Have you been planning a getaway to your favourite destination for a long time? Or is it work that is taking you away from home? Imagine your bags are packed and you are well prepared for a change of scenery. Worldly concerns such as a “gum disease” may not be the first thing that crosses your mind at this stage. But irrespective of the reason behind your travel, it can unbalance your oral hygiene to a great extent.
Let us draw your attention to how travel can upset your oral health as well as some tips for keeping your smile healthy – even when you’re headed for an adventure!
Tips to Keep Your Smile Healthy while Traveling
1. Disrupted hygiene routine
When you are at home, you most probably have a set schedule. Maintaining a daily routine of brushing and flossing your teeth has its advantages of keeping oral health issues such as tooth decay and gum diseases at bay.
Travelling most likely includes time zone changes, which may confuse you to determine the exact time when you last brushed your teeth. Given the long distance between Australia and other international destinations, your journey may require a stopover or two. And during this duration, you may start to experience the fuzzy tooth sensation.
What can you do:
Always pack your dental hygiene kit consisting a toothbrush, toothpaste and floss in your carry-on. You can either set alarms reminding you to brush at every 10 hours or do it after 20 minutes of every meal you consume.
2. Hasty hygiene
When you manage to brush your teeth while travelling, it probably may be in cramped plane bathroom spaces. Being a high-use area with people waiting outside for their turns, you may feel a little rushed.
What can you do:
Remember that a good brushing takes only two minutes and follow it with flossing. Set a timer and brush your teeth thoroughly for two minutes. Also, be polite to the next person waiting for you to leave!
3. Dietary choices
If you are going away for a holiday, it’s your time to relax, unwind and probably indulge in your favourite food.
Most of us like to have more meals at restaurants and have more desserts, snacks and alcohol on a vacation. While it’s your time to have a well-deserved treat, you must remember that the sugary and acidic ingredients may cause tooth decay or gum diseases.
Even when travelling for work, you may tend to get more room services and catered meals than you normally do.
What can you do:
We understand that you won’t probably like to cut back on the celebration. Therefore, it is advisable to rinse your mouth with water after every meal. And if you are having sugary and acidic beverages, use a straw to sip them and restrict their contact with your teeth to a minimum.
4. Dehydration
It is common to feel dehydrated after long flights. Recycled air and tiny water bottles can contribute to making you feel dehydrated by the time you land.
Water and saliva are important to keep the bacteria at bay. But a dry mouth often invites hordes of bacteria that harm your teeth.
What can you do:
You can get a bigger water bottle on your own and drink from it throughout the journey, refilling when needed. Have sugar-free gums to help stimulate the flow of saliva into your mouth.
Refrain from alcohol before and during the flight to keep your mouth from drying.
5. Dental emergencies
Dental emergencies are unwelcomed even at familiar places like your home. And to meet with a fallen tooth, toothache or swelling at unfamiliar places can be a spoilsport. Moreover, when you are visiting remote locations, getting dental care meeting the Australian standards can be quite a task.
What can you do:
At this moment, your best protection is prevention. By maintaining regular dental check-ups our dentists can point out issues that may result in a dental emergency. If you are going to participate in sporting events, you can ask our dentist for a custom-fitted mouthguard.
Our dentists can also guide you about familiar dental clinics or professionals where you are travelling. For any more queries related to dental care when travelling, feel free to visit our Claremont dentist at Ashton Avenue Dental Practice or call us on 08 6183 3800 to book an appointment.
