All I Want for Christmas
All we want for Christmas is for you to not break your teeth! Nothing is worse than cracking, chipping, and breaking your teeth during the holidays when you’re trying to enjoy time with friends and family. If experience has told us anything, it’s that we often encounter these situations at the most inconvenient of times. Despite this frosty warning, you can, in a sense, say “no” to the Nutcracker. Prevention isn’t too far out of reach in a lot of cases.
Filling Stockings with Popcorn, Hard Candy, Nuts, and Much More
Holidays and food go together like two peas in a pod, but a lot of the foods that we commonly consume are very hard and can damage teeth. If you break your teeth on food, it can be a surprising and shocking experience, to say the least. Sometimes you bite down at just the right angle with a great amount of force. The best way to prevent harm from biting down on food is to slow down, eat mindfully, and take care of your oral health in general. Identifying which foods can cause cracked teeth can help you know where and when to really take it slow. Here are some common foods to enjoy but eat with caution:
- Fruits with Pits
- Nuts
- Hard Bread or Granola Bars
- Meat with Bones
- Popcorn
- Jerky
- Corn on the Cob
Break Your Teeth on Ice
We’re not talking about the ice rink. A lot of people have a habit of chewing down on ice cubes, frozen fruits, or hard candy of all sorts, unaware of how it can break teeth. The upsetting part of this kind of tooth damage is that it can always be prevented. How? Put simply, just let these foods dissolve in your mouth or lick instead of biting. Savoring the moment could never be more tooth-saving! Chewing on ice or hard candy regularly can do a lot of harm to the enamel of your teeth over time as well, so be sure to indulge sparingly and be more conscientious about how you’re consuming.
Nail Chewing & Grinding
Is it just us or does a nutcracker’s stoic face make you a little nervous too? Nervous habits break your teeth. Nail biting, for one, is a habit you’ll want to quit if it’s something that you engage in regularly. Not only does it spread those germs around, but nails are too rough on teeth. Another nervous habit to beware of is tooth grinding. When you grind, your teeth come together with incredible force. A one-way ticket to the North Pole? Nope. Tooth grinding is a one-way ticket to the dentist. Sometimes tooth grinding can happen at night and unconsciously. You can protect your teeth with a dental nightguard, so be sure to ask us about it at your next appointment should you suspect nighttime tooth clenching.
Breaking Your Teeth on Gadgets & Gizmos
Using your teeth as tools is a big NO. Just no. It could land you right on Santa’s Naughty List. We understand that sometimes it may seem easier or convenient, but it’s a risk that quickly turns to disaster if you break a tooth. Again, this is a situation that is highly preventable. Instead of using your teeth as a tool, just go get an appropriate tool like scissors or have one handy in advance. Even if it adds a bit of time to a project or situation, it goes a long way in protecting your teeth. If you break your teeth by using them as tools, you can’t count on a Christmas miracle to reverse the damage. Instead, Santa will direct you to your dentist: us! Here are some common items that you should avoid biting down on.
- Pens
- Tape (especially for those Christmas decorations!)
- Packages
- Clothing Tags
- Bottle Caps
- Snack Bags
You never think you’ll have a dental emergency during the holidays unless it happens to you. You know who to reach out to if you break your teeth this season.
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