Braces Care on Vacation

Summer has finally arrived and with it comes family vacations to a variety of different places! However, if this is your first summer with braces, you may not know how to take care of your braces while on vacation. Vacationing with braces is not complicated, but it does require a few additional steps to ensure that your braces care doesn’t also take a vacation. Listed below is brief guide to maintaining braces care while on vacation.

Pack All the Required Supplies

The first step to having a successful vacation is packing the correct essentials for the trip. The same goes for your braces. A big part of maintaining braces care is making sure you have all the essential supplies to do so. In addition the packing the usual toothbrush and toothpaste, you will also want to pack floss picks, mouthwash, orthodontic wax, extra elastics or rubber bands (if needed), over the counter painkillers, and a small mirror. Although this may seem like a long list of supplies, you will be grateful you have everything on this list if you happen to need it.

Eat the Right Foods

While on vacation, you will also want to be sure to eat the right foods, specifically those that will not do damage to your braces. While out and about, avoid foods such as: nuts, hard candies, corn on the cob, chewy or sticky candies, pretzels, bagels, ice, and hard fruits that have not been cut into smaller pieces. You do not want to risk breaking a bracket when you are away from home, so take care when making food choices.

Keep Up Your Oral Hygiene Routine

You will need to make time during your vacation to continue to brush twice a day and floss once a day. You will also want to rinse your mouth with mouthwash after every snack to ensure that large food particles are removed and brush to remove smaller particles that get stuck around brackets. Even while on vacation,it is important to keep your teeth as clean as possible to avoid developing cavities. While it may be tempting to skip these steps to save time, remember they don’t take too much time and can prevent serious oral consequences.

Make a Pre-Vacation Appointment

Before leaving on vacation, schedule a pre-vacation appointment with Dr. Hoang so he can double check that all your brackets and wires are in the appropriate place. This will reduce the chances of complications occurring during your vacation. It also allows you to stock up on any braces supplies you may be running low on. Pre-vacation appointments are especially important if your vacation lasts for an extended period of time. Depending on the stage of your treatment and the length of your trip, certain adjustments may need to be made before you leave to keep your teeth progressing correctly.

Getting ready for an exciting summer vacation? Schedule your pre-vacation appointment with Dr. Hoang today and we’ll make sure you have everything you need!