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As you prepare for another barbecue season filled with friends, family, good food, and plenty of laughs, use the time to think about your oral health. Barbecues are frequently laden with sugary and starchy foods and drinks that wear down tooth enamel to promote decay and cavities, including beer, sweet meat sauces, and hot dog and hamburger buns. Avoid visits to the dentist for cavity-related tooth pain this summer by remembering these dental health-friendly barbecue tips.

How to Protect Your Oral Health During Summer Barbecues

1. Keep Sipping Water

Sip water all day long to flush teeth-coating sugary beverages and food particles from your mouth. Drinking plenty of water also keeps you from becoming dehydrated under the summer sun, which ensures saliva production protects teeth from acids and bacteria. 

2. Load Up on Teeth-Cleaning Veggies

dentistFill your plate with celery and carrots, two vegetables that scrape away bacteria and plaque. Along with other veggie platter staples such as cucumbers and broccoli, celery and carrots help you feel full, making you less likely to indulge sugary cravings.

3. Eat Cheese With Alcohol

Enjoy offerings from the cheese platter, especially when you are drinking wine, champagne, beer, or another alcoholic beverage. Cheese neutralizes the acids in such beverages while providing your teeth with extra calcium for enamel fortification. Dairy products may also contribute to gum disease prevention

4. Go Easy on the Condiments

Limit the sugar and empty calories by portioning out condiments instead of dumping them directly on your meat. Also, try using dry rubs and sugar-free sauces to protect your teeth from sugar, especially if you just had teeth whitening done. Sugary sauces can stain them.

5. Pack Dental Floss

Bring dental floss or picks with you instead of using wooden toothpicks, which can pierce gum tissue and splinter between your teeth. Use the proper flossing technique outlined by your dentist — rub the floss between your teeth before making “C” shapes around each tooth to get below the gumline.

 

Schedule a teeth cleaning appointment and checkup this summer to further protect your mouth from barbecue fare. Tkatch Dentistry in High Point, NC, has a team of dentists dedicated to creating beautiful, healthy smiles via general, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry services. Call (336) 889-9916 today to schedule an appointment with one of the esteemed dentists or visit the practice online for a complete list of procedures. Like them on Facebook to keep the oral health tips coming.

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