Nollaig na mBan is traditionally celebrated in Ireland on the Twelfth Day of Christmas. Women gather together after all of the rushing around and mark the end of the festive season.
It is also a good time of the year to be thinking about what you can do to improve your oral health for the coming year!
Start by looking after your oral hygiene with these tips:
- Brush your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste (1450ppm).
- Floss daily.
- Change your toothbrush around every 3 months or when the bristles are worn (worn bristles don’t remove the plaque properly).
- If you suffer with dry mouth, which can be caused by some medications, chewing sugar-free gum increases saliva flow. Sipping water is also helpful.
- Avoid sweetened foods and drinks, especially between meals.
- Milk and water are the best drinks for your teeth.
- Eat more fruit and vegetables.
- Calcium rich foods are essential for strong teeth and bones, low-fat milk, low-fat chedder, plain low-fat yoghurt, tinned salmon or sardines, cottage cheese, dark leafy greens like kale, soya products fortified with calcium, whole almonds (but mind your teeth on these as they are very hard).
- If you play sports, wear a mouth guard.
- Do not smoke or if you do, plan to quit. Smoking increases the risk of gum disease and mouth head and neck cancer. It also stains the teeth and is a cause of bad breath. You can sign up HERE for help to quit smoking.
- Alcohol affects your health and wellbeing. Low-risk drinking reduces your risk of alcohol-related problems. The recommended weekly low-risk alcohol guidelines are less than 11 standard drinks for women. Remember though, there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. You can take a self-assessment alcohol test to find out more about what type of drinker you are and the impact of your drinking, see HERE
- Make an appointment with your dentist for a check-up, they can detect any problems in your mouth early on and will advise you on how best to keep your teeth and gums healthy.
Wishing you all a very happy and healthy Nollaig na mBan!