Face 
Dentistry 
One word can sum up the Christmas season: indulgence. With adults off work and children off school, enjoying delicious foods and drinks is standard procedure. Everyone has their favourite, from stuffing sandwiches to mulled wine. There are yule logs and Christmas puddings, pigs-in-blankets and gingerbreads. But, as fun as having all these festive treats is, Christmas can be a bad time for your teeth.
Alcohol problems
Alcohol is a staple of Christmas celebrations for many people. 61% of UK drinkers indulge in more alcohol at Christmas than they usually do. The average man admits to having six drinks on Christmas Day alone. The average woman has four-and-a-half. Whilst Christmas Day is worth toasting with family and friends, it is just one day in a busy social calendar.
Many have other get-togethers with family and friends in the run-up to Christmas, and into the new year. Workplaces Christmas parties are also popular, but 33% of people feel pressured to drink at these. This is higher than the 29% who feel the same towards New Year’s Eve.
Staining, sugar and acid
For protecting your oral health, identifying the risky drinks is key. For instance, mulled wine is a seasonal classic with drawbacks. Red wine forms the base of a mulled wine and contains pigments that gives it the purplish colour. It also contains compounds called tannins. Think of these as a glue that binds the purple pigments to the teeth. This is why people have purple teeth after drinking red wine. Stained teeth mean a stained smile.
In mulled wine, the staining quality is not the only threat. Added citrus fruits like oranges increase the acidity of the drink. Combined with the sugar content, this makes mulled wine harmful to the teeth. When drinking red or mulled wine over Christmas, be sure to rinse your mouth afterwards. This will help prevent staining, keeping your smile bright for Christmas photos.
Sparkling wines are very popular for toasting in the New Year. It is worth remembering that each flute of prosecco contains about one teaspoon of sugar. The high acidity of sparkling wines and their sugar content increases the risk of tooth decay. Like staining, tooth decay can impact facial aesthetics. To continue looking and feeling great, remember to drink water afterwards. This should keep your mouth free of acids until you brush your teeth later on.
Dangerous snacking and healthy alternatives
Chocolate is as synonymous with Christmas as Santa Claus. Brits spend £52.8 million on chocolate over the festive season. This includes big tins, selection boxes, luxury gifts and advent calendars. Chocolate’s high sugar content makes it a factor for tooth decay, effecting aesthetics and function. As eating chocolate becomes a daily habit across December, regular toothbrushing is extra important at this time.
Another popular part of Christmas is the array of finger foods. These include crisps, cheese twists, and dips. These can be quite sticky for the teeth, leading to small food particles getting trapped between the teeth. This can lead to tooth decay if left there. A healthier alternative is nuts. Peanuts and walnuts contain nutrients like calcium and vitamin D; these are great for keeping the teeth and gums strong.
A moderate amount of cheese is also recommended over the Christmas period. Rich in calcium, cheese can help neutralise acidic damage to the teeth. This will help kill harmful bacteria.
After a long year, indulging in festive foods and seasonal spirits makes sense. It is important to enjoy the celebrations whilst also controlling what you eat and drink. With an effective oral hygiene routine, you can protect your oral health and not feel guilty about eating that last chocolate. Keep your smile bright this Christmas.
🍰 Come and join us today! 💚
Our Macmillan Coffee Morning is in full swing at Evolve Dentistry, and we’d love to see you!
We’ve got plenty of delicious homemade cakes waiting for you, so pop in, say hello, grab a slice (or two!) and help us raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
We’ll be serving cakes right through until 5pm today, so there’s still plenty of time to come down.
📍 Evolve Dentistry, Portishead
🍰 Cakes until 5pm
💚 Everyone is welcome
Come hungry! 😋
#MacmillanCoffeeMorning #MacmillanCancerSupport #Portishead #PortisheadCommunity #EvolveDentistry
🍰☕ Today’s the day - and there’s cake! 💚
Our Macmillan Coffee Morning is happening TODAY at Evolve Dentistry and we’d love you to come and join us.
The Evolve team have been busy baking (and possibly buying… we won’t judge! 😉) and there’ll be plenty of cake and drinks available throughout the day, all in support of Macmillan Cancer Support.
And remember - you don’t need to be an Evolve patient to come along.
If you live or work in Portishead, are passing by, or just fancy an excellent excuse for cake, pop in and see us. Bring a friend, your family or your workmates too!
📍 Evolve Dentistry, Portishead
🍰 Cake and drinks throughout the day
💚 Donations for Macmillan Cancer Support
👋 Everyone welcome
No appointment needed - just pop in!
Come and help us eat an unreasonable amount of cake for a very good cause. 💚
Please share so we can get as many people through the doors as possible!
Do I have to replace a missing tooth?
If you`ve lost a tooth, do you have to replace it?
Not necessarily.
And that`s an important starting point.
What happens next depends on which tooth is missing, your mouth, how you bite, how you feel about the gap and what`s happening with the teeth around it.
Yasmin explains some of the things we consider when a tooth is missing.
The important thing isn`t assuming you need a particular treatment.
It`s understanding your options - including whether doing nothing could be a reasonable option for you.
Why have my teeth suddenly become sensitive?
That sudden zing when you drink something cold. 🥶
Sound familiar?
Sensitive teeth are common, but there isn`t just one possible cause.
Richard explains some of the reasons teeth can become sensitive and why it`s worth mentioning if you`ve noticed something new.
Sometimes a little sensitivity is exactly that.
But a change that persists is something we`d rather know about than have you quietly avoiding ice cream for the foreseeable future.
Having a tooth removed probably isn`t an appointment anyone particularly looks forward to.
Which is precisely why feedback like this means so much:
“Made getting a tooth extracted incredibly easy and straightforward.”
Good dental care isn`t only about the procedure itself.
It`s about knowing what`s going to happen, being able to ask questions, feeling listened to and being looked after throughout.
Thank you for trusting us with your care - and for taking the time to tell us about your experience.
☕🍰 Join us for our Macmillan Coffee Morning! 💚
On Friday 25 September, the Evolve team will be swapping dental instruments for cake slices as we take part in the Macmillan Coffee Morning!
Our team will be bringing in their best bakes and we’d love you to pop in, enjoy a slice of cake and a drink, and help us raise as much as possible for Macmillan Cancer Support.
💚 Everyone is welcome - you don’t need to be an Evolve patient.
So whether you’re a patient, friend, neighbour, local business or simply passing by, come in and say hello. Bring your friends, family or work colleagues too!
📅 Friday 25 September
📍 Evolve Dentistry, Portishead
🍰 Cakes and drinks available throughout the day
💚 Donations in support of Macmillan Cancer Support
No appointment needed - just pop in!
We’d love to see lots of familiar faces and hopefully meet plenty of new ones too. And, most importantly, eat plenty of cake while raising money for a brilliant cause.
Please share this post and help us spread the word around Portishead. 💚
What can composite bonding actually change?
Composite bonding isn`t about giving everyone the same smile.
It can be used in different ways depending on what someone would like to change.
That might mean adjusting the shape of a tooth, changing proportions, repairing an edge or making a small alteration that helps a smile feel more balanced.
And sometimes bonding isn`t used on its own.
We might combine treatments - perhaps straightening teeth first, whitening them and then using composite bonding to refine particular teeth.
Yasmin explains some of the ways composite bonding can be used.
The important part is deciding what will achieve the result you`re looking for without doing more treatment than is necessary.
