Sugary treats are a huge part of the holiday season. Cookies, candy canes, and other goodies show up at school and in the home almost every day. While it’s important to make sure your children are eating reasonable amounts of dessert, it’s inevitable that a fair number of sugary snacks will make their way into their hands. Despite this, are a lot of things you can do to make sure that your child's teeth stay healthy.

Speak with our dental professionals at OM Dental, the best dentist in New Britain, to learn more about keeping your child’s teeth healthy during the holiday season. We have the expertise and experience to make sure your holidays are happy and healthy! Now, here are nine tips to follow this holiday season:

• Brush more often. When your children are eating more sugary snacks, it’s important to get rid of the excess buildup on their teeth. Generally, your children should be brushing twice a day, but it’s wise to do so more often during the holidays. If an extra brushing isn’t possible, make sure they rinse their mouths out with water after having a sugary snack.

• Plan activities other than snacking. There are plenty of fun things to do during the holidays! Watch holiday movies, go ice skating, play out in the snow, or decorate the house together. You’ll be glad you spent the extra time with them, and they’ll be glad they avoided a holiday cavity!

• Limit hard candies and soda. Hard candies stay in the mouth for a long time and sodas get sugar all over the teeth and gums. Make sure they rinse out their mouths with water if they do have these treats.

• Chew sugarless gum. Chewing gum increases saliva production. The extra saliva will help wash away excess sugar in the mouth!

• Include cheese as part of your dessert. Cheese reduces the amount of acid in the mouth, preventing excess damage to the teeth.

• Make dessert a part of the meal rather than separate from it. Eat dessert in the middle of a meal instead of after the main course. The foods eaten after dessert will help wash away sugar and neutralize mouth acids.

• Create your own advent calendar with toys instead of treats. Rather than giving your child an extra candy every day, fill an advent calendar with small trinkets and toys.

• Eat carrots like Santa’s reindeer. Make healthy vegetables a part of the holiday fun by eating like Rudolph. Carrots are a delicious, healthy alternative to candies and cookies.

• Your child will probably have time off school during the holiday season. This is an excellent time to schedule a visit to your dentist. Contact us at OM Dental to schedule your appointment today!

When you’re ready for a post-holiday cleaning, make sure to get in touch with us at X, the best family dentist in X. We have expertise in many areas of dentistry, including pediatric dentistry. To learn more about the range of dental services we offer, visit our website at http://omdentalllc.com/.