Thanksgiving "Do"s and "Don't"s For Your Smile

Happy Thanksgiving! Family, festivities and food are just a few of the reasons to love Thanksgiving. While the food may be in abundance at the Turkey Day table, the smiles are too. But protect your smiles at the big feast by choosing the right foods for your teeth. Here are some dental "Do"s and "Don’t"s to keep in mind:

Thanksgiving Drinks

Do have: Water. It’s the best option for your teeth and gums, plus it can help you keep from overeating. Almost as good is tea. Try green, black or herbal tea — all of which have bacteria-killing properties and/or antioxidants, and tea leaves are a natural source of fluoride.

Don’t have: Sugary sodas and mouth-drying alcohol are the worst for your teeth on Thanksgiving. Sugar feeds the bacteria in your mouth, which in turn release acids that cause cavities. Significant alcohol intake results in xerostomia, or a decrease of the saliva in your mouth, which means you’re not able to wash away as much food. Dry mouth can also lead to bad breath.

Thanksgiving Appetizers

Do have: Cheese plates, naked nuts, deli meats, and vegetables platters are great options. Cheese and nuts both have have protein and calcium to help strengthen your teeth, and chewing on raw vegetables helps produce saliva to wash away bacteria.

Don’t have: Candied nuts. They are probably the worst choice far as Thanksgiving appetizers go. The stickiness transfers from nuts to teeth and helps food particles stick to crevices where they can cause cavities. The calorie count also adds up fast, so you’ll get also take a hit on the scale.

Thanksgiving Main Dishes

Do have: Turkey is your go-to, dental-health-friendly option on the Thanksgiving table. Not only is it unarguably the main attraction of the Thanksgiving table, turkey is loaded with protein, making it a favorite for both your body and smile. Protein has phosphorus in it, and when phosphorus mixes with calcium and vitamin D, it creates strong bones and teeth. So even though eating a Thanksgiving feast can make you sleepy, you can rest assured that turkey is a healthy option for a great smile.

Don’t have: Stuffing, rolls and sugary candied yams are probably the worst offenders for your teeth because they’re loaded with starch — prime food for cavity-causing bacteria. Limit your portions of these foods, and make sure to wash them down with some water.

Thanksgiving Desserts

Do have: Pumpkin pie is actually a great choice, thanks to pumpkin’s vitamin C and calcium. It’s still got a fair amount of sugar, of course, so be sure to wash it down with another glass of water.

Don’t have: As delicious as it is, pecan pie is basically a dental perfect storm. Crammed full of sugar and sticky, chewy pecans, it’s almost perfectly designed to cause cavities!

What If You Just Can't Help It

OK. Nobody’s perfect. I’ve been known to partake in some of the worst offenders on this list, but luckily, the solution is simple: about 30 minutes after you’ve eaten, step away from the festivities for two minutes and brush your teeth. If you want extra credit — and especially if you’ve eaten any of the stickiest desserts — partake in an extra flossing session too. You’ll undo any potential for damage and come out with fresh breath!

Dental Care Year-Round From Dr. Elzbieta W. Basil, DMD

Our expert dental team can help you take care of your teeth year-round at either of our two locations in West Hartford Center and Downtown New Britain. We’re thankful for our patients of all ages, and we’d love to have you join our family. For more information  schedule an appointment or call 860-561-2121.


Keep smiling,  

Dr.Elzbieta W. Basil, DMD is a private practice dentist with offices in West Hartford Center and Downtown New Britain, Connecticut.  She is a Clinical Instructor at the UConn School of Dental Medicine, and has won several awards naming her regional “Best Dentist” and “Top Dentist.” She is an active member of the Connecticut State Dental Association and the American Dental Association. Tel: 860-561-2121

How to Get Someone to Brush Their Teeth

Recently I had a young woman patient ask me about her new husband. Apparently he is perfect in every way except one.  He refuses to brush his teeth, and his mouth odor is driving her crazy (despite his use of mints)--so much so that it is interfering with her desire to be intimate with him. She asked me about how to get him to brush his teeth.

