Winter is a beautiful time of year with the snow beginning to settle on the ground as the frozen lakes and ponds glimmer in the sunlight. This season also comes with risks that you need to be aware of since winter activities can bring disaster to your oral health. Keep your teeth protected so you can avoid dental issues all year round.
Winter Sporting Activities
Heading out to play a little hockey on the community skating rink is fun but with aggressive players on the opposing team, you need to consider protecting your teeth. Smashing headfirst into the boards or face down onto the frozen water can cause you to chip a tooth or worse, lose your tooth completely. You need to be aware of this type of danger during a hockey game and protect your teeth with a mouthguard. A mouthguard can be custom fit for you if you partake in this sport often or you can get a boil and bite mouth guard for occasional use. Either way, cushioning your teeth against sudden impact is a good idea.
Holiday Parties
It’s the season for parties. Everyone knows that office parties are the time of year where you can let loose with your co-workers and share a couple of cocktails on the boss’s expense account. Your friends and neighbours invite you to their homes to enjoy their homemade cookies and candies and you usually overindulge. Beware, the season for parties can also be the season for cavities. The extra drinks and treats you are exposing your teeth and gums to means you are consuming more sugar than you normally would. You need to take precautions to make sure your brushing and flossing routines are up to par. Take a little more time when the party is over to make sure you clean your teeth. Going to bed late without taking care of your oral health could give you more than a hangover in the morning, you could be developing a cavity.
Snowball Fights and Snow Forts
Children love playing in the snow. When it is recess time at school, everyone is out and about building snowmen, making snow angels, and participating in those epic snowball fights. Help protect your children’s teeth by setting a few rules for the adventures. First off, make sure they have a scarf to wrap around their faces to help protect them when diving headfirst into a snowbank. Second, take time to share with their friends the consequences of hitting someone directly in the face with a hard snowball, noting that it could cause a loose tooth. Teach your children to “aim” their snow weapons below the neck to try and keep everyone from having a dental emergency in the middle of the battle.
Go out and enjoy the season of frozen delights, just make sure you are well aware of some of the dangers that arise when the snowfalls.
