by JC Campbell

Created on: September 21, 2008

Cleaning your teeth without a toothbrush is not generally something we would do by choice but sometimes circumstances dictate that we have to. You leave it at home accidentally when you go away and only discover this when you are in your hotel room or perhaps when you are on a flight and feel the need to clean your teeth.

Most people faced with this situation would simply give their teeth a good rub with their finger using some water and rinsing well. Others would possibly simply rely on water only and this can be done by holding water in your mouth for a short time before rinsing with fresh water.

Another option, if it is possible, is to get some sugar free chewing gum which can serve to moisten the mouth and clean away any excess food caught between the teeth. This method also helps to freshen your breath and gives you the feeling of having brushed your teeth.

If you have simply lost your toothbrush at the time and have access to some antiseptic mouthwash, this can be almost as good as brushing your teeth. Just by swirling some of this around in your mouth can leave you feeling a sense of oral refreshment. Simply rinse your mouth with water after using the antiseptic mouthwash.

The chances are that even if you are without your toothbrush for some reason or another, there will be something handy that can serve as a temporary replacement. Just make sure that whatever you use, it is clean enough to go into your mouth to ensure good hygiene. We can always come up with something when an emergency arises.

Perhaps the reason you need to brush your teeth is that you have an appointment or a date. If you cannot locate a toothbrush in time, it may be good to think about rinsing your mouth with water continuously before heading out. Holding water in your mouth for a minute and then rinsing will serve to cleanse your mouth as a whole. Doing this continually for a while will make your mouth feel fresh and clean your teeth about as well as you could expect without a toothbrush.

It is difficult to think of too many things that can fully replace the effect of using a toothbrush but when you are desperate, you will surely come up with something that can take its place. Oral hygiene is important and people tend to judge you on this sometimes. The reason we are so concerned is that failure to brush our teeth can give off an unhealthy odor due to bad breath.

If nothing else, we can at least gain access to water and if our toothbrush is not available, this will at least help somewhat until we get home or manage to buy a new toothbrush.

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