Travelling with braces

Before you go

• Book an adjustment shortly before departure so nothing is due mid-trip.
• Tell us how long you will be away. For trips beyond about ten weeks the wire sequence can often be planned around the gap.
• Ask for spare elastics — more than you think you need — and extra wax.
• If you wear a retainer, pack the case. Retainers wrapped in a napkin get thrown out.

The kit

Travel toothbrush, interdental brushes, floss threaders, orthodontic wax, elastics, small mirror, clean nail clippers, and ordinary pain relief. It fits in a sandwich bag and it covers nearly every problem that arises away from home.

If something breaks while away

• Loose bracket still on the wire. Wax over it, carry on, see us on return.
• Poking wire. Push it flat against the tooth with a pencil eraser and cover with wax. If it is genuinely cutting and cannot be tamed, any dentist can trim it — you do not need an orthodontist for that.
• Bracket completely off. Keep it. Not urgent unless it is causing trauma.
• Lost retainer. Call us while away rather than on return, so a replacement is ready when you land.

Send a photo to the clinic if you are unsure. It is usually enough for us to tell you whether it can wait.

Practicalities

Braces do not set off airport security scanners. Altitude changes on a flight do not affect them. Long-haul flights are a good moment to have wax on hand, since dry cabin air makes cheek irritation worse. And in the first week of treatment, plan for softer airline food rather than assuming you will manage whatever arrives.