Traveling out of your comfort zone can be daunting when you wear braces. Arm yourself with the right tools and techniques for taking care of braces – your own braces or your teen’s braces – when you’re away from home so you can enjoy your vacation without stressing about teeth.
Eat Carefully
Vacation is a time to indulge, especially if you find yourself in a new place with new food to taste. Beware, though. Braces-wearers need to make smart choices about what they eat and drink, no matter how tempting the local fare may be. Stay away from anything sticky, gooey, chewy, or seriously crunchy so you can save yourself and your brackets from breakage. And keep in mind that clear brackets and bands can stain if you’re digging into the darker or more robust foods like sauces, curries, and wines.
Of course, if you’re wearing Invisalign, you can dig in all you want – just remove your aligners before each meal and clean your teeth and aligners when you’re done eating before snapping things back in place.
Keep ‘em Clean
You can’t slack off on caring for your braces just because you’re taking it easy for several days in every other part of your life. Your braces require constant TLC. Take along a dental kit that will serve you well when it comes to brushing and flossing (and don’t forget that all-important dental wax so you can ward off any brackets that start to rub your cheek). Keep your special cleaning tools at the ready so you can brush, floss, and meticulously tidy your braces after meals.
Follow the Rules
You can take a vacation from life, but you can’t take a vacation from your braces. Be prepared to do all the things you already do for your braces, just in a different location. That means if you wear Invisalign you still need to keep the aligners in your mouth for 22 hours a day. If you have brackets and wires you still need to watch what you eat and clean them carefully. If you want to enjoy your vacation, you’ll keep up with caring for your braces. The last thing you want is an orthodontic emergency when you’re on the road.
Schedule an Appointment
If you’re taking a long trip and will be away for a while, schedule an appointment with your Woodinville orthodontist even if it isn’t quite time for a check-up. Get travel survival tips, recommendations, and answers to questions like:
- What do I do if I lose an Invisalign aligner? Can I just pop in the next set of aligners?
- Can I keep wearing the current Invisalign I have in or do I need to take the next set with me?
- What if a bracket pops off?
- What if wax doesn’t help?
- Should I seek out a local orthodontist for help if I have an orthodontic emergency far from home (especially in another country)?
You and Your Braces Can Enjoy Vacay
Just remember that neglecting your braces because you want to have fun while traveling only delays your progress as an orthodontic patient. Be mindful of what’s next in your treatment plan and whether you can take off on a whim or need to be patient about hitting the road. Learn more from Soleil Orthodontics. Schedule your consultation with orthodontist Dr. Soleil Roberts in Woodinville, Washington, before you vacay.