It is really simple and that is that the older I get the less I am willing to compromise on my health. Really, I mean anywhere I go I make sure my health is going to be taken care of. Looking back on my life there were backpacking trips I took where my health was the last thing I thought of. I pushed way too hard and for not much gain. When I was growing up my father instilled in me a love and an appreciation for the outdoors. My past started in the midwest of the United States and even though our terrain is not majestic it can be peaceful and beautiful. In my more recent years, I have found that a great way to get out in nature and experience that beauty is through backpacking. I love getting outside and being adventurous. The joys of personally conquering distances and seeing areas that most humans will never visit or see is exhilarating. Being so remote to see rare sights also comes with difficulty and sacrifices. One sacrifice that many backpackers are willing to make and that I am not is my dental hygiene. That is because it is simply not worth racking up bills when you can add a few ounces of weight to your kit and feel clean every single day.
Your dental routine is key to staying healthy and to lowering your healthcare bills. Brushing your teeth is a regular occurrence in my life and I think that it is important to keep up with the routine no matter what I am doing or where I am. Even if I am 30 miles away from civilization and a sink, I still bring a toothbrush and some paste along with me. It is something that is so simple and can save you so much pain.
Let’s be real I have learned from bad experiences and I know now that it is not worth it. I have been caught without my toothbrush and paste before and the experience was unpleasant. Years ago I went on several week fishing trips in the boundary waters way up north. The trip was meant to be 60 miles long and two weeks in time. What an adventure it was. We were outfitted for food for the time and expected to catch fish for about half of the meals. This was a crazy trip because on our first day we canoed 15 miles in and that very night a tornado came through our path. Since we were on the water at the time with our gear, all of our canoes were flipped by the 100 mph plus winds. The Tornado made us lose about half of our gear and my hygiene products as well. Life happens and sometimes you cannot help your circumstances.
The pain started to really get into my days and nights. The lack of brushing my teeth and the lack of nutrients I was ingesting from the lack of our regular food supplies left me in pain. My mouth was hurting by the end of the trip and my teeth were in pain. It took a week after the return for my mouth to feel better. I had to restock on nutrients and get the plaque and tartar build-up off my teeth. Backups for many things are important and now I know.
Oral Pathology Info 