Oral Health on the Go — Travel, Work Travel & Holidays

When you have your usual routine, this can be much easier to manage, but disruptions to your routine can lead to some bad habits. If you have to travel for work or for leisure, this can lead to bad habits that are damaging to your oral health.

In this short guide, we’re exploring some of the simple ways you can continue to care for your oral health while you are travelling for work or for pleasure. These tips should help you to make sure you aren’t falling into bad habits that are causing damage to your teeth and gums.

What to pack when you travel

The best way to continue with your oral health routine when you are travelling is to make sure you have all of the right tools with you. Smaller versions of your usual oral care items will help you to care for your teeth while you are away from home.

If you usually use an electric toothbrush, you might be able to take this with you for a short trip, but be sure to charge it fully before you leave. For longer trips, you’ll need to leave it at home if you don’t want to carry your charging cable with you. If you switch to a manual toothbrush when you are travelling, make sure that you’re confident using this to cover all tooth surfaces.

You’ll also need toothpaste, dental floss, and mouthwash (if you use it). Travel versions of these are available to help you to travel light. If you are traveling with hand luggage only, you’ll also need to make sure that your items meet the liquid allowances.

Oral care during long haul travel

If you’ll be crossing multiple time zones and your travel includes overnight stretches, then you’re going to need to make sure you’re still brushing your teeth on the same schedule. A simple way to manage this is to wear a traditional watch and continue to brush your teeth on the same evening and morning schedule, no matter what time it is in your current time zone. This will help you to avoid skipping brushing for too long.

Hydration on the go

It’s common for people who are travelling to forget to drink water due to distractions. You’re more likely to become dehydrated when you travel due, so it’s essential that you drink plenty of water.

Carrying a reusable water bottle can help you to remember to drink. You might not be able to take water through security, but you can refill an empty bottle once you have passed security. This is one of the best ways to protect your oral health and avoid resorting to high sugar or acidic drinks.

Simple hacks to protect your teeth

When you are travelling, you might find that the usual conveniences are not available to you. To avoid damage to your oral health as a result, try the following simple hacks.

Always carry chewing gum with you to help neutralise your saliva and remove food debris between meals. While chewing gum should not be used as an alternative to brushing on a regular basis, it’s often better than nothing if you find yourself in a situation when you cannot brush your teeth.

You can also carry small dental floss harps with you, as these will allow you to address gaps between your teeth after a meal. These also offer a toothpick on one end, so you’ll be able to tackle food debris with ease.

Final thoughts

When it comes to maintaining your oral health on the go, the best thing you can do is maintain a sense of consistency. Try to keep your oral care routine on the road as close to your usual routine as possible.

Also be wary of skipping brushing your teeth due to time zone changes or a lack of facilities. In the worst case, you can use sugar free chewing gum to freshen your breath and remove food debris until you have a chance to brush your teeth.