If you were enjoying Christmas then you might want to make sure you remembered your dental hygiene.

In between several rounds of culinary feasts, watching the new Wallace and Gromit and crying over the last-ever Gavin and Stacey, you probably had a decent amount to drink too.

Don’t worry, many of us enjoy a bit of the finer stuff in life during Christmas, because if you can’t push the boat out at this time of year when can you?

However, a dentist has warned that one of the most popular drinks at Christmas is really bad for your teeth, and you’ll be upset to learn that it’s something you won’t want to stop drinking.

“Mmmm, lovely. Do your teeth feel a bit funny?” (Getty Stock Image)

Sorry folks, but apparently Prosecco is the sort of thing dentists wouldn’t recommend you try.

Dr Nyree Whitley, chief clinical officer for mydentist, explained why the drink was not good for your teeth and could play a part in turning them yellow.

She said: “I’m afraid I have some bad news for Prosecco lovers – while an enjoyable festive tipple, the acidity in Prosecco can damage your enamel and could, in turn, lead to discolouration.”

You might have spent the day quaffing Buck’s fizz and felt a bit tingly in your teeth while doing so, that’ll be the acid eating into the enamel that keeps them protected.

The dentist recommended either cutting down on the Prosecco intake or drinking it through a straw, and advised people not to brush their teeth immediately after drinking the stuff as that could just scrub the acid around your mouth and do more damage.

Instead, she suggested waiting at least 30 minutes after drinking to clean your teeth.

You probably don’t want your teeth turning yellow (Getty Stock Image)

On the other hand, Christmas is now over so you along with your nearest and dearest have likely polished off most of the Prosecco you bought for the big day.

If there’s any left then heed the advice of the dentist, especially since the other leftovers you’ll be scoffing are unlikely to be much good for your teeth either.

That chocolate Yule Log that only three people had a slice from can’t sit around forever, it’ll need to be eaten along with the leftover turkey and various trimmings that didn’t quite get eaten.

Just remember to be aware of what foods contain acid that’ll give your tooth enamel a real pummelling.

It’d be a shame to start the new year with your teeth turning a shade yellower.

When you wake up in the morning, at what point do you brush your teeth?

Are you eager to brush away the germs of the previous night? Or do you prefer to wait until you’ve had your morning coffee so you don’t spend the day with stale breath?

Most of us don’t really pay much attention to the order of our morning routine, it’s more likely that we’re trying to snooze our alarm for as long as possible instead of worrying about what point we’ll scrub our gnashers.

However, it turns out there is actually a right and wrong answer when it comes to the time you clean your teeth – with a dentist revealing that your morning habits could lead to your pearly whites turning yellow.

Turns out there’s a very common dental mistake we could be making each morning. (Getty Stock Image)

According to dentist Dr Shaadi Manouchehri – who goes by @dr.shaadi.manouchehri on Instagram – brushing your teeth straight after downing a cup of coffee will damage the enamel.

“Never brush your teeth after you’ve just had coffee,” she continued, revealing that brushing after having consuming anything acidic is bad for your dental health.

“Coffee is quite acidic… if you go and brush your teeth straightaway, you’re rubbing the acid onto the tooth and wearing the tooth away.

“Wait at least 30 to 60 minutes – you don’t actually have to brush your teeth, just rinse with some mouthwash or drink water.”

The reason why brushing after drinking coffee is frowned upon is because the acidity is one of the main causes of enamel erosion – which leads to your teeth having a stained appearance.

Are you guilty of these dental habits? (Getty Stock Image)

Avoiding brushing straight after drinking coffee wasn’t the only advice that Dr Manouchehri gave either, with the dentist urging viewers not to brush straight after eating your breakfast or vomiting either.

“Don’t brush your teeth after you have breakfast,” she explained, adding that why it’s better to brush prior to eating.

“Brush them beforehand because if you brush straight away you’re going to be damaging your enamel.”

She continued: “When you first wake up in the morning you have quite a lot of bacteria in the mouth and that needs to be brushed off before you have your breakfast.”

Understandably it may be harder to avoid brushing your teeth after vomiting, but it’s for the best.

“The contents of the stomach are extremely acidic and your teeth are made up of minerals,” Dr Manouchehri said.

“So, when the contents of the stomach have come into the mouth, then the mouth is very acidic. And if you brush straight away, you’re rubbing the acid onto the tooth even more. So, wait at least 30 to 60 minutes before you brush your teeth.”

And for anyone who can’t bare the thought of waiting that long, invest in mouthwash as a way to freshen up before following with a drink of water to help ‘neutralise the acid quicker’.

