3 Tips for Healthy Teeth at the Holidays: Dr. Nadia Kiderman

Certainly, New Yorkers and people around the world recognize that they need to take care of their teeth. Most of us, however, don’t necessarily know what this means. We brush our teeth, we floss once in a great while and we make a dentist appointment when we have to, or when we realize we haven’t had one in a long time. With the holidays upon us, we tend to eat more and to pay attention to our hygiene less.

There are many more ways that we should be protecting our teeth, however, and New York dentist Dr. Nadia Kiderman has tips of the trade to help the rest of us stay healthy. Here are a few of her recommendations for good oral hygiene.

1. Chewing hard foods: If you have a mouth full of popcorn, nuts, meat, candy and similar items, it’s very important to chew slowly. Dr. Nadia Kiderman reminds her patients that a cracked tooth can actually take from several hours to days to show symptoms, and patients should come to the doctor immediately if they believe they have cracked a tooth.

2. Team Sports: Whether you’re playing winter hockey or going ice skating, Kiderman recommends certain tips for sports activities. Buy a mouth guard to protect against injuries. If you do damage or break a tooth, rinse out your mouth and carefully clean the area. Then call a dentist and apply a cooling compress as needed.

3. Daily Measures: Make sure, as Dr. Nadia Kiderman advises, to floss every single day and to brush twice a day. Invest in fluoride toothpaste or tablets. And make sure to come for regularly scheduled visits to the dentist.

As Kiderman reminds her patients, “Professional teeth cleaning sessions every six months can bolster any daily cleaning regiment at home by removing tartar build-ups in hard-to-reach areas. Plus, regular examination can help catch potential health problems early, avoiding costly surgeries down the line.”