Getting someone to brush their teeth seems like one of those things that you shouldn’t have to do, but the unfortunate reality is that dental hygiene is not high on the priority list for many people. Years of bad habits formed as a child carry over into adult life and can affect relationships with friends and family, and especially with significant others, including spouses and fiancees.

But, it’s not too late to help someone change those unhealthy habits. Here are some strategies that may help change the conversation around oral health in your house.

Provide Data

From sleep trackers to fitness watches, people love tracking their performance. Why should teeth be any different?

Take some pictures of the person’s teeth and show them what they look like to the outside world. We often do not see ourselves in the way that others see us, and the new perspective may be eye opening enough to change their mind.

You’ll also have a starting point to track progress over time. Commit to taking new photos every month or even every week to help them see how things are progressing as their dental habits improve.

Here are some numbers that may help fuel the visual evidence. According to the Oral Health Foundation:

• 66 percent of adults have visible plaque on their teeth
• 74 percent of adults have had at least one tooth extracted
• 29 percent of adults have regular tooth pain
  

No one should want to be part of these statistics. With a few simple behavior changes, your significant other does not have to be.

Be Honest

No one likes to tell someone else that they have bad breath or unsightly teeth, especially when it’s someone you love. However, sometimes honesty really is the best medicine. Tiptoeing around the issue is not going to incite long-term change.

Note that being honest is not the same as being mean. You can communicate your thoughts and feelings in a calm and rational way. If he or she starts to get defensive or angry, remind them that you are just trying to help and change their life (and yours) for the better.

If you do not feel comfortable having a conversation like this in person, write down your thoughts and then make time to for a discussion about them. Being open with your feelings may also get to the root of why he or she does not take care of his teeth.
And, remember that these changes take time. You will likely need to have some version of the conversation multiple times as you work through the behavior change. Continue to provide positive reinforcement when they do brush their teeth and gently remind them when they do not.

Appeal to their Logic
The failure to invest only a few minutes per day in their oral health can have dramatic impact on your loved one’s life. As someone who loves them, if you notice their poor hygiene, certainly others will, too. This might affect their other interpersonal relationships, and their career advancement.

I also wrote a recent article about about how inflammatory cells from bacteria growing in your mouth can lead to or worsen Heart Disease, Diabetes, Alzheimer's, Arthritis, Cancer and Pregnancy Problems, which are all very serious, life-threatening conditions. These risks can be reduced by simple changes and investing about 2 minutes twice per day as part of a routine.

But let’s assume they aren’t concerned about getting any diseases. The lack of basic oral hygiene will most certainly lead to thousands of dollars of future dental treatments, tooth loss, dentures, and pain. And why? This can all be avoided.

Call for Reinforcement

If they won’t listen to you, no matter how eloquent your thoughts or how much information you provide, it might be time to consult a dentist. A dentist can offer an objective and professional opinion that may resonate better than what you or other friends and family members say.

Make an appointment and go with them to visit the dentist. Our team at Dr. Elzbieta W. Basil, DMD, with offices in West Hartford Center and Downtown New Britain, has heard it all when it comes to people who do not take care of their teeth, so we’re ready for whatever your significant other might have up their sleeve.

If you suspect that there might be depression or other mental issues at the heart of the dental behavior, you should also consult a therapist to help them work through them.

These issues are never easy to tackle, but a little effort and perseverance now will reap lifelong benefits for you and your family.

Keep smiling,


Dr.Elzbieta W. Basil, DMD is a private practice dentist with offices in West Hartford Center and Downtown New Britain, Connecticut.  She is a Clinical Instructor at the UConn School of Dental Medicine, and has won several awards naming her regional “Best Dentist” and “Top Dentist.” She is an active member of the Connecticut State Dental Association and the American Dental Association. Tel: 860-561-2121