You May Take a Vacation, But Your Teeth Shouldn't! Don't Forget Your Braces!

School is now out across the nation, and summer vacation has commenced for many students. What better time to take some time to kick back and relax with your family on a summer vacation?

At Mastroianni Orthodontics, we hope that you can get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life with your family this summer, if just for a little bit. Just remember, no matter where you go or what you do, whether it’s camping in your favorite state, soaking up the sun on the east or west coast, or sight-seeing in your favorite city, your teeth are never on vacation!

The first thing to do is to let Dr. Jeff know that you are going away on vacation so that he can make arrangements for your next appointment when you return. You wouldn’t want to miss an appointment for a tightening because you were busy soaking up the sun on a beach in Florida, even if it’s a pretty nice alternative to missing an appointment. Also, make sure to add our office’s phone number (Glen Carbon: (618) 288-0600, Swansea: (618) 622-3377) to your emergency contacts. If a bracket falls off or a wire snaps, be sure to call us immediately!

Secondly, make sure that you bring a kit of braces cleaning supplies for while you are away! The kit should include the following:

·      Toothbrush

·      Proxy Brush (the little thin brush that helps you clean behind the wires of your braces)

·      Floss and Floss Threaders

·      Travel-sized containers of mouthwash and toothpaste

·      Orthodontic Wax

·      Bands (If Required)

·      Pain medicine (Tylenol or Ibuprofen)

The toothbrushes and floss may be common sense recommendations, but you’d be surprised how often those things can get left behind, both at home and in the hotel room!

Make sure to bring plenty of dental wax along. The last thing you want happening is a wire constantly poking you in the mouth during a weeklong outing and not having any wax on hand to cover it up.

On that note, be sure to bring spare bands with you, or pick up some extras from our office if you are running low. If you’ve dealt with bands for any amount of time, you know they sometimes get worn thin and snap, and you don’t want to be far away from home without some backups!

Keep Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or any other over-the-counter painkiller on hand in case your teeth begin to get sore or achy. These dull aches are rare, but they can happen, and you would do well to plan ahead.

Also, don’t forget the travel-sized toothpaste and mouthwash. Many airports won’t allow full-sized bottles of liquids on the plane, and you could find yourself in another country without the proper tools to clean your teeth if you hadn’t planned for this ahead.

Remember to mind what you eat. As always, sticky foods like gum and hard foods like jawbreakers are not recommended as they can cause damage to the brackets and wires of your braces, so avoid those types of foods as best as you can.

Finally, for those of you who have had your braces removed, but are wearing a standard removable retainer, make absolutely sure to keep the retainer with you when you take it out. It’s very easy, and sadly quite common for people to accidentally misplace their retainers, or worse, throw them away as they leave a restaurant. Having to replace retainers can be time-consuming and costly, so it pays to take the effort to prevent any possible mishaps with them.

We hope you all have a safe and fun summer vacation, and spend lots of quality time with your friends and family. Don’t hesitate to take lots of pictures. Dr. Jeff and everyone here at the office would love to see them!