It’s the holiday season and the first great holiday on our list is Thanksgiving. It’s the perfect time for food, family, and celebration.
While it’s not the first thing on everyone’s mind as they gather around the table to dig into the tasty spread before them, there’s the matter of your teeth. Unfortunately, overindulging in holiday treats can leave you dealing with dental issues in 2020.
In order to protect your teeth this holiday season, your San Antonio dentist at Alon Dental Care would like to provide you with some tips on the best (and worst) foods to enjoy this holiday season.
The Best Holiday Treats For Teeth
Naturally, you’ll want to avoid overindulging in holiday sweets that contain excessive amounts of sugar. Now, that doesn’t mean you have to completely avoid them but it’s best to limit yourself and then brush your teeth about 30 minutes after you’ve enjoyed your Thanksgiving meal.
When it comes to Thanksgiving foods you can enjoy, consider the following:
- Pumpkin-based dishes: It may come as a surprise to you but pumpkin is jam-packed with enamel-boosting vitamin A. While most of us will enjoy pumpkin via pumpkin pie, just be wary of how much sugar is in the kind you purchase or eat. While some can contain less sugar than other pies, you’ll still want to keep an eye out on those sugars, especially if your slice is topped with whipped cream.
- Turkey: The hero of the Thanksgiving table also makes the list for its tooth-friendly attributes. Turkey contains tons of protein, which will help to fill you up and keep you away from those sugar-filled desserts.
- Homemade cranberry sauce: If the turkey somehow didn’t fill you up, homemade (not the canned kind) cranberry sauce is an excellent Thanksgiving treat for your smile.
- Vegetables: Most Thanksgiving spreads will include a few veggies like carrots, celery, or even green beans. Not only are these foods chock-full of vitamins and nutrients that are great for your teeth, but veggies like celery can also help to scrub away plaque.
The Worst Holiday Snacks For Your Pearly Whites
As far as the worst offenders go, the list shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Candies, cookies, cakes, pies, sweet breads, and muffins, have loads of sugar and salt that can create a multitude of bacteria which leads to cavities.
Below are a couple of additional dental offenders to limit this season:
- Sugary Drinks: With the holidays come cooler temperatures and that usually means a high demand for hot cocoa, coffee, and even eggnog. Of course, these drinks can all have excessive amounts of sugar that can create a breeding ground for bacteria in your mouth. After partaking in any of these types of drinks (including soda), make sure to drink some water to help flush down sugars and then brush your teeth 30 minutes after.
- Starchy foods: Bread rolls, white bread, french fries, and potato chips can lodge themselves in between your teeth during a holiday meal. Those tasty starches can eventually convert to sugars if not washed out, which can lead to an abundance of harmful bacteria.
Even though the holidays are a hectic time, your oral health depends on your diligence. Brushing and flossing regularly is the best way to start but seeing your dentist for a cleaning every six months will prolong your oral health.
Even if you’re a regular brusher, flosser and rinser, you’ll still need to visit a dentist. You can still miss difficult-to-reach areas of the mouth. Those tiny places are still vulnerable to tooth decay. This is where your friendly local San Antonio family dentist can help.