Whenever you’re planning to travel, whether for a night, a week, or two weeks, brace care should be on your mind. As you’re traveling with braces, you’ll want to pack your braces travel kit and follow these other tips to help keep your teeth clean and braces intact and free of problems.
Choose or Create a Braces Travel Kit with All the Essentials
First and foremost, you need to carry a braces travel kit with all the essentials to keep your brackets and wires clean and continue your treatment while on the road. You can technically purchase a pre-made kit, or you may also put one together yourself. In a closable container like a makeup bag or pencil pouch, though a zip-up baggie could work in a pinch, place the following items:
- Travel toothbrush
- Travel-size toothpaste
- Orthodontic floss or floss threaders
- Orthodontic wax
- Extra rubber bands
- Interdental brushes
- Small mirror
Try to Stay on a Routine
When you’re traveling with braces, you should try to stay on a routine. For instance, brush your teeth once in the morning after breakfast, once in the afternoon after lunch, and one last time at night. You may want to add a brushing after snacks.
Wait 15 minutes after you eat before you brush your teeth, giving your saliva time to rinse sugar and debris out of your mouth. Use a soft-bristled brush only so you don’t damage gum tissue or the braces. Always angle your brush at a 45-degree angle and spend around 10 seconds per tooth to thoroughly clean them.
Besides brushing, one of the most important travel tips for braces is to keep up with flossing so you can reach particles stuck between your teeth and around your braces.
Keep Your Orthodontist’s Number Handy
You never know when you might develop a loose bracket, have wires poking into your gums, lose a rubber band, experience moderate to severe pain, or develop any other problems. When you have your orthodontist’s number on hand, you can give them a quick jingle and see if the problem requires a visit soon or can wait until you get home. You might even receive advice on how to manage the issue while you’re away.
Bring Soft Snacks if You Recently Had an Adjustment
On a normal basis, your teeth may not hurt from your braces. However, after you initially receive them and have any adjustments done, you may have some soreness. If you’ve recently gotten them or will have an adjustment performed before you’re leaving on your vacation, bring some soft snacks along, such as bananas, soft granola bars, or yogurt.
Keep Food from Damaging Your Braces or Hurting Your Teeth
Your goal might be to indulge in all types of dishes while you’re out of town, but you should be careful, or you might damage your braces or hurt your teeth. And that’s no way to spend your break.
Ideally, you should cut your food into small pieces so you lessen your chances of breaking your brackets, hurting your teeth, or getting food stuck between your braces. Eating an array of foods you can’t always eat at home is part of the fun of vacation, right? Though you can still enjoy eating a variety of foods, try to eat foods that are on the softer side.
Watch Nervous Habits
As one of the travel tips for braces you might not have through of, don’t forget to bring your special mouthguard for clenching or grinding if you have one. You don’t want to go without your mouthguard, or you could risk bending a wire or breaking a bracket.
Do you have a habit of biting down on ice or pens? You could damage your braces that way. Try to consciously change what you’re doing every time you go to bite down on a pen. Instead, take a sip of water or chew on some sugar-free gum.
When you’re traveling with braces, you need to be prepared if an emergency happens and know the best practices for brace care when you’re on vacation. You should always bring a braces travel kit with you.
It also doesn’t hurt to try to schedule your next visit to Bernstein Orthodontics, with offices in Santa Rosa and Windsor, CA, before your vacation, so you can get your braces inspected and make sure they’re in perfect shape before you leave.
Want more travel tips for braces or to schedule an appointment? Contact us today at 707.575.0600.
FAQs
Whether you’re skimming through or didn’t find the answer to your question in the blog, these FAQs about traveling with braces will address the most commonly asked questions.
Can I fly with braces?
Yes, you can fly with braces. You, however, will want to be prepared and keep your travel kit in your carry-on or personal item so you have what you need if your mouth is sore, a rubber band breaks, or another orthodontic issue occurs.
Can I go through TSA with braces?
If you’ve ever gone through the metal detectors before you board a plane, you know small amounts of metal can trigger the detector. The metal of the braces isn’t one that will interfere when you go through a detector. They won’t affect you at all at the airport.
Can you travel with braces on?
You can travel anywhere you want to with your braces on. They won’t affect your trip, though you should bring your travel kit along as you’re out in case you have soreness or a band breaks.
Should I schedule an orthodontic appointment before I travel?
You don’t necessarily have to, but it wouldn’t hurt to book an appointment right around the time you’re going to travel because you can make sure everything is good with your braces before you leave. You’ll then be more comfortable.
Is it safe to travel long distances with braces?
You shouldn’t have any trouble traveling far distances with braces, especially if you bring your brace kit with you and still keep up with oral hygiene like usual.