Christmas Foods That Damage Your Teeth: A Dentist’s Guide
Wondering how to look after your teeth over Christmas without missing out on the festive food? From sticky toffees and rock-hard nuts to grazing on the chocolate tin all day, Christmas can take a toll on your oral health in the short and long term. Our dental team at 41 South Bar offers expert advice and treatments to keep your smile healthy and strong this season.
In this guide, we’ll look at the Christmas foods most likely to cause problems, how to enjoy them more safely, and what to do if you chip or crack a tooth over the festive break. If you’re wondering about festive drinks, our guides to the best and worst drinks for your teeth and how alcoholic drinks affect your teeth cover those in more detail.
Why Is Your Oral Health At More Risk At Christmas?
Christmas often disrupts routines, making it easy to overlook your oral care. Late nights, travelling to see family and days spent snacking all add up, and the festive period brings an abundance of treats that can affect your teeth if you don’t look after them as you normally would.
How often your teeth meet sugar matters more than any single mince pie. When you eat something sugary, the bacteria in plaque turn it into acid, and your teeth can be under attack for up to an hour afterwards. When the snacks are out all day, your teeth never get the chance to recover, which is how tooth decay starts.
- Sugary foods: Christmas staples like chocolate, sweets, mince pies and Christmas cake are full of sugar, which feeds bacteria in your mouth
- Hard and sticky treats: Nuts, brittle, candy canes and toffees put extra strain on teeth, fillings and crowns
- Acidic foods and drinks: Cranberry sauce, citrus fruits and festive cocktails can soften the enamel that protects your teeth
- Busy days and late nights: It’s easy to skip brushing after a long day, which leaves sugar sitting on your teeth overnight
Regular general dentistry care helps us spot small problems early, before the festive season turns them into painful ones.
Christmas Foods That Can Damage Your Teeth
The Christmas foods most likely to damage your teeth are chocolate and sweets eaten throughout the day, sticky toffees and fudge, hard nuts, brittle and candy canes, dried-fruit treats like mince pies and Christmas pudding, and acidic cranberry sauce. Here’s why each one matters and how to enjoy it more safely.
Chocolate tins and selection boxes
A tin of chocolates on the coffee table is one of the biggest risks to your teeth at Christmas, because it’s so easy to keep dipping in. Each handful starts a new acid attack.
Our top tip: Enjoy your chocolates after a meal rather than grazing all afternoon, and put the lid back on the tin between visits. A professional hygiene appointment in the new year will help clear away any plaque build-up from the festive period.
Toffees, fudge and sticky sweets
Chewy sweets cling to your teeth and get stuck in the grooves of your back teeth, so the sugar stays there for longer. They can also pull at fillings, loosen crowns and work their way under dental bridges.
Our top tip: If you have crowns, bridges or large fillings, choose softer treats that melt quickly, and drink a glass of water afterwards to rinse away what’s left behind.
Nuts, brittle and candy canes
Biting down on a hard nut shell, a piece of brittle or a candy cane can chip or crack a tooth, especially one that already has a filling. Cracking walnuts with your teeth is one of the most common ways people damage a tooth over Christmas.
Our top tip: Always use a nutcracker, and suck rather than crunch hard sweets. If you do chip a front tooth, composite bonding or veneers can often restore its shape.
Mince pies, Christmas pudding and Christmas cake
These festive favourites are packed with dried fruit, which is both sugary and sticky, so it clings to your teeth long after the last bite.
Our top tip: Keep sugary food to mealtimes where you can, which is the advice from Oxfordshire’s public health team for keeping teeth healthy. Having your pudding straight after dinner is much kinder to your teeth than nibbling cake through the evening. Not sure whether your teeth are in good shape? Book an oral health check before the festive season begins.
Cranberry sauce and citrus fruits
Cranberry sauce is tart and usually sweetened with plenty of sugar, and the satsumas in your stocking are acidic too. Acids soften the enamel on the surface of your teeth for a short time, which over time can lead to erosion and sensitivity.
Our top tip: Eat acidic foods as part of a meal rather than on their own, and drink water afterwards. Learn more about why your oral health affects your overall health.
Red wine, mulled wine and festive drinks
Both red and white wine are highly acidic and can add to enamel erosion and staining. Mulled wine and festive cocktails often add sugar on top. For a full breakdown, read our guides to the best and worst drinks for your teeth and how alcoholic drinks affect your teeth. If your smile has picked up a few stains by January, our teeth whitening treatments can help.
