Traveling does not give you a free pass from taking care of your teeth. In fact, if anything, you should be more worried about oral hygiene because an oral problem can spoil your holiday or professional trip. Often a lot of people put oral hygiene in the back of their minds when travelling. This is true with plenty of travelers forgetting to even carry a toothbrush in their travel bags.

So here's a quick dental checklist to make sure you carry the right things to take care of your teeth while you are on the go.

Travel Size Toothpaste
Assuming your trip is no longer than a few months, you don't have to carry a large toothpaste tube. Rather a small one will help you save space and it is easier to pack.

Travelling Toothbrush
Get your hands on a foldable toothbrush. It helps you carry your toothbrush as you're travelling. You can even shove it in your pocket easily. The toothbrush should have a cover so that brush can remain clean and dry.

Dental Floss
When you have time on your trip, you can floss your teeth. A good flossing session will clean out any food particles that get stuck in your mouth.

A Small Mouth Wash
A mouth wash is perfect for dealing with bad breath. Get a small one, there is no point in lugging around a big mouth wash bottle around.

Chewing Gum
On those days that you are too busy to brush your teeth, or there is no water coming from the taps, you can at least chew gum. Chewing gum adds freshness to your mouth, keeps it moisturized and is a temporary solution to brushing your teeth.

Tooth Wax
Tooth wax is one of those items that you won't necessarily need, but you will be glad that you have it in an emergency. You may also know it as paraffin wax. When your tooth gets chipped or broken, you can press the wax around the tooth until you see the dentist.

Have a Carry Pouch or Bag
You do not want to just stuff your dental items in the bag so it spills out and spreads with the rest of your clothes. It would be a hassle if you want to find it quickly. Instead, have a small pouch that can fit all your dental items together.

Write these points down and tick them off as you get them done. This way you won't forget anything on the checklist.

Lastly, have a great trip and take care of your teeth well!

Brushing your teeth in the morning and evening is probably the most reinforced dental habit. However, many parents ignore flossing as a way to take care of teeth. In fact, there are a large number of people who consider brushing their teeth frequently in the day as a replacement to flossing. This is not true.

Flossing is quite different from brushing your teeth. What a flossing session does is reach into those hard to get places, those corners and crevices of your teeth and remove any food particles that have gotten stuck there.

It essentially helps prevent gum diseases and tooth loss. Can you imagine food rotting in your teeth which causes a gum infection? And all of this happened because your tooth brush wasn't able to clean the tight corners of your teeth.

Flossing is better than using a tooth pick too. A tooth pick tries to use brute force to push out the food particle and you will land up damaging your teeth and gum.

Run your tongue through your teeth and you will realize that there are many gaps in-between which a brush won't be able to clean. This is why flossing is important. It gets to places that your brush can't, further enhancing the hygiene of your teeth.

Here are some quick tips to getting your flossing right.

- Pick a Floss
Don't just pick up a string of thread and start flossing your teeth. Ask your dentist which floss would be best for you.

- It's a Sawing Motion
Don't jerk the floss up and down, instead move it in a sawing motion of back and forth. This way the floss enters the crevice gently.

- Pull it Side Ways
Once the floss is in the crevice, pull it sideways so that you scrape off any particles that have gotten stuck to the teeth

- Get the Back Teeth Too
The back teeth are the hardest to get to, but most of the food gets stuck in there since your grinders do most of the chewing.

- Do it Gently
Do not grind the floss into your teeth or gum. Flossing is a gentle process, so don't hurry it otherwise you will risk damaging your gums.

- Do it at least once a week if you have a busy schedule
Flossing is a chore. There are so many crevices in your mouth and it takes longer than brushing your teeth. While it is highly recommended that you do it everyday, a lot of us just can't find the time to do so. In such a case, try to do it at least once a week. Sundays are best since you will actually have a holiday and can spend ten minutes cleaning your teeth in the morning or before going to bed.

The best thing you can do is make flossing a habit. Let it be part of your oral hygiene and you will take care of your teeth even better. In fact, don't be surprised if those random toothaches stop.