During the holidays, you might not spend too much time on your oral care, especially if you need to cook large meals or host parties. But you can place your teeth and gums at risk for problems if you rush to brush your teeth or don't watch what you drink during the holiday season. Here are two dental mistakes to avoid during the holidays.

You Brush Your Teeth Too Quickly

If you're on a tight schedule to complete your holiday meals, you might brush your teeth as quickly as possible just to get the task out of the way. However, your rush to brush may place your teeth at risk for cavities if you don't remove the bacteria-laden plaque from them properly.

Colgate.com recommends brushing your teeth for about two minutes to properly remove the plaque, bacteria, and acids from every surface of your enamel. Plaque can hide between teeth and around the gumline. To do a thorough job with your brushing, angle the head of your brush toward your gumline to pull plaque from it.

If you have problems cleaning your back teeth because your jaw won't open wide enough, invest in a toothbrush with a tapered head. A tapered head will help reach these areas better, as well as feel more comfortable to you.

You Drink White Wine Instead of Red

If you plan to drink alcoholic beverages during holidays, you may want to try dark wine instead of white or clear wine. Although red wine has a reputation of staining tooth enamel, it's actually less acidic on your teeth than white wine. Winemakers use fermented grapes to make white wine.

During the fermentation process, winemakers add a significant amount of sugar to their grapes to create white wine varietals. The bacteria in your mouth can change sugar into lactic acid, which is a common cause of tooth decay. In addition, white wine already contains lactic acid from fermentation. It's a good idea to serve red and purple wines with your meals or during parties.

If you still want to consume white alcoholic beverages, protect your tooth enamel from acids by drinking a small glass of water afterward. Water can help to rinse the acids from your mouth. Also, serve healthy snacks, such as crunchy carrot sticks and cheese, during cocktails. These foods increase the saliva production in your mouth, which helps fight the bacteria that can cause cavities and acid erosion.

To learn more about protecting your teeth this holiday season, contact a dentist like those at Belgrade Dental Associates.