You decorate the tree, put lights up on the windows, select the perfect gifts, send out all the cards, and, of course, indulge in all the wonderful holiday goodies you’ve been looking forward to all year. However, amidst all the excitement of the holidays you can’t forget that your teeth and gums need special attention during the colder weather. Your Rochester, MN dentist, Dr. Janet Calcagano, offers some advice for helping you enjoy a healthy, radiant smile all winter long.
Tooth Pain Associated with Cold Weather
You may have noticed that your teeth, especially the ones in the upper jaw, ache during colder weather. This relatively common problem can be attributed to the close proximity of the maxillary sinuses to the top teeth, specifically the molars. When you breathe cold, dry air for extended periods of time, it irritates your sinuses. The irritated sinuses place excess pressure on the teeth, causing that characteristic tenderness. You can take certain measures, such as drinking plenty of water and using a humidifier in your home to keep the air moist. However, you should still schedule an appointment with your dentist just in case that toothache is caused by something else, such as a deep cavity.
Choose Smart Snacks at Holiday Parties
Whether you attend the employee luncheon and gift exchange at work or it’s your turn to host the family’s holiday party at your home, choosing tooth-friendly goodies can be challenging. Many of our favorite holiday foods, such as decorated cookies, candy canes, hot chocolate, and warm fruit pies, contain lots of sugar that can encourage the growth of bacteria and plaque on the teeth and gums. At your next holiday party, focus on filling your plate from the raw vegetable platter. Not only are those baby carrots, celery sticks, and broccoli florets good for your body, they also provide an abrasive scrubbing action that cleans your tooth enamel. Throw a few cubes of cheese from the cheese platter on your plate as well. The high level of calcium can help strengthen your teeth.
Show Off a Smile as Dazzling as the Snow
Hoping to impress your relatives when they come over for Christmas dinner? Hoping to catch a kiss under the mistletoe from that special someone? A whiter, brighter smile could be your solution to enhancing the vibrancy of your pearly whites. Your dentist offer several teeth whitening solutions, from at-home whitening trays, to in-office bleaching, to the revolutionary KoR system. Every whitening option can brighten teeth and the KoR system has demonstrated remarkable results even on difficult, intrinsic staining.
Schedule Your Wintertime Dentist Appointment
To discuss cold weather tooth pain, smile-friendly nutrition advice, or a teeth whitening system, schedule an appointment with Dr. Calcagno. To contact our Rochester dentist office, call (507)281-3659. We serve proudly patients in Rochester, Red Wing, St. Charles, Winona, Farmington, the 55902 zip code, and surrounding communities.
