When Traveling, Pack the Essentials

Of course, you want to ensure you have the right clothes, sunscreen, bug spray, and whatever else you need for your trip. However, it’s also important to not forget the essentials for your mouth—toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss! If visiting friends or relatives, don’t assume they’ll have these things for you. Going to the store when you first arrive somewhere isn’t going to be ideal. It’s better to make sure you pack these items and have them with you when you arrive. Better yet, keep them in plain sight so that you remember to use them every morning and evening as you’ll be off your normal routine!

Keep Hydrated

There are lots of different beverages that are popular to consume during the summer—from iced coffee to energy drinks to margaritas, you’re going to have options when it comes to what you want to drink. However, drinking water rather than sugary alternatives not only keeps you hydrated, but also helps cut down on dental plaque. Keep water with you during the day so you can sip and provide your mouth with the saliva it needs to properly nourish your teeth and stop plaque from sticking to your teeth. If plain water gets boring, try seltzer water with some crushed fruit in it!

Choose Healthy Summer Snacks

It’s the time of year when you hear the ice cream truck, buy the kids French fries at the beach, and snack on popcorn at the movies. This summer, you can protect your smile by being choosy about your snacks. Watermelon is an excellent choice because of its water content. Ice cream, although it contains calcium, is packed with sugar. Other swaps to make include fresh fruit as opposed to prepackaged foods, frozen yogurt instead of ice cream, and sweet potato fries or kale chips as opposed to potato chips or French fries. By enjoying sugary foods in moderation, you can help protect your smile from tooth decay.

Visit the Dentist

The kids might be on summer vacation, but tooth decay and gum disease never take a break. This is the perfect opportunity to get your kids to the dentist while they’re out of school. Schedule an appointment to see how your kids’ teeth are doing. Your dentist can also tell you where they need to improve with brushing and motivate them to brush and floss daily!

When it comes to your summer this year, don’t put your oral care at the bottom of the list just because you’re on vacation. You can maintain a healthy smile by packing your toothbrush, drinking plenty of water, choosing healthy snacks, and visiting your dentist. Enjoy your vacation!

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Follow these tips to fight bad breath—on the go!

Stimulate Saliva Production with Gum or Snacks

Sugar-free gum is easy to store and transport, so keep a spare pack in your car or at yor desk for those times you forget to brush or feel a little anxious about your post-lunch breath. Mint-flavored gum can provide added freshness! Chewing gum will help to stimulate saliva production and make your breath fresh! Saliva is so important for our teeth and gums. Keeping your saliva production normal is important to fight that bad bacteria that bring bad breath.

If you’re not a fan of gum, you can achieve the same effect with healthy snacks such as carrots, apples, and celery. These firm veggies and fruits can help rehydrate you and actually act as little scrubbers on your teeth to remove plaque and increase saliva. Best of all, you’ll get added fiber and nutrients from these snacks to keep you well nourished throughout the day.

Keep Teeth Wipes and Mini Brushes with You

Teeth wipes are cloth-like mitts that fit over your forefinger that can help “brush” your teeth when you’re on the go. These are perfect emergency back-ups for those times you forget to brush. You may also opt to keep a mini toothbrush with you. Although you won’t always be able to get to a restroom, there will be times when you can stop in for a quick brush with a travel-sized tube of toothpaste and a mini brush or teeth wipes.

Chew Herbs

Herbs have many different health benefits, but did you know that they’re also great for freshening up bad breath? Herbs such as mint, rosemary, and even sage and parsley can help freshen breath in a matter of seconds. Chewing these leaves will also boost saliva in your mouth. If you have a garden with herbs or if you happen to get a sprig of parsley on your plate with dinner, don’t hesitate to pop it into your mouth for fresher breath!

Drink Water or Tea

Bad breath tends to come at times when your mouth is feeling dry—another reason to stay hydrated! Drinking water or herbal tea can help to rehydrate you and re-establish the balance of good and bad bacteria in your mouth. When trying to fight bad breath on the go, keep a bottle of water with you and sip. This is not only great for your body, but for your breath too.

Fighting bad breath on the go is easy if you’re prepared and have the right tools. Keep mini brushes and a bottle of water with you. Pack carrots and apples for a snack. Pick some fresh herbs on your way to work when you just didn’t have time to brush. Fresh breath is closer than you think!

