Now that it’s nearly December, you probably plan to do some traveling soon. Most folks use winter holidays – Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, etc. – as a chance to visit distant friends and family. You mustn’t forget about oral health while away, though; you’ll still need a safe smile. Your Garland dentist has thus stopped by to offer some seasonal dental tips. So, please keep reading to learn four ways to protect your teeth during holiday travels.
See a Dentist Before Leaving
For starters, try to visit a dentist before you set out. Your grin will stay strong amid your travels that way.
Dental checkups remain the best form of preventive oral care. By getting one before your trip, you’d let a dentist diagnose and treat any small issues your smile might have. This process reduces your risk of having an out-of-town dental emergency, something that’s highly disruptive. Similarly, it strengthens your teeth and gums to withstand your holiday eating better.
Bring a Dental Travel Kit
You can’t always trust relatives (or hotels) to provide oral care tools. Given that fact, make sure to pack a dental travel kit for your trip.
Your final kit should have everything needed to clean your smile, including:
- A soft-bristled toothbrush
- Some travel-sized toothpaste
- A pack of dental floss or flossers
- A small container of fluoridated mouthwash
The above items will defend your teeth from plaque and food debris. In doing so, they’ll help you avoid problems like tooth decay and gum disease.
Maintain Oral Hygiene Habits
As much as you’d wish otherwise, your smile won’t take a holiday just because you do. You should thus maintain your oral hygiene habits while traveling.
What’s most crucial is that you keep brushing twice daily and flossing once daily. If you skip these habits during your trip, plaque will gather in your mouth and potentially cause cavities and infections. Those sorts of issues would ruin your oral health, putting a damper on your holidays.
Limit Your Holiday Sweets
While on your trip, you should limit your intake of holiday sweets. Only having them occasionally is a much better situation for your smile.
The fact is that winter treats have loads of sugar, a major cause of tooth decay. Eating too many of them would cause your teeth to erode and wear down until they suffer cavities and infections. Assuming you want to avoid that outcome, you should thus go easy on candy canes, gingerbread cookies, and so on.
If you stick to the tricks above, you’ll have safe teeth during the holidays. Remember that as you travel for the season!
About the Practice
Town Center Dental is based in Garland, TX. Led by Dr. Teresa Knott, our practice makes your smile’s well-being the highest priority. That means we always provide top-tier dentistry that spans preventive, cosmetic, and restorative options, and we maintain a relaxed atmosphere. Whatever problem your grin has, our team will treat it (and you) with utmost care! For more details or to book a visit, please contact us on our website or by phone at (972)-530-5200.