Reviewed by Megan Reznik, DDS, MS
Aligners work on time in the mouth, not on days on the calendar. Twenty to twenty-two hours a day, every day, including the ones spent in an airport or on a rig or at somebody’s wedding. A week of travel does not have to cost you anything, and it usually only does when the trip was not planned for. Ten minutes of preparation covers almost all of it.
Pack a kit, and put it in your carry-on
Small bag, hand luggage, never the checked case. In it: your current aligners in their case, your previous set as a backup, your next set if you change trays while away, a travel toothbrush and toothpaste, floss, a spare case, and chewies if you use them.
Aligners live in the case. Not in a napkin, not on a tray table, not in a pocket. A napkin on a restaurant table is how most aligners get thrown away.
Flights, security and the plane itself
Leave the aligners in. There is no reason to take them out to go through security, and nothing about them needs declaring or handling separately.
On the plane, keep them in and drink water; anything else comes out with the trays. Airline meals are the classic slip: the tray arrives, the aligners come out, and then they stay out for three hours because there is nowhere to brush. Take them out to eat, rinse, and put them straight back in.
Eating out, and cleaning away from home
Same rule as at home, somewhere less convenient: aligners out to eat and to drink anything other than water, mouth rinsed, trays back in. On a long day out, eat fewer, longer meals rather than grazing. Three meals with the trays out for half an hour each costs you an hour and a half; snacking across an afternoon costs you the afternoon.
Time zones matter less than people expect, because the wear requirement is a daily total. Count in the local time you are living in, and if a tray change falls mid-trip, change it whenever suits. The right day matters, not the right hour.
Brush the trays with a soft brush and cool water. Never hot water: heat warps the plastic and a warped aligner does not fit. If you cannot clean them properly, rinse with bottled water and brush at the next opportunity, and do not soak a tray in a hotel glass overnight.
Before a long trip
Mention it at your next appointment rather than the week before you go. If a scheduled visit falls while you are away, the office can usually move it or hand over extra sets so the sequence does not stall.
That conversation matters most for trips longer than a couple of weeks and for anything international, where getting a replacement tray made is not straightforward. It also matters if you are due to change to a new set mid-trip.
If something goes wrong while you are away
Call the office before you improvise. Odessa (432) 333-7105, Midland (432) 682-1222, Monday through Thursday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
If you lose an aligner, whether you go back to the previous set or forward to the next depends on how far into the current tray you were, and guessing costs weeks. If a tray cracks, do not tape or trim it. If an attachment comes off, note which tooth and carry on wearing the tray. And if a scheduled visit will be missed, say so before you leave rather than after you get back.
Some patients can be checked remotely with a scan from a phone, which is worth setting up before a long trip. See technology.
Not in treatment yet?
Dr. Megan Reznik and Dr. Derek Reznik are each a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics, and consultations are free at both offices. The Invisalign page covers how treatment works and who it suits. Request an appointment.