Tooth Friendly Christmas Gifts Suggestions From Our Acton Dentists

Think beyond sweets and chocolates as gifts and offer ones that are better for teeth and gums.

Christmas is almost here, although perhaps the annual day of snow came a little earlier this year! Some of you will, no doubt,  be well organised and may have got all of your Christmas shopping done whilst others may still be wondering what to buy some people. Often when we reach the ‘panic’ stage, we tend to opt for standards such as gifts of chocolates or sweets etc. Whilst a few of these won’t do too much harm, having a lot of chocolates etc isn’t a good thing as we are likely to eat them all rather than waste them, saturating our teeth with sugar for a long period of time over the Christmas period.

Today’s blog, then, will be dedicated to some suggestions of gifts that not only don’t damage your oral health, but are likely to help it too. Without further ado then, here are some of the top tips from the Acton Vale Dental Centre Team.

Electric toothbrush

Perhaps the number one most likely Christmas gift of all that is dental related. If you have friends or relatives that are still using a manual toothbrush, this is a great gift that can help them keep their teeth cleaner as the rotating head helps to remove food and bacteria that become trapped between the teeth and around the gumline. There are many different brands on the market but any reputable brand should be a significant improvement on a manual toothbrush.

Water Piks

Also known as ‘water flossers’, these can be a great gift for anyone who can’t, or refuses to, use dental floss. Given that only around one in five of us do actually floss our teeth, there is a very good chance that you will know someone who might benefit from a water flosser. Instead of using a flossing material, they work by firing fine jets of water between the teeth. In our opinion, you would be better using floss but this is certainly much better than not flossing at all. A lot of food and bacteria can get stuck between the teeth and without removing it by more than brushing, decay and gum disease are likely to follow.

A healthy snack selection

Most of us tend to snack and ‘nibble’ over the festive period, probably while we sit watching TV. The easiest thing to do is to reach for the nearest chocolates so why not offer a more tooth friendly choice instead. You can either buy a ready made selection or why not buy an attractive box and include things such as nuts and cheese etc. This will provide people with the opportunity to graze away without adding to the sugar on their teeth and gums. Nuts are a great option as they contain essential vitamins and minerals for healthy teeth and cheese helps to balance the acidity in the mouth, helping to prevent enamel erosion.  One piece of advice though, if you buy nuts with shells, please add nutcrackers to the box to prevent anyone from trying to break the shells with their teeth, something that would likely mean an emergency dental appointment would be needed!

Herbal teas

These are growing in popularity as people are more focussed on the whiteness of their teeth. As we know, the tannin in teas is notorious for making your teeth a darker colour than usual. Whilst brushing our teeth will help to remove this, some staining is likely to remain and you may need to have a teeth whitening [procedure to lighten them again. Once again, you could either select your own choices or buy a ready prepared selection box for the recipient.

Cosmetic dental treatment

For that special gift, for a close friend or loved one, why not treat them to a more attractive smile? We have a range of cosmetic treatments available to help people have a smile to be proud of. Although treatments like dental veneers are also available, the most popular options as gifts are the teeth whitening procedure and also facial aesthetic treatments for those seeking to have smoother and younger looking skin. We do provide payment plans at our Acton dental clinic so please feel free to discuss this with us if you want to spread the cost of the treatment.

We hope that this blog has provided you with a bit of inspiration for buying any remaining gifts. There are some good ideas there if you are hosting too, such as providing nuts and cheese as alternatives to chocolates.

As always, the Acton Vale Dental Centre is here for any oral care advice that you might need. If you do experience a dental emergency while we are closed, please call NHS 111 who will be able to provide assistance.

In the meantime, as this will be our last blog until the new year, allow us to wish all of you a very merry Christmas and a happy new year .. See you again in 2024!