Summer can be friends with teeth and gums, following 5 rules

Ice creams, aperitifs, sugary drinks, summer habits are enemies of teeth and gums, but summer can become an opportunity to dedicate a few more minutes to the health of the mouth, do more physical activity, reduce stress and eat better.

All good habits that have positive effects on teeth and gums.

To explain it, on the eve of the August exodus, is the Italian Society of Periodontology and Implantology (SIdP), which recalls 5 tips to take on vacation and warns on how to behave in case of unexpected events.

    Chronic inflammation of the gums can have repercussions on the overall health of the body.

On the other hand, the well-being that a holiday brings can help restore a balance of the bacterial flora present in the mouth.

"Holidays can be the right time to change some habits. In summer - explains Nicola Marco Sforza, president of SIdP - it is easier to reduce the intake of fats and sugars and enrich your diet with foods that are friendly to teeth and gums: those which contain vitamin C (antioxidant that promotes the renewal of connective tissue) for example peppers, tomatoes, rocket, kiwi and pineapple; foods that contain vitamin D (immune response modulator), such as tuna, salmon, shrimp and oysters; i foods that contain vitamin A, such as cantaloupe, peaches,

    To reduce the likelihood of gum disease, often linked to bad breath, Sidp adds 4 other tips: "decrease stress, which affects the body's inflammatory levels, including those of the periodontal tissues; take advantage of the evening or morning hours - adds Sforza - to dedicate half an hour a day to aerobic activity, such as walking fast or running slowly; limit smoking and excessive alcohol consumption; do not forget to pack dental floss in addition to the toothbrush and dedicate 5 minutes to oral hygiene, morning and evening ".

    Summer can also be a time when you are grappling with small oral health emergencies and often resorting to vacation spot dentists for emergency interventions, such as losing a capsule, reconstructing a a broken tooth or the treatment of an abscess.

In this case, to be sure that the hands you rely on are those of a licensed dentist, just go to the website of the National Federation of Orders of Surgeons and Dentists (FNOMCeO) and enter your name, surname and city to verify the registration of the professional in the Register of Dentists.

    If, on the other hand, the gums bleed, Sforza concludes, "it is probably the sign that we have neglected them in recent months; let's remember when we return from vacation to make a check-up appointment with the trusted dentist and to renew the appointment with the dental hygienist for the removal of plaque and tartar. In the meantime, we spend more time using the brush and floss and, if indicated by the dentist, we use an antiseptic mouthwash to reduce the bacterial load in the mouth ".