Traveling can always be a little bit hectic, and if you’re going on a trip with your family this summer vacation, you’re probably in the thick of trying to get everything together. In the midst of all that, it can be easy to let your oral health fall a little bit by the wayside.
That said, maintaining your and your children’s teeth doesn’t have to be complicated—keeping just a few things in mind can do a lot to protect your oral health. Here are a few tips to help you with that.
Indulge Selectively
When you’re on vacation, you’re doing yourself a disservice if you don’t try a little bit of the local cuisine. In some cases, this may involve eating and drinking some things that you normally wouldn’t.
While it’s fine for your kids to eat a little bit more sugar than usual, it’s still a good idea to avoid some of the more dangerous foods as a rule. Hard candy, for example, causes tooth decay as well as potentially cracking your teeth. Bone-in meat can also be a problem for your teeth if you bite on the bone itself.
You can follow up dessert with a thorough brushing, but there are some things that you probably shouldn’t ever eat, even on vacation.
Get a Travel Dental Kit
It can be difficult to brush often enough if your toothbrush and toothpaste are packed away in your suitcase, so it’s typically a good idea to bring a travel dental kit with you when you’re on vacation. This is a small pouch containing miniature versions of all of your favorite dental products, small enough to fit in your carry-on and make it through security. Get every member of your family their own, and personalize them to tell them apart.
See Your Dentist Before You Go
It can sometimes feel like toothaches suddenly appear out of nowhere, but the truth is that most of the tooth pain that people experience happens as a consequence of pre-existing oral infections that have begun attacking the root pulp of the tooth.
Your dentist can catch these kinds of infections before they become serious, ensuring that your vacation won’t be interrupted by dental pain.
About the Author
Dr. Susan Podray-Donovan has been in dentistry for nearly a decade, and every day she manages to put her years of experience to work for her patients. There’s still nothing she loves more than seeing the look on patients’ faces when they see their new smiles! Dr. Podray-Donovan received her degree from Temple University, where she also received her Orthodontic Certification. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Georgia Association of Orthodontists.
If you have any questions about how to protect your teeth during summer vacation, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (678) 456-5572.