Are you planning a great summer vacation?
If you have braces, take a few minutes to prepare for an orthodontic emergency before you leave home. Being ready to deal with orthodontic trouble that might arise while on the road can ensure an enjoyable, stress-free trip. The first step to a trouble-free vacation is to follow the rules you follow at home. Avoid foods that can damage your braces. These include:
- Sticky foods like taffy and caramel
- Crunchy foods like corn-on-the-cob, apples, and carrots
- Chewing gum
- Hard foods like pieces of bread, pretzels, and bagels
- Crackers and nuts
Avoiding these foods may also help you avoid the orthodontic mishaps they can cause. Also, consider planning a visit to our office shortly before your vacation. We can make sure that your braces are in tip-top shape before heading out the door. Plan to care for your teeth on vacation as you do at home. This means brushing, flossing, and cleaning your teeth regularly.
When you’re packing, don’t forget to include your:
- Toothbrush
- Bracket brush
- Dental Floss
- Mouthwash and any special toothpaste or rinses that we’ve recommended
- Retainer/removable appliance, case, and adjustment tools (if needed)
- Orthodontic wax
- Aligners (if you use them)
- Orajel or another topical oral pain reliever
- Bands
- Mouthguard
If you’re planning some physical activities while vacationing, consider wearing a mouthguard if a facial injury is even a remote possibility. You can buy mouthguards specific for braces at your local dentist near you. If you use invisible aligners, bring your previous and next set along for the ride. If you lose or break the active aligner, you can use the old or next to one in its place.
Dealing with emergencies
The good news is that you’re not likely to encounter too many genuine orthodontic emergencies. You can usually come up with a temporary hack for broken brackets, misbehaving wires, and lost pieces or parts. Once you return, we can help you get your treatment back on track. So how should you deal with problems that might arise while on vacation?
Irritations.
Treat an irritation the same way you would at home. Use a piece of orthodontic wax to cover orthodontic hardware irritating your cheek or lip. Before applying the orthodontic wax, dry the area off. This will help the wax make a better seal. You can also use a warm salt-water rinse to help soothe and clean the irritated area. A topical oral anesthetic can ease the pain of eating and brushing until the irritation heals. When you return, make an appointment so we can examine the problem area.
Wire problems.
Sometimes, the archwire slides along the brackets, leaving a long tail on one side of your mouth. You can slide the wire back in position using a pencil eraser. If you can’t get the wire to move, you can use the eraser to flatten the end of the wire against your teeth. When you return, make an appointment dentist in Torrance, and we’ll adjust the wire to its proper position.
Loose/lost bands.
If the band around your back teeth loosens, don’t worry about it unless it’s causing problems while you eat. If you must remove the band, use a clean pair of nail clippers or a small wire cutter to cut the band loose. Trim the wire flush with the next bracket in line.
Other orthodontic mishaps
Broken brackets. Everyone breaks a bracket now and then because they didn’t avoid the foods on the no-fly list. If a bracket pops off a tooth, you can remove it from the wire and keep rolling. Make an appointment with us when you return, and we’ll replace it. It’s best to make a special appointment for a bracket repair since adding a bracket may take more time than we usually allow for a standard revisit. Loose/lost ligature. The ligatures are the sometimes-colorful bands we put around a bracket. If one comes loose and you still have it, put it back in place. If you’ve lost it, don’t sweat it!
Lost retainer/appliance.
The best way to avoid losing your retainer or appliance is to put it in its case when it isn’t on duty! Don’t wrap it in a napkin! If you have to put it in something other than its case, seek out a disposable paper or Styrofoam cup or bowl with a lid and store it there. Could you not make it look like table trash? If you do lose or break your retainer or appliance.
We’re also here to help!
Call us at (424)551-5027 during office hours to ask questions or get help.