Summer is good for vacationing, having fun family times and relaxing. However, as you enjoy the extended breaks and abundant sun, it can be easy to forget about your oral health. There are easy and efficient ways that you can adapt to stay on top of your oral health as you vacation this summer. You can help you, and your loved ones maintain good oral hygiene by using a dental travel kit.

Toothbrush and travel case

Maintain good oral hygiene begins with having a toothbrush, which is a universal and basic tool for dental hygiene. When purchasing a toothbrush for travel, ensure it has the ADA seal of approval that shows the brush works properly. If you are buying for a young one, ensure it fits in their hands and fits in their mouth perfectly. This way, they can brush easily.

Ensure that the whole family brushes their teeth twice a day for 2 minutes. If you are away from the younger members of the family, send them reminder texts for brushing their teeth.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste and toothbrush go hand in hand as brushing without toothpaste is pointless. This summer, ensure you have an adequate supply of toothpaste for travels. There are plenty of travel sized toothpaste in different flavors to pick from. Look for toothpaste with the ADA seal of approval to get the best. Also, avoid purchasing whitening toothpaste for your children as it contains abrasives that harm the tooth’s enamel.

Floss

Brushing can only clean about a third of your teeth’s surface, leaving most of it unclean. Floss is great for getting food particles stuck in between your teeth and cleaning the areas your toothbrush cannot. Carry travel sized floss and use it once a day. If your child is traveling, give them a travel floss to use and encourage them to use it regularly.

Tongue scraper

Your tongue hoards a lot of bacteria that cause bad breath. To get rid of this bad breath, use a tongue scraper to eliminate the bacteria. You can use a tongue scraper after brushing your teeth by gently scraping the surface of the teeth. Make sure you rinse the scraper after use to clean it.

If you have any family member that uses oral appliances like veneers and braces, here are some tools they can use while vacationing.

Proxabrush

A proxabrush is a toothbrush specially designed for people with oral appliances (i.e. braces). It is convenient for cleaning in between teeth and behind one’s brackets. It has fine bristles, and its handle is the same as that of a toothbrush. A proxabrsuh comes with three to four replacement heads for the user to find the right fit.

Floss threader

These are convenient for use when you have oral appliances. They help floss in between teeth and behind brackets where food particles may be. Floss threaders work like normal floss and help you get in between the hard-reach-areas.

Maintain your routine

You can easily get lost into enjoying your summer vacation and completely forget about your oral health. You owe it to yourself to maintain your dental care routine. Try making brushing and flossing of your teeth a fun activity to make it easier for you. Ensure that you brush your teeth twice a day and floss once. Do it with your kids as you talk about your vacation and the aspects of it that you enjoy.

Making it, a family routine will help in accountability and ensure you stick to the routine. At Greater Houston Pediatric Dentistry, we are always happy to help families take care of their teeth and have good oral health. You can also schedule an appointment with us to evaluate your child’s dental health.