The end of the year often involves traveling to see family and friends or making plans for next year’s vacation sites. Along with taking trips away from home comes the planning and packing process. If you have Invisalign, you have one extra item on your list of essentials to make sure you don’t forget. Keep reading to learn a few ways you can help make traveling with Invisalign easier.
Tips for Traveling with Invisalign
Being in unfamiliar settings can often throw off your routine. It might mean you place your Invisalign trays in a strange spot, or perhaps someone in your shared space moves them. There are a multitude of possibilities that can happen while traveling with Invisalign, so check out these tips that can help you focus on enjoying your holiday rather than fussing with aligners:
Keep Up with Your Normal Oral Hygiene and Cleaning Routine
One of the best ways to maintain normalcy in a different environment or on a different schedule, is to keep up with your regular routine. If you typically take your aligners out at a certain time of day to clean them, try to be diligent about doing so even while you’re away from home. Also make sure that you are placing them in a safe spot, out of the reach of pets or children. It can also be easy to fall out of the habit of the mandatory 22 hours of wear time, but make sure you’re still taking care to wear your trays as long as recommended so that the treatment time is not extended.
Pack Extra Aligners
You never know what might happen, so it’s always good to have an extra set of aligners. If something happens to one of your trays while you’re out of town, your dentist won’t be able to see you right away for a quick replacement. Make sure to ask for an extra set before you leave so that you can be prepared for any possible circumstance that may arise.
Be Mindful of the Tap Water
If you are traveling internationally, there are some countries where it is not advisable or safe to drink the tap water. If this is the case where you are going, make sure to have purified water to rinse your aligners with to keep from getting ill.
Tell Your Dentist About Your Travel Plans
Although your dentist can’t be with you on your trip to fix any issues that may arise with your aligners, letting them know that you’re going to be traveling with your Invisalign trays is still a good idea. They may have some additional suggestions that you hadn’t thought of that can help make the process smoother for you.
Even with Invisalign, you deserve to enjoy your time away from home without having to be concerned about losing or damaging your aligners. Talk to you dentist about how you can best take care of them while you’re traveling.
About the Practice
The team of expert Dentists at Oakbrook Dental & Orthodontics looks forward to helping patients achieve straighter smiles. It is their priority to make sure everyone they treat has the knowledge and tools to get the most out of their investment in Invisalign. If you’re ready to talk about straightening your smile, schedule a consultation online or call (469) 526-4040.