With all the activity and excitement around the festive season, taking care of your oral hygiene can sometimes take a back seat - but while the Christmas lights come down in January, your oral health is with you for life! While some things you do to maintain your oral health are year-round endeavours, others need a touch of tweaking for the festive season, as you are even more likely than usual to come in contact with foods and drinks that cause havoc in your mouth! But don’t worry, we’re not here to tell you to abstain - read on to find out our top tips to keeping your mouth healthy throughout the holidays, without giving up the things you love!

Schedule Your Brushing

Unfortunately, brushing your teeth after ingesting acidic or sugary foods and drinks can actually damage your teeth. Delicious things such as chocolate, champagne, and fruit cakes actually soften the enamel which protects your teeth’s surface, and risk erosion if you brush them in this softened state! So should you knock off the tasty treats? No! Just ensure that you wait half an hour between eating and drinking and brushing your teeth, so that you clean the surface of the enamel without damaging it! Easy as (mince) pie!

Sip, Sip, Sip that Water

Drinking water is important year-round, as hydrating your body has endless benefits, from staving off infections to keeping your organs functioning properly. Water also has the benefit of rinsing your mouth and washing away bacteria-forming acids and sugars - so get sipping!

Prepare to Be Caught Out

Whether you’ve had one glass too many or are simply enjoying being in good company, part and parcel of the holiday season is sometimes staying over with family or friends unexpectedly. Unfortunately, one thing you can’t borrow or share is a toothbrush! Make sure to keep one handy in your bag at all times in case you find yourself staying up or out, so that you can relax and enjoy yourself without worrying about missing an important part of your daily routine! Investing in a good quality travel toothbrush is strongly recommended, so that you don’t leave your brush head open and loose in your belongings. The Sonisk Pulse portable sonic toothbrush comes with a handy travel cap with antimicrobial properties to make sure your toothbrush stays hygienic wherever you keep it, and has the added bonus of that deep-clean feeling that only electric toothbrushes can give you! 

Get Chomping on Cheese

Good news for cheese lovers out there - cheese is not only “not bad” for your teeth, it’s actually good for them! Cheese has high levels of calcium and phosphate which naturally help to strengthen teeth and bones, as well as being pH balancing, which means that cheese actually neutralises your mouth after ingesting other foods! We’re not sure if cheese boards come last for this reason or if it’s just a happy coincidence, but either way - don’t skip the cheese course!

As the festive season begins it’s easy to get carried away with all the delicious treats available in abundance, but this also means it’s more important than ever to make sure you’re taking good care of your oral health! Read on for our 12 tips for keeping your mouth clean and healthy this Christmas season…

1. Use Tools, Not Your Teeth

A simple mistake when using your teeth to grip tape or a bottle cap can result in cracks and chips, and just at the time when you don’t want to be making emergency trips to the dentist! Save yourself the stress and keep your bottle opener and scissors to hand!

2. Pack a Holiday Dental Kit

Between visiting family and friends and going on outings, it can be easy to forget the essentials. Do yourself a favour and prepare a holiday dental kit with toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss, so that if you decide to stay out overnight, at least your teeth and gums will be as clean as if you were at home! 

3. Don’t Brush After Bubbly

Sparkling wine is both sugary and acidic and temporarily softens the enamel on the surface of your teeth, so keep this safe by waiting half an hour before brushing your teeth!

4. Stuff Yourself with Turkey

Turkey meat is chock full of phosphorus, which is a protein that helps to strengthen your teeth and bones, making it the perfect food for your dental health! 

5. Hydration is Key

Drinking water helps not only to hydrate your entire body, but can be very handy in washing out food particles and acid from on and in between your teeth! Take regular sips from a glass of water to help clean your mouth and keep your body healthy!

6. Choose Your Sweets

Where possible, opt for dark chocolate, which has benefits for your oral health, over sticky sweets like toffee and caramels - your sweet tooth will still be satiated, and your teeth will be safer all round!

7. White Wine over Red

Wine isn’t great for your teeth overall due to its acid content, but red wine is more likely to stain the surface of your teeth - so to save yourself a whitening, opt for white over red wine where possible!

8. Adjust Your Advent Calendars

A chocolate a day isn’t so bad - unless you’re already eating lots of other sweets and sugary foods, too. Try changing your advent calendar tradition this year - instead of chocolate, why not treat yourself to tea, cologne, or skincare? With a calendar available for almost every interest, there’s no need to stick to the chocolate ones!

9. Make Use of Mouthwash

If you find that you’re eating regularly throughout the day, you’re best off carrying a small bottle of mouthwash with you to help wash out your mouth and remineralise your teeth between courses! 

10. Don’t Skip the Cheese Board!

Cheese is full of calcium and phosphate, which help to strengthen your teeth, as well as having pH neutralising characteristics that help to clean out your mouth after a meal - so make sure to finish your day’s eating with a cube of hard, aged cheese!

11. Don’t Forget Your Toothbrush!

Avoid getting caught out when staying over with friends or family by making sure you carry your toothbrush with you wherever you go! Travel with ease with the Sonisk Pulse portable sonic toothbrush, complete with antimicrobial travel cap, which you can pop into your bag (or even coat pocket!) to ensure that you don’t accidentally miss a brushing!

12. Maintain Your Routine

The most important thing is to ensure you continue your daily brushing and flossing routine, as there really is nothing more beneficial than consistent dental hygiene for your long term oral health!

Although there are no known causes of oral cancer, recent studies suggest that poor oral hygiene can put people at a higher risk of developing oral cancer. Read on to find out the symptoms to look out for, and how best to look after your mouth to reduce the risk!

Beware of the Risks

Some lifestyle choices put us at higher odds of developing oral cancer, so it’s important to know what these are to avoid them! Things which also cause other health issues in the mouth are linked to oral cancer, such as smoking or tobacco use, alcohol consumption, poor oral hygiene, and bad diet. When these are compounded the effects are worse: the highest risk group for oral cancer is people who do not regularly partake in an oral hygiene routine, and also use chewing tobacco.

What are the Symptoms?

Oral cancers are usually found in three places: in the mouth, on the lips, and on the tongue. Cancer can also develop in the throat, connected to the mouth, but in this location it’s known as throat, or Oropharyngeal cancer. The manifestations of oral cancer often look similar to other oral health concerns, and can include symptoms such as sores in the mouth that don’t heal, loose teeth, aching jaws or gums, and problems with chewing and swallowing, amongst others.

When to Investigate Further

Although many symptoms of oral cancer mimic other issues in the mouth, they are not one and the same. Before panicking about ulcers in the side of your mouth, consider what other things might have caused them! An accidental bite to your cheek when chewing or eating scalding food can cause ulcers to your cheeks and tongue, but these do not mean you have oral cancer! A good rule of thumb is to monitor how long symptoms last, and whether or not common remedies are effective. For instance, if you find ulcers in your mouth which persist after treatment with salt water gargling or corticosteroid lozenges for more than two weeks, it may be worth investigating. Whatever your symptoms, the best thing to do is visit your dentist, who will be able to more quickly tell you whether or not you have anything to worry about!

How to Prevent and Protect Yourself from Oral Cancer

The most important thing to do is to maintain a regular oral hygiene routine, including brushing for two minutes twice a day with a good quality toothbrush and flossing. There’s no better alternative than this, and it’s simple and easy to keep up with once you’re in the swing of it! If you find that you are reluctant to brush your teeth, consider encouraging yourself by investing in a sonic powered toothbrush or luxurious toothpaste to make your brushing experience one to look forward to!

Although cancer is scary, keeping yourself healthy and observant is the best way to ensure a long and healthy life for yourself and your teeth!