Morning odour is definitely not pleasant, especially if you are to go meet people for the rest of the day. I am pedantic about oral hygiene and do not even talk with out brushing my teeth in the morning. So, imagine my plight when I forgot to carry my toothbrush and toothpaste (note the AND). Usually the hotel stay provides a dental kit when you check-in, but to my surprise they did not, and thanks to my busy work schedule and the drowsiness induced by tab. cetrizen, I hit the bed straight after work.
So, how to grapple this problem?
Google to the rescue. I felt less shameful when I saw thousands of people google the same problem. (Sick pleasure). Here are some hacks:
Scenario 1: How to clean you teeth without a toothpaste
- If there is a store nearby your hotel, you could run and buy yourself a tooth paste. Worth the run
- Assuming you have been using you tooth brush for more than two weeks, there are chances that your toothbrush still carries the essence of your toothpaste, inspite of cleaning it properly. So, rinse your mouth before brushing and spit out the water. This removes the particles stuck to your teeth and tongue. Then run the toothbrush under tap water, clean it and start brushing. The toothbrush will still produce some lather. Rinse your mouth throughly after the process
- If you are carrying a mouth wash, you can rinse your mouth after brushing. Mouth wash is a saviour!
Scenario 2: How to clean your teeth without a toothbrush
- Again, if there is a store nearby, you could still go fetch it
- Fingers to the rescue: Forgetting the toothbrush is a better scenario than forgetting your toothpaste, according to me. Back in the time when toothbrush was not invented, people used their fingers and tree(neem,babool) barks to brush their teeth. So going back to the roots (shoots, in this case), squeeze some toothpaste on your index finger and start rubbing the paste on your teeth and gums. The finger acts like a brush and you can achieve a near to perfect brushing action and freshness after
- Use mouthwash/ dental floss if you are carrying them
Scenario 3: How to clean your teeth without a toothbrush and a toothpaste
This definitely is a terrible situation! Worry not. There is always a solution to every problem.
- Check your bag to see if you are carrying oil. Oil pulling is a an old and effective Indian art of maintaining good oral hygiene. Sesame seed oil (gingelly oil) is generally used, but since most of us carry coconut oil/ olive for hair and skin during travel, they can still be used. Some oil is better than no oil. After oil pulling, use your fingers to remove the excess oil and rinse your mouth throughly. I used almond oil. No complaints!
- If you are carrying only a mouth wash, then rinse your mouth using it and brush the teeth using your index finger
- You could also floss if you are carrying dental floss with you
- If you are not carrying any of the above , use your index finger and scrub away the particles or other stuff stuck to your teeth and gums and rinse your mouth throughly. Keep chewing mint flavoured gums till you get hold of a toothpaste and brush
Once bitten, twice shy. You will never forget to pack your dental kit for the next trip after this.
