Oral care is one of the most neglected hygiene practices while traveling. Just because you are on the go does not mean you should be lax with your oral habits. In fact, you should be stricter with these practices when traveling since you’ll be interacting and eating a lot, and your mouth will be at its full function.
Here are some things you should avoid to feel confident and comfortable while traveling:
Not drying out your toothbrush
While your usual habit of leaving your toothbrush in the cup by your bathroom sink gives it enough time to dry out before your next use, this is not always the case when you’re traveling. Always make sure to have your toothbrush taken out of your travel pouch first thing upon reaching your destination. It’s important to keep your toothbrush dry to prevent moisture from breeding bacteria and getting into your mouth.
As important as it is to keep your toothbrush dry while traveling, also make sure that it’s completely dried out before you put it in your travel pouch and after you get back home from travel.
Using a hotel toothbrush
Your teeth might be the hardest part of the body but it is also surrounded by sensitive soft tissue lining. Since it’s sensitive, you’d also want to use the softest tool to clean it. Hotel toothbrushes are not the best candidate to do the job, since they are often cheap and made with hard bristles.
Use bottled or boiled water
Along with your toothbrush and toothpaste, water another vital component for keeping your mouth healthy when you travel. Given that tap water is accessible to your travel destination, you can’t always be sure of its safety. To be certain that you’re not putting your mouth at risk from germs and bacteria, either boil water for your brushing or use bottled water.
If tap water is your only choice, it may be safer to just brush without it. Instead of rinsing with water, use your mouthwash or mouth rinse to wash out your mouth after brushing.
Eating too much food
Apart from making you feel good for your entire trip, food is also one way to connect to locals. In fact, food travel has grown in popularity in recent years and this made travelers change eating habits as well. Hence, the dental problems most travelers experience.
Limiting your food intake while you travel can make a huge impact on your oral health in general. If you really can’t help trying that sweet treat from your favorite destination, buy it for take-out.
Also if you have an existing tooth condition, you should consult with your personal oral hygienist or a local general dentistry practice for a possible diet suggestion to prevent the worsening of your condition while on the go.
Whole day no brushing
You won’t really enjoy traveling without visiting the tourist attractions and eating foods that your destination has to offer. And that will take most of your day, or sometimes even your entire day, that you will forget to take care of your teeth before going to bed. Not only is this incredibly uncomfortable, but it’s also unhealthy for your teeth and gums.
Tooth treats like sugarless green tea-flavored candies can help keep your mouth clean during your travels. Sugarless gum with Xylitol, on the other hand, will help cleanse your teeth since food residue and bacteria will stick to the gums instead of your mouth. But still, nothing is better than brushing twice or thrice a day or every after a meal and before going to bed.
Traveling is a luxury, but that shouldn’t mean having to have your oral hygiene compromised. Just keep in mind what dentists always tell: “You can’t take a vacation from oral hygiene.”
