When family and friends come to the table of plenty this Thanksgiving Day, make sure cavity-causing bacteria don’t make a feast of your holiday dinner, too.

Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for all that you have in life. Family and friends come together and celebrate over a humbling meal. But to the bacteria in your mouth, it is a completely different type of celebration; it is a festive party of gluttony.

While everyone enjoys the delicious taste of pecan pie, sweet potatoes and corn on the cob, the leftover sugars on teeth become an endless buffet for the bacteria in your mouth. Thus, Thanksgiving is an opportune occasion for bacteria to feast and multiply. Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus are the two leading types of bacteria that lead to dental decay.

This holiday season, take the necessary steps to maintain good dental hygiene and prevent dental decay by shutting the door on bacteria. Dental care is especially important during Thanksgiving due to the high volume of carbohydrates on the dinner table, which are an extra special delight for oral bacteria. They love to feast on any remaining food particles and multiply, producing tooth decaying acids and plaque.

So fight through the food coma long enough to brush and floss your teeth after Thanksgiving dinner. Schedule an appointment to visit the Staten Island dentists at Oakwood Dental after feasting to ensure that your teeth are in good health for the approaching holidays. By maintaining good dental hygiene, you can ensure a brighter smile, fresher breath, and stop bacteria in their tracks before they wreak havoc on your mouth. Get your teeth squeaky clean for the next holiday gathering in just a few weeks and be ready to sport a sparkling smile in family photos!