What to do when you can’t clean your teeth.

Are you busy running the kids to events?  Do you have back-to-back meetings scheduled?  Does your mouth feel stale? Or, can you feel something stuck between your back teeth?  Do you wish you could get away to brush your teeth?  Some days we just don’t have the opportunity or the facilities to stop and properly take care of cleaning our teeth.

Here are some tips for days like these:

• Drink water or chew sugar free gum. It’s not ideal, but water and sugar free gum can help hydrate your mouth and clear out debris.
• Carry a travel-sized toothbrush and toothpaste. They don’t take up much space in your pocket, purse or even in your hand. Even though 2-3 minutes is recommended for normal brushing, don’t be afraid to do a quick 60 second brush followed by a fresh water rinse.
• Have some floss-picks on hand to quickly remove any food that is stuck between your teeth.
• In a perfect world, you’d have the time and space for a full brush, floss and mouthwash rinse, but unfortunately that’s not always possible. Just remember that something is better than nothing. Even just rinsing with mouthwash is better than nothing.

When you get home, take extra care to thoroughly brush and floss.