During Christmas and the school holidays health matters often take a back seat and sugar consumption skyrockets through those extra food treats and drinking alcohol. But as tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in both adults and children, dentists have today released an Oral Health Survival Kit urging people not to let their mouths become a Christmas casualty.<\/p>\n
Statistics show that 42 per cent of Australian children aged 5-10 years have experienced tooth decay in their primary teeth, 24 per cent of children aged six to 14 have experienced tooth decay in their adult teeth, and 27 per cent of five-to 10-year-olds have untreated dental decay.<\/p>\n
Figures for older kids show one in six teenagers consumes over 5kg of sugar throughout the year from sugary drinks alone, about the same weight as a family cat, making sugar consumption and tooth decay a national problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile Christmas and the summer break is undoubtedly Australia\u2019s favourite time of the year, the festive season presents more opportunities for eating foods and having drinks that can harm teeth, and for oral injuries to happen when families are on holidays,\u201d said the new Australian Dental Association President Dr Scott Davis.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo help oral health survive this time of indulgence and sense of freedom, the ADA has written an Oral Health Survival Kit to ensure you get to the end of the session with yours and your family\u2019s oral health in tact. It goes beyond the old saying of not cracking your walnuts with your teeth!\u201d<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the ADA\u2019s Oral Health Survival Kit to get your oral health through the holiday season. <\/p>\n
1. Mouthguards \u2013 even if the kids don\u2019t have sports club games, heading out to play these games during the Christmas break still needs mouthguards \u2013 and the same goes for any activities where there\u2019s risk of mouth injury. Over summer just about everyone spends more time outdoors \u2013 whether it\u2019s kids climbing trees or the whole family playing backyard cricket on Christmas Day. Whatever the occasion, make sure the mouthguards get washed and left somewhere handy so everyone can find them easily for safe summer sports and games.<\/p>\n
\u201cDentists often see kids in their practices during holidays with traumatic dental injuries that could\u2019ve been prevented, or damage reduced, had they been wearing a protective mouthguard,\u201d said Dr Davis, a prosthodontist from Port Macquarie. \u201cThe best mouthguards are from your dentist as they\u2019re customised to fit the size and shape of the patient\u2019s mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n
If a tooth is knocked out and has been found, dentists advise putting it in a glass of milk and heading straight to the your dentist as they may be able to re-insert it.<\/p>\n
2. Avoid thoughtless eating and drinking \u2013 dentists love a party the same as the next person. \u201cWe\u2019re not the Grinch, but at this time of year it\u2019s about moderation,\u201d said Dr Davis.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlenty of our chosen festive food and drinks can negatively affect the health of our teeth, so it\u2019s important that we be mindful of keeping good eating and drinking habits during this time.\u201d <\/p>\n
Thoughtless eating is when we eat without even thinking twice about it, it\u2019s eating because food is there, not because we\u2019re hungry. An easy rule of thumb before reaching for that next sweet treat is to ask yourself: \u2018am I really hungry?\u2019 Consider a more tooth-friendly snack instead, such as savoury popcorn. <\/p>\n
The ADA\u2019s Tooth-friendly Treats Cookbook includes 20 dentist-recommended sweet treat recipes that are great to get you through the holiday season when you want something sweet. It makes a great Christmas gift and profits from the sales go to the Australian Dental Health Foundation, which helps disadvantaged Australians access dental care. Purchase the hard copy or e-book at: www.teeth.org.au\/teeth\/Shop<\/p>\n
3. Can the candy cane \u2013 hard lollies are the worst. They\u2019re made of 100% sugar and are often responsible for accidents involving broken teeth or fillings. They also take longer to dissolve in the mouth, meaning the teeth are exposed to sugar for longer, increasing the risk of tooth decay, so swap for a tooth-friendly treat or a small, non-edible one instead. <\/p>\n
4. Limit sugary drinks and alcohol \u2013 most people are aware that sugary drinks can contribute to tooth decay \u2013 but alcohol is an aspect of Christmas people don\u2019t normally associate with tooth decay \u2013 with regular alcoholic drinks potentially increasing the risk.<\/p>\n
If drinking spirits, minimise your sugar intake by choosing soda water as a mixer rather than a soft drink like lemonade. Drinking a glass of water between alcoholic drinks is also a good idea as it helps to rinse away some of the acid from the drink. Alcohol can also make you dehydrated, so regularly drinking water can also help you to stay hydrated because a dry mouth is also a factor in tooth decay risk.<\/p>\n
For kids it\u2019s useful to be aware that there are typically 26 teaspoons of sugar in an average one litre cola bottle, so encourage them to drink tap water or milk instead of sugary drinks to help prevent decay.<\/p>\n
One final tip \u2013 wait at least an hour between your last alcoholic or fizzy drink and teeth brushing. Brushing too soon can damage the softened tooth enamel caused by acidity in the drinks. <\/p>\n
5. Flossing \u2013 with all the eating and drinking you may be doing, don\u2019t forget to floss daily \u2013 or if you don\u2019t do it yet, make the Christmas break a great time to get into the habit. It only takes a few minutes a day and helps to remove all the food debris sitting between your teeth. In fact brushing only removes 60% of food debris and you need to floss to remove the remaining 40%. If you don\u2019t, consider that you\u2019ll have small particles of food rotting between your teeth.<\/p>\n
6. Access your free dental entitlement \u2013 only 38% of eligible families use their Child Dental Benefits Schedule entitlement. Qualifying families with children up to age 18 who receive Family Tax Benefit Part A or other Australian government payment, are entitled to dental work up to the value of $1,052 in every two year period. Families can check their child\u2019s eligibility through their Medicare online account at MyGov.<\/p>\n
7. Looking after your teeth while on holidays and travelling \u2013 to avoid dental issues while you\u2019re a long way from home and your local dentist, book in appointments for the family before you go. That way any niggling issues can be resolved before heading off, and the kids can have their back-to-school checkup ahead of the usual end of January scramble for appointments.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re travelling, keep up the dental basics while away \u2013 stopping brushing and flossing even for three days can result in plaque build-up and gingivitis starting. A toothbrush, toothpaste and flossing device take up minimal space in your luggage and will go a long way to protecting your oral health while travelling. In some countries where drinking tap water is out, staying hydrated and brushing with bottled water will do a good a job in the short term. Lastly, pack mouthguards if you\u2019re planning sporting or leisure activities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
During Christmas and the school holidays health matters often take a back seat and sugar consumption skyrockets through those extra food treats and drinking alcohol. But as tooth decay is the most common chronic disease in both adults and children, dentists have today released an Oral Health Survival Kit urging people not to let their […]<\/p>\n