How to Protect Your Smile During Summer Vacation

It’s summer and chances are you’re packing the kids up for a vacation before school starts. You’ve got entertainment, clothes, sunblock, food€¦ did you remember the toothbrushes?

Forgetting to pack your toothbrush can happen all too easily with all the other things you have to remember to pack. Just because it’s vacation time doesn’t mean you or the kids should skip your oral care routine! Plus, everyone likes to look their best on their special trip away.

Whether you’re flying to the beach or driving to the mountains, you want your smile to look its best all summer long. You can do this with just a few tips that will keep everyone in your family smiling big for the pictures!

Don’t Skip the Checkup Before Your Trip

Visiting your Asheville dentist every six months shouldn’t stop just because your appointment falls right around vacation time. In fact, this is the perfect time to go. If there’s any type of problem with your smile, you can get it taken care of before your trip.

Imagine having a dental infection during your trip. You’ll not only be in pain, but you might be scrambling to find a dentist who can address the problem.

Make your teeth and gums one less thing to worry about while you’re on vacation. Get a checkup with your dentist in Asheville before you go. This is the perfect time to take the kids since they’re out of school and may have been slacking on their brushing and flossing.

Plus, getting a professional teeth cleaning can help remove surface stains, making your smile look that much better for your photos.

No matter when your dental checkup is scheduled, don’t skip it just because you have a million things to do before vacation. Your smile will thank you while you’re enjoying the time off!

Keep Up with Healthy Eating Habits

It’s a vacation, so it’s time to indulge! Right?

Of course, having treats on vacation is perfectly fine. However, your trip shouldn’t be a free-for-all for you and the kids just because you’re enjoying some time away.

Keeping up with healthy eating habits as much as possible will benefit your beautiful smile. This means eating foods that don’t contain sugar and enjoying fresh foods as much as possible. There are some excellent summer treats out there that you can enjoy that are actually good for your teeth!

If you do choose to indulge in sugar whether it’s in the form of dessert or a glass of wine take care to protect your teeth from plaque and staining. This is as easy as sipping water afterward, waiting a minimum of 30 minutes to brush after eating acidic foods such as sugar, and consuming these foods in moderation.

Keeping up with healthy eating habits is easy while you’re away. Enjoy some fresh local cuisine and keep indulgences as just that indulgences!

Never Skip Your Oral Care Routine

Bringing your toothbrush and floss on vacation is only half of the work. Remembering to use them and continuing with your oral care routine is the other half.

Just because you’re taking some time off doesn’t mean you should skip your brushing and flossing habits. Between packing, traveling, and settling into a different routine, it can feel like more of a chore than usual to remember to brush and floss your pearly whites.

Skipping your oral care routine is a bad idea. Brushing in the morning is essential to remove bacteria and plaque. Not brushing before you go to bed leaves plaque time to collect on your teeth and cause enamel damage. Flossing helps ensure all plaque and food particles are out from in-between your teeth.

No matter where you’re going this summer, never forget to take oral care with you.  Skipping a night or two while you’re on vacation might not seem like a big deal, but you don’t want this habit when you return back home!

Remember That Water Is Your Friend

It’s easy to get dehydrated while traveling. This is one of the worst things you can do to your teeth.

Surprised? Consider that the body is about 60% water. Your oral cavity depends on saliva to protect the teeth. Water acts as a buffer to keep plaque and bacteria from sticking to your teeth. Without it, enamel erosion can happen.

Damaged enamel can lead to a number of problems with your smile, including tooth decay, tooth sensitivity, and tooth discoloration.

You can help prevent all these things simply by staying hydrated. Although there are other beverages that can contribute to your hydration, water is your best and safest bet. Consume other drinks only in moderation.

During your vacation, always have water with you. You may be subject to altitude changes that could affect your body and make you feel fine when you are actually dehydrated. Plane rides often dehydrate passengers and can lead to a dry mouth as well.

Remember that water is your friend this summer!

Be Informed and Prepared

Vacations can be full of surprises even staycations can, too! It never hurts to be prepared when it comes to dental emergencies.

If you’re going away, keep the numbers of local dentists and hospitals handy so that you have someone to call if an emergency does happen. Although a dentist would be the best person to handle a tooth emergency, not all dentists are available during emergency hours and you may need to visit your local emergency room.

You should also know what to do in the event of an emergency with your mouth. If a tooth is knocked out, it’ll need to be kept in saliva or milk until you can receive care. A chipped or cracked tooth should still be evaluated by your dentist in Asheville.

If you’re having severe tooth pain, seeing a dentist as soon as possible is always ideal. Be informed about dental emergencies and know what to do should something happen to you or your children during your trip.

You can still enjoy your vacation without taking a break from your oral care routine. A vacation is just another reason to let your smile shine! So make an appointment before you go on your trip. Remember to pack that toothbrush. Your smile benefits when you eat healthily. Drink enough water and never skip brushing and flossing, even when it feels inconvenient.

Are you ready to make your smile vacation ready? Make an appointment with us today. Remember that tooth decay and gum disease never go on vacation!