Teeth are important and need to be looked after year round, but especially during the holidays.

The holidays are loaded with goodies starting with Thanksgiving and ending on New Year’s Day. With that being said it’s not only your waistline that pays the price for your holiday frivolity.

While you may think you won’t have any fun if you avoid sugar and starches during the holidays you can still enjoy yourself if you moderate your food intact.

Below are some teeth friendly foods that you can enjoy.

Fruits Veggies and Teeth

While they might not sound like a ton of fun during the holidays they can be. Keep them savory with some delicious dips or make things sweet by adding fruit, honey or molasses.

If you are eating more fruit than veggies be sure to keep your citrus to a minimum. Citrus fruits eat away at the enamel on your teeth.

If you must eat citrus have your tangerine, lime, lemon or Kiwi with a meal. If you do eat a piece of fruit on its own, rinse with water after consuming.

Calcium Rich Foods

Dairy products are popular all year round but especially during the holidays. Hit the cheese table at your work Christmas party and enjoy with cherry tomatoes celery and carrots.

Skip the crackers and bread as starchy foods get stuck between teeth. This makes the whole healthy holiday food experiment a failure.

Enjoy milk and other sugar free dairy foods such as butter, soft and hard cheeses. Calcium is good for strong bones AND teeth.

High Protein Foods

Just like calcium, protein is essential. Loading up on high protein foods during the holidays will protect teeth and gums if you do decide to fudge a little and indulge in not so good treats.

Organ and red meats along with salmon and other types of fatty fish are excellent as you chew more.

When you chew your mouth produces saliva, which helps to rinse away food particles. Keep in mind that fatty fish is also full of phosphorus. Phosphorus is a mineral that protects the enamel on your teeth.

Being Nutty is Good for You

Just like fatty fish and dairy products, nuts are loaded with phosphorus. Especially helpful are cashews, Brazil nuts and almonds. Furthermore cashews stimulate salivary glands while almonds offer calcium.

If that isn’t enough to convince you of the value, walnuts contain iron, folic acid, fiber, vitamin E, niacin, vitamin B6, zinc, potassium, niacin, magnesium and thiamine.

Dental Checkups in Kalispell

Stay teeth healthy with the above foods and don’t forget to schedule regular dental checkups.

Regular checkups and cleanings are part of the equation and just as important. Call now and schedule your dental checkup in Kalispell today.

If you have just lost a tooth or are about to have one extracted, skip the dental bridge and opt for a dental implant instead.

Your dentist in Kalispell has the experience to place dental implants that are just as strong as the tooth that you lost. In fact, your new replacement tooth is probably stronger.

Dental Bridges

Used to bridge the gap, a dental bridge requires some removal of the abutment or adjacent teeth. This means that the procedure is permanent.

There are three types of dental bridges, traditional fixed bridges, Maryland bonded bridges and cantilever dental bridges. All three of these dental bridges do the job, but are not as sturdy as dental implants.

Partial Dentures

Partial dentures are natural looking appliances that replace one or more lost teeth. Made from acrylic or metal and acrylic, they bring your mouth back to function, however, just like dental bridges, there will be bone loss.

Tooth roots exercise the bone making it strong. Once that tooth is lost it dissolves into the body. That is why people with dentures don’t have the jaw support that they once did.

Dental bridges and partial dentures are excellent replacements for missing teeth. However, you will suffer jaw bone loss as your new dental bridge will not fuse to the bone like a dental implant will. This process is called osseintegration.

Osseointegration is a natural phenomenon that happens when your dentist surgically places a post or screw in or on your jawbone.

Bone fusing takes about 9 to 12 months; however, in some cases patients have healed in as little as six months or in as many as 18 months.

Dental Implants for Missing Teeth

Dental implants act like natural teeth and are superior tooth replacements. Although dental implants will cost you more upfront, they are well worth it in the long run as dental bridges and partial dentures will need to be replaced over the years.

Dental implants on the other hand could last the rest of your life as long as you practice good oral hygiene including regular dental checkups with Northwest Center for Dentistry.

What are Dental Implants?

Implant specialist Dr. Cameron Clark explains that dental implants are posts or screws made from titanium. However, in some cases, human grade dental plastic is used if the patient has a metal allergy.

After healing your dentist in Kalispell places artificial teeth on the top of the posts for a brand new smile. These new teeth shine and reflect light just like natural teeth do.

Kalispell Dental Implants

If you would like to find out if you are a good candidate, call or send a direct message and schedule a dental implant consultation with Northwest Center for Dentistry today.

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Holiday Teeth Tips for Health and Happiness