Have you ever been at a holiday party and thought something like, “Ho-ho-holy moly that’s some garlic breath?! Wait! Is it mine?!” 

Holiday gatherings should let you showcase your merriest, freshest and brightest smile — and maybe catch a sizzling smooch under the mistletoe. But without a little prep and some thoughtful choices, sometimes you can leave the festivities feeling like a tacky Christmas sweater.

Here are some top tips from dental pros and beauty experts to keep your grin on the good list and your breath kissably fresh during the holiday-party season and beyond. No matter what, just taking time to care for yourself and your smile before and during a get-together can help you glow from within. 

Pro Tips for Bright, Fresh Smiles at Holiday Parties

1) Choose your booze wisely

“Go for the white wine, not red,” says Cocofloss co-founder and dentist Dr. Chrystle Cu. “As someone who prefers red wine over white, this is a hard one!” Even though red wine is famous for heart-healthy resveratrol, an antioxidant, it’s also known for staining teeth. Natural pigments from grapes called “anthocyanins”, tannins, and the acids in red wine can discolor your enamel, according to a Rutgers dental expert. While white wine can also be very acidic and lead to long-term staining, a glass at a party isn’t likely to do much damage.

If you can’t resist the red, be sure to brush and floss your teeth ahead of time, since stains stick to plaque. Also, the beauty experts at Byrdie suggest wine drinkers nibble on acid-buffering cheese, swoosh their mouths with sparkling water, and munch on high-fiber foods like Brussel sprouts and spinach (good thing you have a Cocofloss Mini in your pocket!). 

2) Be cool with your lip color

If you’d like your pearly whites to appear brighter, choose a more blue-toned lipstick color. In an interview for Who What Wear, Nick Lujan, Kevyn Aucoin global director of artistry and education, explains, “You want to move directly across the color wheel from yellow to spot colors that would work to brighten up when partnered with your smile,” Lujan says. “Opting for a bold blue red over a terra-cotta or brick red will be your best bet. You can also use variations of those shades, like a cool-tone pink or mauve.”

3) Brush with Cocoshine at least 1 week before the party

Cocoshine Whitening Toothpaste, powered by nano-hydroxyapatite, gets your teeth up to 2 shades whiter within 1 week. So start early for super-bright pearly whites by partytime. Leaving a little Cocoshine on your teeth while you snooze can boost the results too. 

4) Be sweet, but eat savory

“Nibble on savory hors d’oeuvres, and skip over the sweet ones,” advises Dr. Chrys. “Sugary snacks will more readily contribute to bad breath and plaque.” 

OK, so those cute gingerbread men winking at you from the cookie tray may have to wait — at least until the end of the party, when you’re headed back to your toothbrush. That’s because cavity-causing, stinky bacteria thrive on sugar, using it as fuel to create the sticky, living biofilm known as plaque. 

The American Dental Association also warns against chomping down on hard candies, which both coat your teeth with sugar and can actually break your teeth.

Instead, see tip #5!

5) Hit up the cheese board

This is the advice you’ve been waiting for! 

Foods and drinks that lower the pH in our mouths and make it more acidic, including wine and coffee — can work like a fast-pass to tooth decay. That’s because acid wears away at our tooth enamel, leaving our chompers vulnerable to bad bacteria. But once again, there’s likely a remedy on the hors d'oeuvres table.

Nibbles that help neutralize acid include higher pH snacks such as cheese, nuts, whole grains, and vegetables. Mmmm. Time to mosey over to the cheese board. The calcium in cheese can also help strengthen your enamel, while its casein (a type of protein) repairs it. Both lead to a whiter smile. Just avoid processed cheese, like American, which is more acidic.

6) Let the Nutcracker crack the nuts

Your beautiful teeth cannot be replaced at Home Depot, so don’t use them as tools. Biting down hard on something that requires a lot of force to open, such as a nutshell, can lead to chipped and fractured enamel. (Although nutrient-packed nuts are a good choice overall for your teeth!) 

And that party trick of opening a bottle with your teeth can leave you with a dislocated jaw. Party over. Instead, use one of these adorable candy-cane bottle openers. 

7) Garlic breath? Grab some apple slices.

Apples are especially adept at slaying the king of stinky breath: garlic. According to a study from Ohio State University, apples contain a combination of polyphenols and enzymes that swiftly destroy the bulb’s pungent sulfur compounds.

Apples, particularly the unripe green ones, are also high in malic acid (it’s what makes them tart). Although too much exposure to malic acid wears down tooth enamel, lower doses, like you’d get by eating a ripe apple, can help dissolve surface stains on your teeth. Other fruits rich in malic acid include cherries, blackberries, blueberries, grapes, apricots, peaches, pears, plums, and nectarines. That vibrant fruit plate can also brighten your smile!

8) Sip through a straw to prevent stains

“For my patients that love their seltzer waters, coffee drinks, sodas, etc., I always suggest drinking them through a straw,” says registered dental hygienist (RDH) Kylee Morris, an account executive at Cocofloss. “Using a straw helps prevent stains because the liquid doesn’t touch your teeth. It also helps reduce erosion and sensitivity because it keeps the acid away from your enamel.”  

These festive stainless-steel straws will make your smile merry! 

9) Water is always a gift for your grin

Not sure what to drink? Go with H2O. “Drink water often between all other drinks and snacks to neutralize pH levels,” says Hannah Arhens, RDH, a member of Cocofloss’s sales team.

Water is also the main ingredient in your own self-made cavity-fighter: saliva. It’s saliva’s antibacterial properties that help to maintain the fine balance of good bacteria versus bad bacteria in your mouth. 

For example, water makes life miserable for the anaerobic bacteria that cause bad breath. That’s because these particular microbes thrive in a dry mouth, free of oxygen or cleansing saliva. When you drink water, not only do you give your body what it needs to produce more saliva, with its antibacterial compounds, but you also wash away bits of food that can lead to horrible halitosis. 

10) Don’t slack on your smile

“This may be an unpopular opinion, but just because it’s the holiday season doesn’t mean you should slack on your oral care,” advises Cocofloss sales team member Alicia Fessenden, RDH. “You should ideally be brushing your teeth 2x a day and Cocoflossing at least once a day. That is the best gift you can give to your overall health.” 

Cheers to that, Alicia! Here are some top tips for how to brush and floss like a pro, any time of year.

Photo credits: Main image by QC Photography; white wine photo by Matthieu Joannon on Unsplash; lipgloss photo by Ashley Piszek on Unsplash; cheeseboard photo by Liz Joseph on Unsplash; nutcracker photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash; drink with straw photo by Jia Jia Shum on Unsplash

🎁🎁🎁 

What’s the perfect holiday gift for any smile (your own, included)? The complete oral-wellness system from Cocofloss. Our award-winning Cocofloss, ultra-cleansing Cocobrush, and super-powered Cocoshine Whitening Toothpaste will transform your oral health for the holidays — and for life.