Protecting your pearly whites for the Christmas season

MANILA, Philippines - ’Tis the season to wear your best clothes and flash your sweetest smiles. After all, it’s not only the season for giving. It’s also the season for catching up with loved ones over a table groaning with food. 

But you can only do this if you have healthy pearly whites you can show off to the entire clan. Otherwise, you might end the year not with a bang, but with a nasty toothache.

That’s why Dr. Madeline Griño offers some bits of valuable advice.

“For us to enjoy holiday treats, we should never forget to brush and floss our teeth regularly,” she says.  “Use a mouthwash of choice and drink plenty of water to neutralize saliva. Remember that after you eat, bacteria go crazy over the sugar in  your teeth. Make time to visit your dentist to check your cavities.”

Flossing is also a must. “Flossing in between teeth is essential to avoid periodontal (gum-related) disease as well as to prevent tooth decay,” Griño points out. “It is only through flossing that we remove trapped tiny food particles and plaque in between teeth which toothbrushes can’t reach.  Flossing reduces the number of bacteria that inhabit our mouth.”

Griño suggests flossing before brushing for fluoride from the toothpaste to seep in between teeth better.

“This clears the space (in between teeth) and makes you feel fresher,” she explains.

She also recommends using a mouthwash “to clean other surfaces in our mouth that harbour bad breath germs.”

Griño says adding mouthwash to your routine is a must since it cleans areas brushing and flossing may miss.

But before you rush to the grocery store, you have to know that not all mouthwashes are created equal. “Some contain high alcohol levels, which may dry the mouth and make odor-causing bacteria multiply,” explains Griño.

She suggests alcohol-free mouthwash to ensure fresh, sweet-smelling breath all day long.

If even your closest relatives stay away from you because yours is not the sweetest-smelling breath on earth, it’s time to pay the dentist a visit. You should also worry about red, bleeding or swollen gums, pain or sensitivity when you bite your food, swelling around the teeth, mouth sores or anything out of the ordinary.

Prevention is the best cure.  Griño advises seeing the dentist twice a year for routine cleaning and checkup.

“Those with fixed bridges, jacket crowns, dentures, limited manual dexterity (e.g. people with Parkinson’s disease, special children, etc.) and tendency to get gum infections should visit the dentist more often,”  she explains.

The Griño Dental Group office is located at Seneca Plaza, 1152 E. Rodriguez Avenue, New Manila, Quezon City, with telephone number 416-3828. Visit www.facebook.com/griño dental.