Tips To Protect Your Teeth Over The Festive Season
At your private dentist in Banbury, our experienced team understands these seasonal concerns and is here to help you keep a bright, healthy smile through Christmas and beyond. Here are some essential tips to protect your oral health this festive season.
Our top tips:
- Keep treats to mealtimes: Fewer sugar “hits” a day gives your teeth time to recover between them
- Drink water after eating: A glass of water helps rinse away sugar and food left on your teeth
- Don’t brush straight after acidic food or drink: Give your enamel around an hour to recover first, as it’s softer straight afterwards
- Spit, don’t rinse: Brush twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste and spit out the toothpaste afterwards rather than rinsing, so the fluoride keeps working
- Chew sugar-free gum after meals: It encourages saliva, which helps protect your teeth
- Never use your teeth as tools: Opening presents, tearing tape or pulling bottle tops off with your teeth can easily chip them
- Pack your toothbrush: If you’re staying with family, don’t let your routine slip, and keep flossing every day
- Replace your toothbrush after illness: If you’ve had a winter cold or flu, change your toothbrush to prevent reinfection, and use a soft-bristled brush that you change every three months
What To Do If You Chip Or Crack A Tooth Over Christmas
Accidents happen, even with the best intentions. If you damage a tooth over the festive break, here’s what to do:
- Rinse your mouth gently with warm water and keep any broken pieces of tooth, filling or crown
- Use a cold compress on the outside of your cheek if there’s swelling
- Avoid chewing on that side until you’ve been seen
- Manage any pain with over-the-counter painkillers, and ask a pharmacist for advice if you’re unsure
- If an adult tooth is knocked out, you should be offered emergency dental care within an hour, or as soon as possible
Once the festive break is over, we can help repair the damage with crowns, composite bonding or, if a tooth has been lost, dental implants. Our guide on what to do if you’ve lost a front tooth explains your options.
Schedule Your Pre-Christmas Check-Up At 41 South Bar
The run-up to Christmas is the perfect time to prioritise your oral health by scheduling an oral health check with your Banbury dentist. A loose filling or a small crack is far easier to fix now than on Christmas Eve. We provide comprehensive general dentistry services, including:
- Professional cleanings to remove tartar and plaque build-up
- Safe teeth whitening treatments to brighten your smile and restore confidence
- Crown treatments to protect damaged teeth and restore their strength
- Dental implants for replacing missing teeth
- Tooth bonding and veneers for restoring or enhancing your smile
- Invisalign® for those looking to achieve straighter teeth
Our dental care plans also spread the cost of regular check-ups and hygiene appointments across the year.
Christmas Teeth FAQs: Your Dental Questions Answered
Can a chipped or broken tooth wait until after Christmas?
A small chip with no pain can usually wait until the practice reopens. Keep the area clean, avoid chewing on that side, and cover any sharp edge with dental wax from a pharmacy. If you have severe pain, swelling or bleeding, don’t wait, get urgent help.
Are dentists open between Christmas and New Year?
Many dental practices close or have reduced hours over the festive break. If you need urgent dental help while we’re closed, call NHS 111 and they can direct you to an urgent dental service. For anything that can wait, call us on 01295 262008 to book an appointment for when we reopen.
What can I do for toothache when the dentist is closed?
Take over-the-counter painkillers as directed on the packet and ask a pharmacist if you’re unsure. Never put a painkiller directly on your gum, as it can burn. Avoid very hot, cold or sugary food. If the pain is severe, keeps you awake or comes with swelling, call NHS 111.
What should I do if a filling falls out over Christmas?
Rinse your mouth, keep the area clean and avoid chewing on that side. A temporary filling kit from a pharmacy can protect the tooth for a few days, but it isn’t a permanent fix, so call us to book an appointment as soon as we reopen.
Is it OK for children to eat their selection box on Christmas morning?
Yes, it’s fine to enjoy it. It’s better for their teeth to eat it in one go rather than nibbling all day, and to brush with a fluoride toothpaste before bed. A new toothbrush makes a fun stocking filler too.
Can I take my Invisalign® aligners out for Christmas dinner?
Yes, always take them out to eat or drink anything other than water. Just don’t leave them out all day, as they need to be worn for around 22 hours a day to keep your treatment on track. Brush your teeth before putting them back in, so sugar isn’t trapped against your teeth.
Book Your Festive Dental Check-Up With Our Banbury Dentist Today
Whether you’re looking to restore functionality, enhance aesthetics, or simply make sure your teeth are in top condition before Christmas, we are here to provide exceptional care and personalised advice.
Book your festive dental check-up today. Contact us on 01295 262008 or email us at info@41southbar.com. We look forward to seeing you soon.