Having an oral health checklist before, during, and after traveling is important. If you are planning to go on a vacation, there are some essentials to observe for keeping your oral hygiene in excellent condition. Here are some tips for you.
1. Visit your dentist before leaving
Before you set out to go for your vacation, the first thing you need to do is pay your dentist a visit. There is nothing as frustrating as facing a dental emergency whilst in a foreign country. The behemoth of logistics that will face you can be daunting. Schedule two appointments with your dentist. You can schedule the appointments a month and a week before leaving. When you visit your dentist, be sure to ask him for tips on how to best care for your teeth while you are away.
2. Move with disposable toothbrushes
One dilemma most people face when it comes to their toothbrush during vacations is how to keep the toothbrush clean and dry. Most bags don’t have mesh pockets that are designed specifically for storing toothbrush and even if they did, they wouldn’t be as healthy as they would have to be located outside the bag. What’s the alternative? Getting a pack of cheap disposable toothbrush. In this way, you wouldn’t have to be worried about hygiene as you would only use each toothbrush once and straight out of the pack and as soon as you are done, you would have to throw the toothbrush into the trashcan and move on.
3. Toothpaste Alternatives
Let’s say you are in a Safari Camp in the Kenyan forest and realize that you don’t have toothpaste. In a convenient location, you could just look for a nearby convenience store and get your toothpaste. In the bush, however, you might be forced to make some compromises. If there is baking soda, you can just smear a pinch of the soda on your toothbrush and use that or you can use your toothbrush with water. Brushing without toothpaste will help remove the plaque even though it might not kill the bacteria. You can always compensate with toothpaste when you settle.
4. Look out for the water
Yes, water for brushing your teeth is not usually swallowed. That doesn’t make it safe though. Make sure you are using water from a safe and trusted source. You can spit out the water but you can spit out the infection-causing bacteria, it’s not that simple. If you are in a hotel or motel, you can always look for a nearby shop to purchase the purified water for brushing your teeth. Yes, it can be inconveniencing but worth it nonetheless.
5. Mind your food
Traveling often brings an adrenaline rush that makes us forget to abide by the basic rules. Sugar is bad for your oral health regardless of which part of the world you’ll be in. This is why you should mind your food. As a rule of thumb, you should brush your teeth after eating anything sugary, just to be safe. Moreover, yes, it’s not every time that you could brush your teeth, in such cases; you should keep your mouthwash close by.
Traveling is fun if you have the right tools and information at your disposal. We hope the above tips will simplify the process of maintaining your oral health and hygiene during your vacation.