Dr. Duffield and our dental team in Royal Oak, MI want to take a moment today to remind you about some things to consider when making all your travel plans for summer.
Oral hygiene should always be one of your top health priorities, but that can be challenging when you’re away from home and your overall routine is on hiatus. Today’s blog should help make things easier when it comes to keeping your teeth and gums nice and healthy even though you’re on vacation!
Include A Dental Checkup In Your Travel Planning Checklist!
Summer is the perfect time to schedule a routine dental cleaning and exam. For one thing, it’s the middle point of the year, and since you should have at least two annually, scheduling one of them around summertime makes it easier to remember when it’s time.
So whether you had one at the start of the year, or it’s time to knock out your first one of the year, go ahead and let Dr. Duffield and our experienced hygienists give your teeth and gums a deep cleaning and thorough exam. That way you can leave for your vacation knowing that you’re in good oral health and don’t need to stress yourself over any dental problems that might worsen while you’re away.
Get Dental Procedures Out Of The Way Before You’re Far Away!
At some point in our lives, we learn that as much as we’d like to ignore problems in hopes they’ll go away, that’s just not how it works. Generally, when you ignore a problem, it only gets worse.
The same is true when it comes to your oral health. So if, for example, you have a mild or sporadic toothache and think maybe it’s no big deal or that it can wait until you get back, (or that it might go away!), you might run into some problems.
You can’t enjoy yourself if your toothache grows worse and worse, and being away from home and your regular dentist will make tending to it problematic. It’s best to just take care of any procedures ahead of time. Give yourself a couple of weeks to adequately heal and to allow for follow ups with Dr. Duffield to make sure recovery from the procedure is smooth!
Keep Good Oral Hygiene On The Itinerary!
Two things about oral hygiene while traveling…
Diets aren’t allowed while you’re on vacation! When you’re in a new place, you want to try all the delicious foods from restaurants you can’t find at home, so it’s a perfectly good reason to indulge. And who wants to count calories at a time like that?
The point is, you’re probably going to be eating things you don’t normally eat, and chances are, it’s going to be dishes that have less than healthy ingredients for your teeth, such as refined sugars.
We just recommend that you don’t give those unhealthy sugars a chance to get cozy in the nooks and crannies of your mouth. Carry around a travel size toothbrush, toothpaste, and some dental flossers. And at times, when a place to brush and floss after a meal just isn’t practical, just rinse your mouth really well with some water. This is an easy way to keep your teeth and gums clean without having to let it affect your sightseeing!
The second thing has to do with dental emergencies. We hope that doesn’t happen, but we all know that accidents happen at the most inconvenient times. If you injure a tooth somehow, you’ll need to know where the nearby emergency dental services are.
It’s a good idea to go online and search the area where you’ll be staying. Write down and keep handy all the relevant contact info just in case you need it!
While you’re finalizing your vacation plan checklist, make sure to include a visit to our Royal Oak dental office with Dr. Duffield and our team of professionals! We’re here to help you achieve a healthy, vacation ready smile!
Call us today at 248-541-1388 or fill out our online form for an appointment.