Ah, the busiest and inarguably the merriest time of the year has finally arrived! The holiday season has been brimming with all sorts of parties, festivities and gatherings, and oh boy, surely there are heaps and heaps of sumptuous food being served! Truth be told, the holidays are the busiest (but not really the happiest) time for your teeth and gums.

Here are a few tips to ensure that you get through Christmas and welcome the new year with radiant smile.

Go easy on the candy

Sugar canes and hard candy like peppermint are pretty common during the holidays, and yup, they are surely hard to ignore. However, do yourself a favor and try to go easy in eating them. Don’t force your teeth to crack the candy or you might end up with a chipped tooth. Instead, try to eat the candy not by biting it but by slowly melting it in your mouth. This lessens the risk of biting the candy the wrong way and ending up breaking your teeth instead. But hey, it’s totally cool too if you can completely ignore candies and sugary treats this holiday season—for a change!

Chew on the crunchy munchies

Proper mastication is an important factor in cleansing the mouth. So the next time you go to a Christmas buffet, try spotting crunchy food such as carrots, apples and cucumbers! Crunching on these foods can help clear bacteria away as chewing can disturb the dental plaque clinging to the teeth. Carrots, apples and cucumbers are crunchy, firm and contain a lot of water, hence they can act as a natural toothbrush when it comes to scrubbing and cleansing your teeth.

Feast on the leafy green

Challenge yourself by picking the greens this Christmas! Fork through a plate of salad or munch on the veggies instead—these leafy greens are packed with vitamins and minerals which are essential in protecting the teeth’s enamel.

Binge on cheese

The holidays are incomplete without a good drink, of course. And while the acid in your glass of red wine can eat away at the tooth’s enamel, the platter of cheese you are snacking on can help in balancing the bad effects. So go gorge on that plate of blue cheese—its calcium content would help in fortifying your teeth.
It’s completely okay to go nuts over nuts this holiday season! Snacking on almonds, cashews and walnuts can aid in making your teeth stronger, as nuts are rich sources of vitamins and minerals which prevents the buildup of bacteria in your mouth by stimulating the production of saliva. Don’t go nuts with cracking them though!