5 Tips to Have a Healthy Thanksgiving

family having a healthy Thanksgiving in Richardson

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, wouldn’t you love to keep your household cavity-free this holiday season? Although indulging in a Thanksgiving feast may leave your belly feeling full and satisfied, it means bad news for your oral health. Luckily, there are several steps you can take to keep your smile cavity-free this holiday season. Read on to learn five tips to help you prevent a dental health crisis and have a healthy Thanksgiving in Richardson.

Tip #1: Avoid Sticky Foods

Caramel, marshmallows, and candied pecans are all tasty treats, but their stickiness makes them difficult to remove from teeth and braces. They may even dislodge dentures, crowns, or fillings! Since they’re difficult to wash away, prolonged exposure to these foods can lead to a buildup of plaque or even tooth decay.

Tip #2: Reduce Sugar Intake

When we eat sugar, oral bacteria feed on it and produce harmful acids that attack tooth enamel. This leaves your teeth vulnerable to cavities and even gum disease. With all the cakes, pies, and other treats that are commonplace on the Thanksgiving buffet, you may end up eating way more sugar than usual. Protect your teeth by cutting back on your sugar consumption.

Tip #3: Limit Snacking

While the type of food you eat can cause damage to your teeth, so can the amount. Snacking throughout the day exposes your teeth to a continuous acid attack by throwing off the pH levels in the mouth and making the environment more acidic than normal. Keep your mouth healthy by sticking to a designated mealtime and avoid snacking throughout the day.

Tip #4: Be Wary of Hard and Sharp Foods

Foods like nuts, chips, hard candies, and popcorn can pose a threat to your dental health since hard and sharp pieces of these foods can get caught between the teeth, stab the gums, and get lodged in dental restorations or orthodontic appliances. They also weaken your enamel and can chip your teeth. If you’re going to eat any of these foods, make sure you have dental floss on hand so you can clean between your teeth afterward.

Tip #5: Choose Drinks Wisely

Do you enjoy having a glass of fruit juice or red wine with your Thanksgiving meal? The sugar, acid, and alcohol in these drinks can seriously damage your teeth by making your mouth dry and breaking down tooth enamel, both of which make them more susceptible to decay. To avoid this, drink water or sugar-free beverages whenever possible. If you do indulge in one of the above beverages, rinse with water afterward to wash harmful substances out of your mouth.

Though your oral health might be the last thing on your mind on Thanksgiving Day, make the wellbeing of your teeth and gums a priority to keep issues from developing. Follow the above tips to protect your smile and keep your teeth looking lovely all season long!

About the Practice

Concerned about how to protect your teeth this holiday season? Shwarts Family Dentistry is here to help! Dr. Ellis Shwarts and his team of oral health experts aim to beautify the smiles of their Richardson patients and help them maintain good oral health this Thanksgiving and every day after that. Call Shwarts Family Dentistry at (972) 437-6035 or visit their website to schedule an appointment or for more information on how to protect your smile this Thanksgiving.