 12 tips for the holiday season including 4 awesome tips for an Advent Calendar!

Four Tactics For A Healthy Advent Calendar

Replace the traditional candies of the advent calendar by mixing and matching the following:

1. Puzzling Treats – Give your child a fun challenge with a customized puzzle. Draw a picture or write a special message on a blank puzzle. Break the pieces apart and place one puzzle piece in each day of your advent calendar. If you can’t find a blank puzzle, draw a picture on a piece of thick paper, then cut it into pieces.
2. Story-A-Day – Nothing beats a good story. Pick out a holiday-themed book for every day of your countdown. Have your child open a new book each night at bedtime and read it together
3. Sugar-Free Trinkets – Find some simple trinkets to fill each day on your calendar instead of candy. The dollar store is a great place to find fun items without spending a lot.
4. Holiday Activity Fun – For each day of the month come up with a fun holiday activity that you can do together as a family. Write down the activity on a slip of paper and tuck one note into each day of your advent calendar. You can also use “IOU” slips that promise help with chores, extra TV time, or anything a child might want.

Eight Great Ways To Ensure Dental Health For The Holidays

1. Visit us at EK Dental Surgery! Preventive dentistry can go a long way in protecting your teeth. So don’t forget your regular dental checkups/periodic examination. Dental cleanings are vital for your oral health. They help keep your smile shining, nourish and strengthen your teeth, and prevent dental issues, like tooth decay, gum disease and teeth loss. The Christmas holiday can be very damaging for a smile, so it’s important you give your teeth and gums the best chance of survival by getting a professional dental cleaning.
2. Keep Busy. Christmas traditionally includes a break for children and adults from school and work. While this gives us down-time, too much spare time can mean overindulging in sweets and losing our good habits. Engage family members and friends in games or toys. Offer them sugar-free chewing gum while they play. This keeps their mouths and hands busy!
3. Protect your teeth. Wear a mouthguard whenever you play sports – or reindeer games – this winter. If your sport involves any kind of contact, EK Dental Surgery can provide you with customized mouthguard!
4. Give the gift of rotation. How about a nice electric toothbrush as a stocking stuffer? Electric toothbrushes are a good gift choice, because they can remove hard to get to plaque. Even better, they can help you brush longer. Many electric toothbrushes have automatic timers that ‘beep’ every 30 seconds to help you keep track of how long you have been brushing a particular part of your teeth.
5. Be careful with candy. Hard candies can crack your teeth if you bite down on them awkwardly. Broken tooth can be painful and is a dental emergency. If you do have to eat candies, instead of biting, let them dissolve in your mouth. Also, be sure to brush your teeth after eating any sugary foods, and only eat them in moderation.
6. Practice Moderation – Moderation is an important concept that can be hard for kids to grasp. Set a good example by exhibiting balance, especially on your plate. Christmas treats are great, but don’t forget to “indulge” in foods that will help absorb all of that sugar.
7. Eat those veggies. At holiday events, skip the trays of Christmas cookies and brownies and replace them with vegetables. Broccoli and carrots are great treats for your teeth because they’re loaded with Vitamin A, and the even clean tooth surfaces!
8. Drink Plenty of Water. Sometimes when we feel hungry in which we just need some water to rehydrate. Provide family and friends with plenty of water to help balance out all of the food and to wash away any sticky, sugary residue that might remain on teeth. Use natural flavours to spice up your water, such as peppermint leaves or freshly cut lemon wedges.

Reasons to Smile at EK Dental Surgery!

EK Dental Surgery is your Glen Waverley Dentists proudly serving the local community with warm, friendly, experienced and gentle dental care.

We offer a wide range of preventative and cosmetic dental procedures for children, seniors, and everyone in between! It is our pleasure to serve you during the holidays and year round.

EK Dental Surgery is conveniently located on Springvale Road in Glen Waverley.

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