As summer rolls around, more and more people make their travel plans and then hit the road. When you’re away from home, it’s easier to slip out of your everyday routine, and you may not be exactly sure what to do if an emergency happens.

At Straight Teeth Orthodontics in Dallas, we want you to be ready to travel with your braces so you’re ready for any emergency that might come up. Here are a few tips on just how to do that:

Get a checkup before you go

If you’re due for an appointment at the orthodontist’s office, make sure you fit it in before you leave town. The idea is to make sure your braces are working well, and to check for any issues that might have the potential to grow, even if they’re small right now. Little problems have a way of becoming big problems, so deal with them sooner rather than later.

Eat right and take care of your teeth

While you’re on your trip, stay away from the foods that typically cause you trouble with your braces. This means food that is crunchy, sticky, chewy, and hard, plus foods like popcorn. You can still find plenty of good food; just make sure it doesn’t affect your braces.

Every time you eat, make sure you stay in your normal routine of brushing and flossing, along with drinking plenty of water to keep your braces clean. Remember that it’s harder to keep your good habits while you’re traveling, so make an effort to keep to your normal routine.

Bring wax to fix broken brackets and wires

If you do eat something hard or sticky, it may break a bracket or wire on your braces. A bracket is the metal piece attached to each tooth, and hard or sticky food sometimes causes it to detach from the tooth. 

If this happens, it may poke your gums or cheek. To relieve any pain or irritation, put some of the special wax you should have from your orthodontist over the bracket. If a wire breaks and is poking you, use a pair of nail clippers to cut it off as close to your teeth as possible. Then you can put a small dab of wax over the end of the wire to protect your mouth.

Look up a local orthodontist

Take a few minutes before you leave to research orthodontists at your destination. Having a qualified, local orthodontist who can help if you experience a true dental emergency offers a peace of mind that you might not otherwise know. If you get a broken bracket or wire that your wax doesn’t soothe, for example, you want to have an orthodontist on call.

If you’re going to be traveling soon, a few minutes of prep time focused on your braces can make all the difference in having a great time or a miserable time. If you have any questions, call Dr. Evans at Straight Teeth Orthodontics today!