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  1. #1
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    Default Dental hygiene on trail

    Do thru hikers get dental cavities from eating high sugar snacks every day for 5-6 months? How many times a day should you brush on trail? Should you keep your toothbrush and toothpaste within as easy reach as you would your water bottle?

  2. #2

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    Quote Originally Posted by Paladin2 View Post
    Do thru hikers get dental cavities from eating high sugar snacks every day for 5-6 months? How many times a day should you brush on trail? Should you keep your toothbrush and toothpaste within as easy reach as you would your water bottle?
    Here is an article about a guy that had teeth problems from hiking the AT. In retrospect he recommends brushing and flossing twice a day, on and from trail.

    https://thetrek.co/appalachian-trail...utionary-tale/

  3. #3

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    The best advice I can give backpackers and trail bums and off the grid tipi-living outdoorsmen is to go to the dentist often for cleanings and repairs. Otherwise you'll be living with massive toothaches and extractions and expensive root canals etc.

    I went 20 years back in the 1980s-90s living the freedom loving outdoor life without visiting a dentist---mainly cuz I had no money. Or you can do what the local boys do---pull everything by age 30 and live with plates. Sure is cheaper this way.

    One time I was eating a larabar on Nichols Cove Creek and pulled off two crowns---the teeth underneath had to be extracted. And it's always fun going on a long backpacking trip immediately after having a couple molars pulled. Think "inflamed sore socket and face". And then there's always the fun of breaking a regular tooth off when snacking on trail mix. Unless you have $40,000 I think the best solution for backpackers is to pull everything and get high quality false teeth.

  4. #4

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    Brushed mine once a day. No issues. Probably didn't clean any other part of my body daily.

  5. #5

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    Brushed and flossed once a day, except when I had low water. Then I just flossed.
    No issues, AND remember that floss doubles as a sewing thread for repairs...

  6. #6
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    I get a cleaning every six months. Brush twice a day and floss in the evening. I do the same exact thing on the trail. Nothing special necessary in my opinion — just continue good hygiene. Btw, a small amount of toothpaste is fine. Most people use more than needed on and off trail. A travel size toothpaste tube lasts me at least seven to ten days, brushing twice a day.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Coffee View Post
    I get a cleaning every six months. Brush twice a day and floss in the evening. I do the same exact thing on the trail. Nothing special necessary in my opinion — just continue good hygiene. Btw, a small amount of toothpaste is fine. Most people use more than needed on and off trail. A travel size toothpaste tube lasts me at least seven to ten days, brushing twice a day.
    ^^THIS^^ in all "areas." I can't imagine not cleaning my teeth at least once a day (I use Bite toothpaste bits at home and on trail) but I have never been a consistent 2/3 times per day or even consistent flosser. I also can't imagine not cleaning my other parts at least once per day - feet, face, pits, lady parts (like before bed so I go to bed fairly clean).

    I would also suggest to schedule a cleaning just before hitting the trail for a thru and scheduling one after you get back. We use Aspen Dental and they are all over the place. Easy enough to get an appointment ahead of time at any of them around the country as the records are shareable between the different facilities.
    https://tinyurl.com/MyFDresults

    A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world. ~Paul Dudley White

  8. #8

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    One small container of tooth powder lasted me my whole AT thru, brushed 2x day. Think it weighed about the same as a travel tube of paste. Would’ve been less if transferred into a ziploc, but more risk of a spill.

  9. #9
    Garlic
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    Ditto all the above, but I'll also add that decent nutrition will help oral health as much as hygiene. My dentist read me the riot act over the state of my mouth after my first thru-hike. The enamel was okay, but the soft tissue was not. He said, "What have you been eating?" Five months of pack food. Next thru hike I added fresh fruit and veg to the pack, and spent more money on better food in town. More salad, less ice cream.
    "Throw a loaf of bread and a pound of tea in an old sack and jump over the back fence." John Muir on expedition planning

  10. #10

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    Good point, Garlic08. Diet and nutrition are elephants in the room as it were. Brushing will not help much if you have a high carb, high-sugar diet. And maybe you can handle it metabolically when young, but it will cause a lot of problems if you do it as you get older. Especially to the extreme degree done by many hikers; sugar for breakfast, sugar for snacks, sugary drinks, sugar for lunch, and then sugary carby dinner. How about some protein and fats, folks?

  11. #11

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    I have had no issues before either. Before setting off on a long trip, I visit my dentist for a good cleaning. I also include an inexpensive electric brush that I send to myself in a bounce box when I get into town. Just something to give my teeth a good cleaning every couple of weeks.

    Wolf

  12. #12
    Registered User JNI64's Avatar
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    And after all this if you're not blessed with good genetics you're still going to have to result to tipis, way.......

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by RockDoc View Post
    Good point, Garlic08. Diet and nutrition are elephants in the room as it were. Brushing will not help much if you have a high carb, high-sugar diet. And maybe you can handle it metabolically when young, but it will cause a lot of problems if you do it as you get older. Especially to the extreme degree done by many hikers; sugar for breakfast, sugar for snacks, sugary drinks, sugar for lunch, and then sugary carby dinner. How about some protein and fats, folks?
    I cringe when I think about the junk I ate on my hikes in my late 30s and early 40s. I remember one occasion on the PCT in Southern California where I was brilliantly using M&Ms and skittles for quick energy. Well, I obviously had some type of sugar high and crash toward the end of a very long day. Never experienced anything like that before or since. Now in my late 40s, and with family members who have diabetes, I'm much more careful off trail. Still tend to eat more carbs and sugar than I should on hikes, but I haven't done anything long distance for a few years. The next time I am able to do a multi week hike, I need to figure out a better resupply strategy than gas stations or convenience stores. Luckily, my blood sugar is fine and my A1C is nowhere near pre-diabetes levels and I want to keep it that way.

  14. #14
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    my mom always says, "only floss the teeth you want to keep!!"

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    I've been told by dentists and hygienists that toothpaste isn't necessary; it's the brushing/ cleaning that is necessary. Toothpaste is great for breath freshening, but not essential. On my week-long section hikes, I just use a toothbrush and rinse with water. One less thing to worry about hanging in the food bag at night (apparently bears like the smell of toothpaste).

  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by MtDoraDave View Post
    apparently bears like the smell of toothpaste).
    Well have you ever seen a bear with dentures?

  17. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Kittyslayer View Post
    Well have you ever seen a bear with dentures?
    Yes. Bear with dentures.jpg Bear with dentures 2.jpg Gummy bear.jpg

    "To make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from." - T.S. Eliot

  18. #18

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    For me it was floss and rubber tip. After having periodontal work done, the doctor commented that she would be out of business if everyone was taught to use a rubber tip when they were a kid and then used them consistently. Floss is for teeth, rubber tips are for gums.

  19. #19

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    I use the same routine that I use at home - brush twice a day (after breakfast and dinner). I also floss at those times, but I don't floss after snacks on the trail (I do keep some toothpicks handy for stubborn bits between teeth).

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