Tips to avoid holiday eating catastrophes

[SilverPam]

When wire adjustments combine with up-coming holiday eating, it's enough to make the most dedicated party-goer think twice. Here are seven tips that will help ensure a carefree silver smile at any festivity:

• If you’ve had a treatment that day, immediately afterwards drink or eat something very cold, such as a fruit smoothie or frozen yogurt. The cold delays the movement of today’s heat-responsive metal wires and offers justifiable comfort.

• Before you head to an event, gently rinse your mouth with salt-water – it’s amazingly soothing and can be done any number of times a day.

• At parties, manage the raw veggie trays by asking for a knife to slice the baby carrots into thin slivers. Go for the cauliflower, too: it’s softer than raw broccoli and won’t show up as much on braces if a tidbit goes astray.

• Try potato chips and pita bread as less crunchy alternatives to tortilla chips and hard crackers. Better yet, if you’re in charge, serve miniature bread slices from the deli instead, and offer canapé knives for spreading dips, hummus and finely diced chicken salad.

• Take extra-small bites, and nibble food from the side of your mouth. Strong molars can usually handle tougher work, and your front teeth will still gleam.

• If you’re contributing baked goods, add a slice of fresh bread along with them in a tightly lidded container – the moisture will transfer to the cookies, bars and such, and even store-baked goods will soften up after a few hours.

• Carry a tiny spiral self-covered brush (called Proxa-Brush by the GUM company) in a pocket or purse. This item is a lifesaver for freeing stuck bits from between brackets during a quick trip to the restroom. Like that famous credit-card ad said, don’t leave home without it! Your orthodontist should offer one to you, and you can buy more at drugstores and grocery stores.

[bbsadmin]

Thanks for the tips! SilverPam is the author of two braces cookbooks, BTW: The Braces CookBook - Recipes You (and Your Orthodontist) Will Love and The Braces Cookbook2 - Comfort Food with a Gourmet Touch. I carry both of them at DentaKit.com.

Anyone care to comment on her post? Do you have some tips of your own that you'd like to share?