A dentist has uncovered a mistake that a lot of people are guilty of making when it comes to cleaning their teeth – and it might not be what you think.

Keeping your teeth clean and healthy takes effort and time – twice a day to be exact, two minutes each time.

It’s a nice feeling too, getting rid of that horrible morning breath or getting rid of all those pesky food particles, and it of course reduces the chances of you getting cavities or running into gum problems.

You should keep tabs on this one thing while cleaning your teeth. (Getty Stock Photos)

But apparently, there’s something that too many people do that could cost them their oral health, and you may not have had the thought until it’s too late.

Dental experts around the world have realised this problem, and are urging to act now if you’re a culprit of it.

Life can get busy after all, so getting things in our routine without thinking twice about it is quite easy to do – though some dentists have taken to social media to speak about the oral health worry.

A dental hygienist at Chelsea Dental Clinic has posted a short video on TikTok, explaining the problems that come with not knowing when it’s time to replace your toothbrush.

It’s a shock because a lot of people don’t have an idea of an exact timeframe or lifespan of a toothbrush.

The hygienist reveals all though, explaining: “Regardless of whether you have an electric or manual brush, you need to be changing your brush head at least every three months.

“The best way to tell if you need to change your brush is to hold it up and, from the back, if you can see the bristles splaying out – that means you need a new head,” she revealed.

She also highlighted that if your brush is wearing down quicker than it should, it could mean you’re brushing too hard.

The expert said: “If you’re scrubbing too hard with your toothbrush, this can lead to loss of enamel – which can make your teeth appear more yellow – or you can get recession, which is where the gum shrinks away. Neither of these look particularly attractive and can also cause lots of other problems.”

Checking the bristles on your toothbrush can indicate when it’s time to get a new one. (Getty Stock Photo)

You might think that there’s no such thing as brushing your teeth too much or too often, but this is a possibility and even brings about a number of issues if you’re not careful.

Not only will worn away enamel reveal yellow teeth, but your chompers could also become more sensitive to different temperatures and sensations.

According to the NHS, you should stick to this three-month rule, as studies show that toothbrushes are less effective at removing plaque after this period of time, meaning you’re leaving some of the bad particles behind.

It also means that you could be going around with bad breath, increasing the chance of cavities and at the most extreme, gum disease.

The importance of brushing our teeth twice a day is drilled in to us from a young age.

And while we might moan at our parents growing up when we’re forced to do it before bed and first thing in the morning, there’s obvious reasons as to why we should do as we’re told.

It’s become especially important in a modern life with modern food and drink that has opened us up to greater harm on a much more regular basis.

But even if we stay on top of it and brush regularly with the best toothpastes and an electric toothbrush, some of us can’t escape discolouring.

‘Keep on brushing so you don’t get yellow teeth‘ is drilled in to us as kids but there’s a common mistake in the modern world that experts say we might not even know we’re committing.

Dr. Ferakh Hamid is a dentist based in the United Kingdom with more than two decades of experience working in the industry.

As head of Aesthetique Dental Care in Leeds, he’s spoken about exactly what you need to do before putting the toothpaste in your mouth.

The key thing for Dr. Hamid is when you turn that tap on.

People hate having yellow teeth. (Getty Stock Images)

“Brushing your teeth in certain ways, like without water or right after eating acidic foods, might actually make them look less white over time,” he said.

That’s right. It’s critical to lubricate the toothpaste by properly wetting it and the bristles on the end of your brush.

He said: “Dry brushing might seem good for getting rid of surface stains at first.

“But without water, toothpaste doesn’t spread well.”

Dr. Hamid further explains that wetting the bristles also protects your dental health.

He said: “When you wet the bristles, they soften up.

“This means when you brush, it’s gentler on your gums and teeth, helping to avoid any irritation or damage.”

Another mistake that some make comes when you brush your teeth too soon after eating or drinking acidic produce.

Yellow vs white teeth. (Getty Stock Images)

We’re talking fizzy drinks, fruits, and sweets for a start.

This isn’t as much to do with colouring as the long-term health of your teeth

Dr. Ezzard Rolle, from Columbia University, said: “We definitely recommend holding off on brushing after consuming anything acidic, whether it’s fruit, soda, juice, or sour candy.

“The reason for that is that when acids are in the mouth, they weaken the enamel of the tooth, which is the outer layer of the tooth.”

Dr. Rolle says you can do something to help your teeth if you do eat these foods. He said: “After eating or drinking something acidic, I always recommend rinsing with or drinking water, which starts the remineralisation process of the enamel.”