2 Ways To Keep Your Teeth Healthy Away From Home

If you are planning to travel soon, you may be concerned that it will be difficult to maintain a great oral hygiene regimen while you are way from home. Still, there is no need to allow your dental health to suffer while you're on the road. Here are a few measures that you can incorporate into your regimen to help keep your teeth and guns healthy:

Bring along some healthy snacks.

When you're on the road, it can be difficult to maintain healthy eating habits. Much of the food that you eat may be loaded with carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the favorite food of oral bacteria. When oral bacteria feast on carbohydrates in your mouth, they release acid. The acid is actually a byproduct of their digestive process, which is called glycolysis. Once the acid contacts the tooth enamel, demineralization occurs. Essential elements within the tooth enamel are dissolved by the acid.

To help prevent this, take along snacks that are low in sugar or high in protein, such as nuts or dried meats.

Chew a piece of gum.

Chewing sugarless gum can help address your sweet tooth without including simple carbohydrates that feed oral bacteria. In addition, the gum can help remove deposits of food particles and plaque from the surface of your teeth. The chewing also signals the salivary glands to produce more saliva. The increase in saliva helps wash away food debris and oral bacteria. As the amount of saliva in the mouth increases, the acid in the mouth becomes diluted. This dilution helps protect the teeth from acid erosion.

Gum may offer additional antibacterial benefits because of its ingredients. Xylitol and cinnamon that help flavor the gum also possess antimicrobial characteristics. Thus, as you chew gum, the oral bacteria in your mouth are eliminated.

Sip water

By sipping tap water after snacks and between meals, you can help dilute any acid in the mouth. In addition, since most tap water contains fluoride, the practice can help harden your teeth.

Fluoride helps harden the teeth by covering the tooth enamel. As fluoride coats the enamel, it attracts phosphorus and calcium back to the surface of the teeth. When these elements combine, they create a new compound, which replaces the lost tooth enamel. As an added benefit, the new compound that is formed is actually harder than the original tooth material.

To learn more ways to help protect your teeth when you are away from home, schedule a consultation with a family dentistry clinic like Mooresville Dental Care.