Do you have braces and you’re planning to take that last minute vacation before summer ends? Maybe you’re heading to Europe to go backpacking for a few weeks. Maybe you’re heading out to Mexico on a cruise. Maybe you’re just heading out to Joshua Tree to go camping. If you plan on leaving town and you wear braces, it can often seem like it’s going to put a damper on your travel experience.
I Song Orthodontics would like to give some advice to our readers and patients. We threw together a list of items you can take with you and good practices you can incorporate to facilitate the oral health process.
- Toothpick, or travel floss (any portable interdental cleaners)
- Travel toothbrush (usually smaller, more compact, non-electronic)
- A water bottle (for mouth rinsing)
- Orthodontic wax (helps aid protruding wire discomfort)
- Travel mirror (to examine your mouth)
Throw these items in a travel kit, just so they’re all in one, easy-to-locate place. You can also buy pre-made braces kits, but it’s likely cheaper to make one yourself.
Get that Check-up Before You Book Your Flight
If you’re going on vacation or traveling, make sure you visit your dentist for a routine check-up. You should already be doing this twice annually just to make sure that everything is going smoothly with your teeth and gums. We can also identify any oral health problems that might curb your traveling experience.
Dial in Your Diet
Avoiding the following foods which can stress your orthodontics, which you should avoid at all costs when you’re away from home.
- Chewy, sticky, and gummy foods
- Apples and other whole fruits (cut your fruit into smaller portions)
- Bagels and hard rolls (like Dutch crunch)
- Corn on the cob
- Hard candies and cookies
- Hard pretzels, chips, and crackers
- Nuts (even peanuts, almonds, and cashews — opt for sliced, if you must)
If you wear Invisalign, here’s a quick pro tip: bring your previous tray, your current tray, and your next tray. That way if you lose your current tray, you can fall back on the previous one, or move on to the next one. Make sure you contact I Song Orthodontics as soon as you get home.
Follow these tips and you’ll be a globetrotting oral health guru. We hope some of this information is valuable. Have fun and travel safe out there.
