Brush Camping

A lot of preparation goes into making a camping trip a great experience for the whole family. Something that’s overlooked is tooth brushing and flossing, especially without running water and a sink. It’s just as important to brush while camping especially those evening’s s’mores and popcorn, and for those mornings with pancakes and syrup. A few supplies and a few minutes of preparation can help to ensure that you don’t bring cavities home as a campground souvenir.

RV Camping – If you’re camping in an RV with running water tooth brushing should be fairly simple. Just remember that water from an onboard tank may be limited, so don’t leave it running.

Tent Camping – In a tent, space can be scarce, be sure to have a toothbrush case to store it safely and you can purchase the travel size toothpaste or some dentists give them away. Water is an issue as well; you may have to rely upon water bottles or glasses of water from a large water jug. If you have communal washrooms make sure the water is potable. Either way swish your mouth after brushing. Swish, swish, spit! Just pick an area to spit that’s away from places people are using.

Back Packing – Weight and space is limited when you’re carrying all of your supplies on your back. You may want to condense your supplies. One idea is to buy a special hiking toothbrush that has a hollow space in the handle for toothpaste. Toothpaste is optional if you are roughing it for a couple of days, but remember to brush. Ensure that you use leave no trace techniques in the backcountry; bring the dental floss out with you because it can be a hazard to wildlife.

Summer Camp – Okay, no matter how hard you try, when children are away the chances of your child actually brushing?? You can only hope.

When you get home,be sure to give the toothbrush a good rinse.