Our favorite food-based holiday is here! Relax and lower your hackles; we aren’t going to tell you to cut down on how much you eat. We just want to offer a few tips for a dental-safe holiday.
Open nuts with a nutcracker, not your teeth.Many men, women, AND children crack a tooth over the holiday doing just that. Rodents have the teeth cracking nuts; this is why we invented nutcrackers. Also, remember this: cracking your teeth not only creates an unattractive result, it also creates quite a painful one. In addition, cracking a tooth requires pricey dental fixes, including a root canal and a dental crown.
Don’t open beer bottles with your teeth. Go on ahead and laugh; just remember that more people try this than you think, especially once the alcohol starts to flow. And yes, the results are always the same–cracked teeth that need dental implants, root canals, and/or dental crowns.
Caramel popcorn balls can also crack your teeth. No really, it’s true. All it takes is biting down on a single, unpopped kernel of popcorn a little too hard or the wrong way and you will crack a tooth. This can lead to–you guessed it–needing root canals, dental implants, and dental crowns. We know they’re tasty, but it’s worth the risk to your wallet to skip them.
Brush and floss your teeth after dessert. Before you lie down on the couch for that guaranteed post-Thanksgiving dinner coma, brush and floss your teeth. The number one cause of tooth decay is food left on or around the teeth, and the number one food to cause decay the fastest is sugar. After your last slice of pumpkin or pecan pie hit the bathroom for a quick brushing and flossing.
Don’t bite candy canes. While it’s highly unlikely candy canes will be around on Thanksgiving Day, it is highly likely that they will make an appearance the day after Thanksgiving, as this is the most popular day to start decorating for Christmas. If you have a pension for candy canes, don’t bite down on them. Hard candy like peppermint can be literal murder to your teeth.
See, that wasn’t so scary! We hope everyone has a safe and very happy Thanksgiving!