The holiday season – filled with sweets and treats, wine and crunchy food that can affect your dental health – has arrived.
Eileen Hoskin, an associate professor and director of operative dentistry at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, shares tips on keeping teeth healthy during the holidays and year-round.
This is the season of sweets. What is the most tooth-friendly way to consume them?
No matter the time of year, you should only eat or drink something sweet once or twice a day. Studies have shown that increased frequency of eating sugar throughout the day is worse than the amount of sugar eaten at one or two sittings. All-day ingestion of sugars dispensed as a beverage or treat causes a shift in our bacterial colonization, leaning toward species that produce and can live in acids. If this eating pattern continues, tooth decay becomes inevitable.
Is there any way we can minimize sugar cravings and protect our teeth?
If you crave sweets during the holidays, xylitol “sugar-free” gum is an easy distraction that has many positive attributes. It is a naturally occurring sugar alcohol that derives from birch trees. But as with any sweetener, xylitol should be used in moderation because if used in high levels, it can cause abdominal discomfort and even make platelets more sensitive to blood clotting. These gums come in flavors and might satisfy your sweet craving. At parties, they can provide a bonus of freshening your breath.
In addition, chewing this gum after a sweet treat will keep you from eating another and stimulate salivary flow, which will reduce the number of bacteria that causes tooth decay. Increased salivary flow has many positive effects, ranging from washing away food particles to reducing acids that can cause enamel breakdown, a precursor to cavities.
Xylitol does not break down in the body like sucrose does; therefore, it raises the pH in the saliva as opposed to lowering it with sugar ingestion. A raised or high pH is good because it means less acid; an acidic environment breaks down the enamel on teeth at a certain level and can lead to decay. Some studies have shown that xylitol can re-mineralize tooth enamel, which might prevent tooth decay.
How can we protect our teeth from staining and sensitivity from beverages such as coffee, black tea or wine?
We want whiter smiles around holidays, but you should refrain from whitening your teeth directly before attending a holiday party. Teeth dehydrate during any whitening process, making them more susceptible to staining with red wine. Additionally, recently whitened teeth tend to be more sensitive to cold air and liquids. This may lessen your enjoyment of the holiday party or being outdoors. Some whitening systems are marketing over-the-counter sensitivity gels to offset these adverse side effects. If you experience any tooth sensitivity that lasts for more than a few days, consult your dentist. There may be a larger problem, such as tooth decay, that needs treatment.
What is an oral health care New Year’s resolution?
Studies have shown that millennials do not prioritize tooth care in comparison with other groups, primarily because of a lack of time. During this holiday season, everyone should prioritize their oral health care and see the dentist for a check-up and cleaning. Learning from a dentist how to prevent tooth decay is a better New Year’s resolution than waiting until pain and problems arise to pay a visit.
