As the world opens up and we find ourselves going back out into the far-flung corners of the world, it fills us with so many emotions.
Yeah, we’re excited and we can’t wait to hop on that plane – but we’re also adjusting, nervous about leaving the comfort of home for the first time in nearly 2 years. That’s 730 days.
That’s a really long time.
While you’re packing for your upcoming trips, excited to reunite with family, friends, or just to discover a new continent or country, it begs the question: How are you going to transport your routines with you?
Well, on the dental front, we’re here to answer that question with the best travel oral care tips to keep your teeth pearly white, so you can keep the smile love alive in those vacay pics.
Travel Oral Care Tip #1: See your dentist for your regular check-ups before you go
You’re sitting on a café terrace in France, you bite down into a 100% authentic pain au chocolat, complete with the 110% guaranteed flakey mess, and you feel a sharp pain in your tooth. A cavity? Wisdom tooth woes? Sacre bleu, what could it be?
Spare yourself (and your wallet) the trouble of trying to get dental care in a country where you may not speak the local language, and see your regular dentist before jetting off. Your chompers will be ready to dig into new and exotic foods, sans the sharp sting of a cavity being agitated.
If it aids your peace of mind, make sure to get some travel insurance that covers dental treatments.
Travel Oral Care Tip #2: Don’t skip your usual routine (ahem, floss!)
It’s easy to forget about the usual routine when you’re on holiday. You’re hours ahead (or behind), it’s midnight, and you’re enjoying a lovely glass of sangria in Spain, or sipping on sweet drinks well past midnight. But just because you’re livin’ la vida loca, doesn’t mean your teeth have become invincible (even though, yes, travel can make one feel invincible sometimes).
Before you stumble to bed, don’t forget to floss, brush, and clean your tongue! Forgetting about your routine for one night probably won’t cause total dental chaos. But two weeks of spotty brushing and poor oral care could rear its ugly head at your next dental check-up, so make sure to keep at it!
This also applies on board that flight. Maybe you’re on a 22-hour long flight and seven hours in, your body clock is telling you it’s bedtime. Have that oral kit handy so you can stick to your routine no matter where you are. We hear the smile high club is lovely this time of year. 🙂
Travel Oral Care Tip #3: Bring your electric toothbrush (instead of buying a cheap one at your destination)
If you’re using an electric toothbrush (and if you’re not, you should), don’t forget to pack it!
While it may be tempting to just buy a cheap, “manual” toothbrush while you’re there, the benefits of using electric toothbrushes far outweigh the extra 200g it adds to your luggage (preferably your carry-on, if you can ). Fun fact: electric toothbrushes can reduce tooth decay by 18%. Enough said.
Why bring it in your carry-on? Well, if you have plans immediately after you land, it’s not a bad idea to brush your teeth and freshen up a bit. After hours of flying, you’re unlikely to be feeling super fresh. Plus, you might want to brush during the flight, especially if you’re going back in time to far-flung timezones.
Pack your electric toothbrush somewhere it can get the occasional airing out. And if you’re packing a ZenyumSonic™, one charge can last you 3–4 weeks so you might not even need to pack the charger if it’s a quick getaway.
Travel Oral Care Tip #4: Long haul flight? Stay hydrated to avoid bad breath
You may not think it’s worth the hassle, but we promise it’s a game changer: bring your empty water bottle with you through security.
“But why?” you ask? Yes, we get it. Why add that extra unneeded bulk to your carry-on?
Airlines usually hand out those tiny little shot glasses of water that you’ll finish in about 1 second once it gets to you. It’s much easier to bring a water bottle, top it up once you’re past security, and stay hydrated on your flight without flagging down the airline service crew every 5 minutes.
Travel Oral Care Tip #5: Snack like your teeth depend on it
You’re on holiday! Surely some sugar-loaded goodies won’t hurt?! Well, yes, fair enough. But if you can stick to healthier, sugar-free snacks; do it. Munching on baby carrots or mixed nuts will help keep your teeth fresher, plus they’ll make you feel better too (because jet lag after two years of inexperience is bad enough, really).
Snacking on teeth-friendly foods during the day will also make it less of an issue if you accidentally skip brushing and flossing before falling into a slump in your mega hotel bed with those crisp, white sheets and fluffy pillows
Travel Oral Care Tip #6: Pack your aligners/retainers!
In the middle of your Zenyum Clear Aligners treatment? Don’t forget to bring your aligners along!
You’ll probably be changing them every 10 days, so if your trip is any longer than that, make sure that you have all the aligner sets you need before you catch that flight.
Forgot to bring them? Hit up your Customer Care Executive on the Zenyum app, and they’ll be able to advise you on what to do if you’re stuck overseas without your new set of aligners.
If it’s retainers you’re worried about, (yes, they’re different) well, don’t! If you’ve been wearing your retainers regularly, you have nothing to worry about. A week or two without retainers are unlikely to result in any major shifts, so don’t ruin your trip stressing about it!
Once you get back to home base, you’ll likely experience a little tightness from wearing your retainers after going without them for a while, but it shouldn’t be actively painful.
In the very unlikely event that your teeth experience significant movement while you’re abroad sans retainers, contact your dentist (or us, if you got your retainers from Zenyum). They’ll be able to advise you on next steps, and you’ll be able to dodge damaging your teeth.
There you have it! Six relatively simple dental care hacks for your next holiday. We’re just as excited as you are to explore the world again!
So go on and unleash your smile, but this time, do it worldwide.
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