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As the body ages, teeth become brittle and saliva production is reduced. When the teeth become brittle, they are more likely to crack or to chip. This exposes the teeth to bacteria which cause ultimately lead to decay. The decrease in saliva production can be caused by both aging and by use of different medications. In turn, reduced saliva production causes dry mouth which can also contribute to tooth decay. Saliva is imperative to oral health as it washes remaining food away, helping to reduce the amount of harmful bacteria and eliminating the damaging acids that these bacteria produce. Saliva also helps to rebuild enamel and keep teeth healthy. Checking medications for symptoms of dry mouth is crucial to taking preventative and necessary action against the decrease in saliva production. You may also wish to use dry mouth products that stimulate saliva production, which are easily accessible over-the-counter.

Some health conditions that may affect people as they get older can also increase the risk of tooth problems and gum disease. For example, people who are living with type 2 diabetes are less resistant to infection, making them more susceptible to oral health problems than people without diabetes. This includes gum diseases such as gingivitis. If left untreated, gingivitis can result in periodontitis which is a more serious chronic bacterial infection. If you have certain illnesses, it is important to discuss proper treatment with your doctor to prevent side effects within the mouth.

Checking medications, avoiding things that would increase mouth dryness, and practicing good oral hygiene habits is incredibly important to maintaining excellent dental health as we age. Drinking tap water or water that contains fluoride, avoiding sugary  and acidic foods, and limiting the consumption of sweet snacks and drinks helps to keep enamel healthy and strong. Furthermore, regular dentist visits as well as flossing and brushing twice daily are the keys to keeping your smile bright and radiant. Aging does not mean letting your dental routine fall to the wayside; in fact, it is more important than ever to make sure your routine incorporates all necessary steps to a better you.

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1. Have a flossing guide / chart / graph / etc. in the bathroom. This is a great way to help your child keep flossing daily. Try using stickers on the chart, one for each day they remember to floss. Making it like a game where they can win a little reward at the end of the week or the month also helps keep them on track and goal oriented. Non-monetary rewards work better, such as staying up an extra half hour on the weekends. Many dentists offices offer charts for no cost.

2. Try to make flossing fun for your child. Excellent examples of how to get them to floss is to find a good song (with a steady beat) that they can floss in time too (just be careful that the beat isnt too fast, since going to fast can hurt, irritate or damage gums). Since kids love looking into their mouths, another tip that many dentist recommend is to have them count their teeth while flossing. Not only are they engaged, but they are learning too!

3. Get them nice oral care products made for kids. Kids don’t want to use Listerine which can have a slight tingly feeling and they don’t want boring baking soda toothpaste. Instead, ACT for Kids offers great mouthwash flavors and toothpaste colors and flavors. There are also dental picks and floss sticks that come with different colors, and if you want to splurge, some even have Disney or other cartoon characters on the handles. Making it kid friendly makes them more apt to participate.

4. Praise them for the good habits. Always tell your child that you are proud of them for taking care of their teeth. Tell them not only are you proud, but because they can take care of their teeth themselves, they are starting to mature and be a big boy or big girl. Your children will delight in hearing that and it should bring a smile to your face too!

5. Practice what you preach! Ever catch your kids imitating the things you do? Well flossing is a good one to teach them! By flossing yourself, you are setting a good example for your kids and they are more likely to do what you do.

Hopefully some of these tips will help you and your child get better at a flossing routine without the nagging or tantrums!

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Hardened plaque is called calculus, or more commonly, tartar. Tartar on the teeth has to be scraped off. Normal brushing and flossing at home can remove most of the plaque from your teeth so that it never develops into tartar, but it is not uncommon for some of it to be left behind. Plaque and tartar irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the first stage of gum disease.

At a dental office, gingivitis can be reversed with a professional cleaning. A dentist or dental hygienist first removes all plaque and tartar from the teeth with professional dental instruments. A thorough cleaning that often includes a fluoride treatment leaves the mouth and teeth clean and free from plaque and tartar.

If gingivitis is not treated, tartar can eventually start to spread below the gum line. This is called periodontitis, and it requires more than a simple cleaning. A deep cleaning, also known as scaling and root planing, scrapes away the tartar on the teeth and below the gum line. The surface of the tooth roots are then smoothed to allow the gums to properly reattach. This is a non-surgical procedure, but surgery sometimes does become necessary for severe cases of periodontitis.

Because bacteria are always in our mouths, and because we have to eat, it is impossible to prevent plaque from developing in the first place. Good oral hygiene that includes brushing twice a day and flossing at least once a day will help to keep plaque under control and prevent gum disease, but the majority of people get gum disease at some time in their lives. Regular visits to the dentist for check ups will catch gingivitis before it has a chance to become periodontitis.

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