Maintaining good oral health while traveling sounds simple enough. Simply pack your toothbrush and a reel of floss. But there’s more to keeping your mouth and teeth healthy while travelling than just that.
1. Schedule a Dental Appointment in Good Time Before You Leave
The last thing you want is to arrive at your destination only to find that you need emergency dental treatment. Prepare for your trip by visiting your dentist before you go away. Leave enough time to schedule a follow-up appointment in case there’s trouble brewing.
2. Keep it Clean
When you pack, you’re likely to just slip your toothbrush into your toiletries bag – but how clean is the inside of that bag? Before you pack, clean your toiletries bag well and disinfect it. Bacteria breeding on your brush is not the best start to oral health or overall health while you’re on a holiday or business trip.
3. Let it Dry
Ideally, you shouldn’t pack your brush into a closed environment where it stays wet. The moisture will help to feed bacteria. Whenever possible, let your toothbrush dry out before it goes into a case or toothbrush holder. Since that’s not always possible, and you may need to pack it away wet, make a habit of unpacking your toothbrush, cleaning it and leaving it in an airy spot as soon as you arrive.
4. Consider Using a Disposable Toothbrush Instead
When you have a packed itinerary, you can circumvent the problem of keeping your toothbrush clean and dry by using disposable toothbrushes. They might not be as good as the brush you use at home, but at least you don’t have to worry about your toothbrush turning into heaven for microbes while you travel.
5. Did You Forget the Toothpaste?
It’s easy to get toothpaste from a convenience store, but if you find yourself with a last-second missing toothpaste situation, don’t let that stop you from brushing. Use plain water and clean your teeth as you ordinarily would. Toothpaste certainly helps but brushing without it is better than not brushing at all.
6. Know Whether You Can Trust the Water
When you’re used to clean drinking water on tap, you can forget that even brushing your teeth or rinsing your toothbrush with contaminated water could make you ill. Find out about local water quality, and if you need to drink bottled water in the country you’re visiting, be sure to brush your teeth and rinse your toothbrush with bottled water too.
7. Mind Those Sugary Treats
If you’re on holiday, you’re likely to spoil yourself with foods you don’t usually eat. And if you’re travelling overseas, you’ll be eager to try the local sweet treats and desserts. By al means enjoy your culinary holiday but take good care of your teeth too! Try to stick to one or two sweet treats a day and eat sugar-free gum afterwards to keep bacteria at bay.
(Bonus) Your Teeth Never Take a Holiday
Your teeth never take a holiday, so be kind to them while you’re having a good time. A holiday may only last a few days or weeks, but your teeth must last a lot longer than that. Keep up your oral health routine, use these tips for oral health on the go, and have a great time!