8 Essential Travel Tips for Oral Health

By Akshay Sharma April 20, 2017 Health

The daily ritual of brushing your teeth should be a continuous process when you are traveling. In fact, you shouldn’t ever forget about it. A toothbrush is one of the first things that people put on their packing list to go on their holiday. And with a new tube of toothpaste you can hold out for quite a long time.

However, some of you might ignore your precious teeth on a holiday. Avoid the bad routines by applying the following travel tips to improve your oral health!

Let me walk you through the tips below:

Use an appropriate and useful toothbrush case.

Whenever you buy a case for your toothbrush, it should fit your toothbrush’s size but also contain enough holes for fresh air circulation. This will allow for proper drying of your toothbrush and prevent it from harboring bacteria. If you forgot to clean your case after your last trip, clean it before packing it again! A lot of people forget to clean the case, but that’s just as important as cleaning the toothbrush itself.

Keep your toothbrush in a dry spot at all times.

A wet toothbrush is the place to be for bacteria. Therefore you should always take your toothbrush out of the case as soon as you arrive at your destination. Preferably leave the toothbrush upright in a glass. Do not forget to remove your toothbrush from the case as soon as you get home or to your place of accommodation!

Bring additional oral hygiene products

A toothbrush isn’t hard to fit in your luggage. Also, make sure to bring floss and toothpicks. These are all small and compact items that are very good for tooth care. Most dentists and specialists advise to use a roll of floss after every meal. If you don’t have the time or can’t bother with flossing, use sugar free chewing gum to remove any unwanted, leftover food bits.

Have a plan to fall back on

It often depends on how far you will travel, but having extra dental care supplies with you will not hurt. In case you lose certain supplies or simply run out, you can easily replace it. Most hotels provide small and disposable brush kits, usually coming with brush and paste. If you receive this during your flight, just take it with you. Hygiene at hostels can be questionable at times, however, brushing your teeth without any water is just fine. Be sure to brush well.

Keep everything hygienic and clean

If you decide to brush your teeth without a brush, remember to wash your hands properly. The same goes for flossing. Are there signs at the water tap warning you not to drink the water? This also means that the water is not fit for rinsing your mouth or cleaning your toothbrush with it. Simply buy bottled water and use that; better safe than sorry!

Consume refreshments for your teeth

Especially when you’re backpacking, it might be hard to brush your teeth directly after eating food. But in general, try to keep your mouth clean if you can’t brush your teeth when necessary. Chewing gums without sugar are the perfect solution! It will stimulate the cleansing process of your mouth and on top of that, it’s also pleasant for people you’re with if you have fresh breath. Especially in Asia, healthy food is an up-and-coming lifestyle. You can find healthy cafés and bistro’s everywhere. Try out one of their green-teas sometime, it’s a great little treat for your teeth!

Be careful with the food you consume!

When you decide to go traveling, you will most likely consume a lot of new food that you’ve never eaten before, which is that’s great! I love to visit local food markets and try the amazing food. Just be careful of sugar levels with new food habits. Especially in Asia, where condensed milk and other sugary products are very popular, try to limit your sugar intake. Repetitively consuming sugar heavy food opens up the possibility of damaging your teeth.

Invest a little, save a lot.

Investing some time and money in a good International Health Insurance can save you a lot. Calculate in a small budget for unplanned dental issues or emergencies. It’s always better to be covered, just to be on the safe side. Dental costs can be extremely high in private clinics, especially in Asia. Usually, local people don’t visit dental clinics so they focus mainly on tourists, hence the higher prices. You will want to cover yourself for these costs, trust me.

About Marcel de Jong – Marcel de Jong is specialist in traveling for more than 15 years. He saw more than 47 countries and keeps traveling 10 months per year. Since 2012 he’s blogging for Now Health International helping thousands of people with the best tips for traveling, insurance and healthcare on the road. Now Health International is a global business that offers the International Health Insurance and International Medical Insurance services.