The holidays are one of our favorite times of the year here at Arizona Periodontal Group, and we want to take this opportunity to thank our incredible team and loyal patients. We wouldn’t be the Phoenix periodontal practice that we are today without all of the love and support the community has offered us over the years.
We want to wish all of our treasured clients and employees a very Merry Christmas. We hope that you will be able to spend time with your family, enjoy a little extra sleep, and share fun surprises with the people you love.
Preventing Gum Disease this Holiday Season
Christmas is notorious for yummy treats and candies galore, which is why we also want to encourage all our patients to look after your oral health this holiday season. Gum disease is a very real problem that affects over half of all adults in the United States, and new research has even tied periodontal disease to other serious illnesses.
Fortunately, you can avoid gum disease and keep your teeth comfortable and healthy by doing what you can to follow these holiday dental health tips:
Start with a Periodontal Exam
To avoid dental emergencies during the holidays, begin your vacation with a periodontal exam. Comprehensive Periodontal Exams, also known as CPE’s, are recommended once a year to keep the teeth and gums free of disease. During these routine exams, Dr. Trujillo will examine your teeth and gums for signs of gum disease, prior decay, and infections so we can treat the problems proactively.
Don’t Snack Between Meals
When you eat, the simple sugars in your meal feed the oral bacteria that live in your mouth, prompting them to produce acids. These “acid attacks” occur for as long as 20 minutes after you eat, which is why snacking between meals is so damaging to your smile–it’s a whole extra 20-minute acid exposure session every time you munch. To prevent problems, focus on eating at mealtimes, swishing your mouth with water after meals to dilute acids, and then avoiding the urge to snack.
Avoid Hard or Heavily Pigmented Foods
Try to avoid hard foods that could damage prior dental work, or pigmented foods that could leave behind unsightly staining. If possible, stay away from nuts in the shell, punch, pomegranate seeds, and unpopped popcorn kernels.
If you do encounter any kind of dental or periodontal emergency over the holidays, please don’t hesitate to contact our office. We’ll do everything we can to get you the help that you need as soon as possible.
Merry Christmas!
Dr. Ariel Trujillo
