Traveling Tips for Patients With Braces

Whether you wear braces or your teen or tween does, you might be wondering how you’ll handle a vacation or business trip without compromising that all-important oral care routine?

Keeping up with daily recommended braces maintenance is critical, no matter where you are. Even a short period of neglect could delay your much-anticipated Braces Removal Day!

At Supertooth® Dental Group our team doesn't expect you or your family to put normal life, travel obligations, and fun times on hold just because of braces. Our Bethesda, Gaithersburg, and Germantown, Maryland, team is here to share with you some easy traveling tips for patients with braces.

Wearing braces while you travel doesn’t have to be a pain

Follow these sensible pointers, and your braces will pose absolutely no problem before, during, or after your trip:

Take it to-go

Create a “to-go” care package that has everything you might need for maintaining your mouth while you’re away -- a travel toothbrush, sample-sized toothpaste, floss, and dental wax in case your braces cause any pain. These can be easily carried on a plane, train, or automobile!

Rinse and brush

If you end up at a restaurant, enjoy a cup of ice cream, or indulge in a soda at the pool and you don’t have your “to go” kit, make a beeline for the bathroom and do a quick water rinse to clear your mouth of food bits and sugar. It’s definitely better than nothing and will help keep your mouth clean until you can brush and floss.

Speaking of food, just because you’re on vacation doesn’t mean you should stray and eat forbidden foods. This means no s’mores around the campfire, although a bite or two of chocolate should be OK.

Grab an interdental brush before you go -- it looks like a tiny bottle washer with a brush at the end. This handy tool happens to be great for really getting in the tight spaces in and around your wires and teeth.

Keep it on

If you wear InvisalignⓇ braces, keep wearing them for the number of hours per day advised by your orthodontist -- usually 22.

Bring over-the-counter pain relievers

If you get a tightening right before you go on your trip, it never hurts to keep some over-the-counter pain reliever in your purse or backpack. It’ll help when you’re hit with that familiar pain that says, “Someone messed with my mouth.”

See your orthodontist

Keep your appointments with your orthodontist before and after your trip, just to make sure you’re good-to-go before you leave and that everything’s good once you’re back home.

Just in case, stake out an orthodontist's office or two at your destination and store their contact info in your phone. This way, if one of your brackets breaks or you’re in serious pain, you won’t be scrambling to find an orthodontist nearby.

The key to a trip to remember, with no braces-related discomfort or inconvenience in between, is preparation. With a bit of forethought, you can get to having fun ASAP. Wearing your braces won’t even be on your mind!

We can help you prepare for your trip if you wear braces

Our team here at Supertooth Dental Group  is always here to answer questions about your braces -- whether you’re enjoying a staycation or going to a far-flung locale. We just advise that you heed the rule of the Boy Scouts -- be prepared!

Don’t hesitate to call our office to arrange a pre-trip appointment or request one online via our website. We want your braces to be the last thing you think about while you’re away!