Don’t Let Autumnal Weather Affect Your Oral Health

Our habits change as the colder, wetter weather arrives and not always for the best!

A quick glance out of the window shows a typical November scene in the UK, damp, wet and with little likelihood of sunshine. It’s no wonder then that many people find November to be one of the more depressing months of the year!

A change in the weather can also bring about a change in our habits, such as the way that we dress and also what we eat. Even though we can now get our favourite foods all year round, the cold and damp weather means that we are more likely to eat foods that are particularly challenging for our teeth and gums.

Diet

This is the most obvious area of concern for the team at Blue Sky Dental. We know that many of our Chelmsford patient’s will forgo their usual salads and healthy meals for heavier meals that offer comfort and warmth in this damp weather. Although some of these are OK, such as traditional stews, others are more likely to be desserts which are heavy on the sugar. Add to the sugar levels the ‘sticky’ factor of many of these and it can easily lead to sugars being stuck to our teeth for a long period of time. It is always important to brush and floss your teeth of course, but pay special attention at this time of the year to remove all those small persistent pieces of food that can all too easily become trapped.

Another area of diet that changes is what we drink. We are far less likely to drink water, despite the fact that dehydration can occur in colder weather too. Instead, we are more likely to turn to comforting hot drinks such as hot chocolate etc. Some of us will also add whipped cream and marshmallows to this, increasing the total sugars significantly. Try to avoid consuming too many of these if possible, but equally, remember to maintain a good oral health cleaning regime.

TV snacks

Instead of going out socialising with others, we are more likely to wrap ourselves up in front of the TV and watch our favourite series. This is fine except that it also means that we are more likely to also have a variety of snacks at hand. Not only are many of these likely to be high sugar snacks, and sticky too, but the constant ‘grazing’ of this type of snacks means the mouth doesn’t have sufficient time to ‘recover’ between each snack. Due to this, our saliva won’t have time to flush away the bacteria and sugars that it normally would and therefore the risk of tooth decay and gum disease increases too.

Sensitive Teeth

Not only is Autumn a time when our diet puts new challenges on our teeth and gums, but a time when we might notice more discomfort with them too. Whilst some of these are unavoidable to some degree, others may just be a sign that our teeth are not quite as healthy as we thought that they were.

One of the most noticeable of these is if we notice an increase in tooth sensitivity. This occurs more often during the cold weather as the temperature will find any tiny gaps in the enamel of our teeth and sends a message to the nerves within the tooth which can cause a sudden sharp pain. If your tooth enamel is healthy, the likelihood of this is minimal, except perhaps in the very coldest of weathers. If you notice this happening even a moderate amount though, it is time to make an appointment at our Chelmsford clinic to have your teeth checked.

Worn tooth enamel is a major cause of this, along with cracked or chipped teeth. Our dentist will be able to recommend the most appropriate way forward to reduce this problem, with the latest porcelain veneers being one of the potential solutions if your pain is caused by this.

Sinus pressure

Finally, during the colder months, you might find that your rear teeth hurt at times. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you have tooth decay, although if you have concerns you should have it checked out. There is also a distinct possibility that it is caused by sinus pressure. The sinus cavity is located directly above the rear teeth on the upper arch of the mouth. When pressure increases here, it will be detected by the nerves in the tooth roots and you may well feel some discomfort. This can also happen when you have a sinus infection too.

We hope that you make the best of the Autumn months and do make sure to get some fresh air when there are some more pleasant breaks in the weather. Above all though, remember to take care of your teeth and gums and brush and floss regularly. Remember too that it is always worth venturing out into the weather for your dental appointments. Regular check ups and hygienist visits are important for healthy teeth and gum maintenance. To make an appointment with us, or if you have any queries, please contact Blue Sky Dental on 01245 211070.