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5 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,D ecem ber 23,2021 insidehalton.com ADVERTORIALNICE TO MEET YOU It's hard to imagine Christmas without candy canes, sugar cookies and chocolate truffles -- and you don't have to, says Oakville, Ont. dentist Vineet Bhandari. What is important is to be aware of what you and your family are eating ... and to protect teeth against cavities with good dental hygiene habits. Here are strategies to enjoy the holidays and keep teeth sparkling and healthy: • Stay with your dental hygiene routine: A holiday schedule of family visits, holiday parties and work commitments can interrupt everyone's normal dental hygiene routine. But take the time to floss and brush as usual, says Dr. Bhandari. • Put away the candy dish: Hard candies are all sugar, which stays in the mouth for a long time. "The longer sugar stays in the mouth, the more damaging it becomes," says Dr. Bhandari. Eat sugarless gum or candy instead, and serve healthier treats instead such as nuts, grapes and mandarin oranges and frozen mango slices. For Christmas morning, tell Santa to skip putting candy in stockings too. • Be strategic if you snack between meals: The best thing snackers can do is drink water after they eat to wash the food away. Another strategy is to chew a piece of sugarless gum after eating -- this will cause saliva production, which helps wash the mouth. • Eat sweets strategically: Rather than snack throughout the day on foods high in sugar, eat them at mealtime. "When you eat your mouth produces saliva, which can help neutralize the acid produced by sugars that can cause cavities." In between meals your mouth does not produce as much saliva. • Avoid soda: Reduce the amount of soda you drink and if you do drink it, rinse your mouth with water afterwards to rinse away lingering acid. The sugar in soda and juice mix with naturally occurring bacteria in the mouth causing acid production ... and the acid is what destroys tooth enamel and can cause cavities.Water is actually one of the best beverage choices at any time of year, says Dr. Bhandari. • Rethink dessert: It's festive to serve traditional holiday desserts but provide other choices as well, such as a platter of cheese and fruit. Cheese, particularly, helps protect teeth because it coats them with a protective film that helps fend off acid. It also increases saliva production, which washes away sugar, bacteria and acid. • Use your teeth for eating only: Discourage adults and children from using their teeth to crack open nuts or remove bottle caps. These behaviours can chip and weaken teeth. Use a nutcracker and a bottle opener. Adults should be a good role model to kids. • Make brushing teeth special for young kids: Consider buying Christmas toothbrushes with favourite holiday characters or holiday colours. Choose a song to play only during teeth brushing time. Making it fun will encourage kids to remember to brush at least twice a day. • Plan ahead for holiday visits: Always carry a travel kit containing toothpaste, toothbrush, floss, and mouthwash. Even if you end up staying late at a friend's or family's house, you can still brush and floss. • Watch those Sugar Plum Fairies: Eating any sugary food can lead to tooth decay and cavities, says Dr. Bhandari. High sugar foods include pop, chocolate bars, pastries and baked cookies and squares. Corn syrup, dextrose, fructose- glucose, honey, maple syrup, molasses and sucrose are all sugar, and carbohydrate foods become sugar when you eat them too. When sugar mixes with the bacteria in plaque on teeth, a mild acid is produced. That acid can break down and soften tooth enamel and over time, a cavity forms. Brush and floss your teeth every day and see your dentist regularly for a checkup and to have teeth cleaned. Bhandari dental 2525 Old Bronte Rd. Suite 470, Oakville 289-813-8239 | www.bhandaridental.com Smile: HowtokeepteetH Sparkling andHealtHytHrougHtHe HolidayS *Statistics shared were correct at the time of writing and serve to emphasize the many considerations related to optimal dental practices. By Dr. Vineet Bhandari 905-469-3232 1459 Nottinghill Gate, Oakville delmanor.com From our Delmanor Glen Abbey Family to yours, Happy Holidays! Lobo said the incidence rate has "soared" from about 20 new cases per 100,000 residents on Nov. 21, to 64 cases per 100,000 on Dec. 12. "This represents a 224 per cent increase in just three weeks," she said. "This sudden increase in cases has greatly impacted our case and contact man- agement ability." Lobo noted that while Halton Public Health is making every effort to call confirmed COVID-19 cases in a timely manner, those infected are now required to notify household mem- bers, social contacts and workplaces themselves. She said public health staff is focusing its resourc- es on managing exposures in high-risk settings like long-term care, retirement homes, schools and day- cares. With COVID-19 case numbers rapidly climbing, Lobo said Halton Public Health is renewing its "strong recommendations" for all residents to mini- mize their contact with others, strive to leave home only for essential purposes and get vaccinat- ed. At Halton hospitals, Lo- bo reported that the num- ber of patients infected with the virus has re- mained relatively stable into December, with 10 or fewer patients daily. "Even with this low vol- ume of COVID-19 patients, our hospitals are experi- encing strain from other illnesses," she noted. "It is extremely important to re- duce the number of CO- VID-19 cases in our com- munity to prevent exceed- ing ICU capacity in the coming weeks with the in- troduction of the Omicron variant." To illustrate the trans- missibility of the new vari- ant, Lobo shared details of a local Omicron case, a per- son who acquired the virus while travelling out of country. This person then infec- ted a school-aged child in their household. That child went to school and partici- pated in sports, which she said led to exposures in multiple class cohorts and bus routes, along with community and household exposures, with siblings going on to transmit the vi- rus in their respective schools. Over 20 COVID-19 cases have been linked to this single case, said Lobo, with 350-plus high-risk contacts isolating. "This clearly exhibits the speed at which Omi- cron is spreading," she not- ed. The Council of Ontario Medical Officers of Health has issued a letter asking the Ford government to implement province-wide public health measures to curb the spread of Omi- cron, such as gathering limits and proof of vaccina- tion requirements in addi- tional venues. For further details on lo- cal case counts, visit hal- ton.ca/COVID19. NEWS Continued from page 4