On holiday with braces or aligners: the holiday check

Quick answer: Going on holiday with braces or aligners is perfectly fine. Plan a check-up two to three weeks before departure, put a small brace kit in your hand luggage (wax, elastics, interdental brushes, aligner case; with aligners also your next and previous set) and put our number in your phone. A loose bracket is rarely an emergency: with wax you almost always get through the holiday.

Tickets booked, accommodation sorted, suitcase half packed, and then you think: oh yes, the braces. Good news: braces or aligners are no reason to plan your holiday any differently. Swimming, sun, sea, a long flight: it is all allowed. The only difference between "not having to worry about it" and "searching for a dentist at a campsite" is half an hour of preparation.

That is why, at our practice on the Museumplein in Amsterdam, we do the same holiday check every summer. Below you get it in full: what you arrange before departure, what belongs in your hand luggage and what you do if something does come loose along the way. Spoiler: hardly ever anything exciting.

The most important step is not in your suitcase, but in your diary. Are you going away for more than a week or two this summer? Then plan your check-up two to three weeks before departure. Then we can:

• fix anything that is a little loose: what "can wait a bit" at home is not something you want to feel on day two of your holiday;
• top up your supplies: extra elastics, wax and possibly spare parts;
• answer your questions, so you know what you can solve yourself along the way.

Do you wear aligners such as Invisalign? Then check whether you have enough sets for the whole holiday, plus a spare. If you are away longer, we adjust your switching schedule to match.

And do not wait until the end of June to call: the weeks before the summer holiday are the busiest of our calendar every year.

Small box or pouch, and it goes in your hand luggage, not in your checked suitcase, which can get lost while your mouth simply flies along.

With a fixed brace:

• orthodontic wax (the most important item on the whole list)
• elastics (bring more than you think you need)
• interdental brushes
• travel toothbrush and mini toothpaste
• a small mirror for applying wax

With aligners:

• your current set and your next set, both in your hand luggage
• your previous set as a spare: it keeps your teeth in place if your current set gets lost
• two cases: one at your holiday address, one for your day bag
• travel toothbrush for after eating

Always, even if your treatment is already finished:

• your retainer plus case (a few weeks without a retainer is enough to let your teeth shift noticeably)
• our phone number in your phone: 020 723 52 22

Want to know more about your retainer? Read on at retainers and splints.

First the reassuring part: a part that has come loose is almost never an emergency. Your treatment suffers no harm from one bracket that is loose for two weeks.

Loose bracket or band? Leave it in place if it is still attached to the wire, cover it with wax, take a photo and send us a message. When you get back we simply fix it again. Do not pull at it, do not glue it yourself.

Poking wire? Wax on it first, that is what it is in your kit for. Still painful despite the wax? Then, as an emergency solution, you may clip off the very tip with a cleaned nail clipper. Let us know afterwards.

When do you actually look for a local dentist or orthodontist? With persistent, increasing pain, a swollen cheek or another sign of infection, or after a fall or blow to your mouth. Your hotel, campsite or local GP can almost always point you to an address. And when in doubt: message or call us from your holiday address, taking a look at a photo costs us two minutes.

1. Never in a napkin. An aligner in a napkin on the beach or the restaurant table is loss cause number one: it gets cleared away before you realise it. Out of your mouth means: in the case. Always.
2. Not in the heat. An aligner or retainer on the dashboard or in a hot car can deform, and a deformed aligner no longer fits. Keep it in the case, in the shade.
3. Clean with lukewarm water. Hot water deforms the plastic, so lukewarm water and a soft brush is enough. In destinations where you do not drink the tap water, use bottled water: what is not allowed in your glass is not allowed over your aligner either.

If you fly to another time zone, one simple rule of thumb applies: count hours, not clock times. Your aligners need to be in about 22 hours a day, and that is exactly the same in Bangkok as in Amsterdam. Just shift your rhythm gently along with the local time. If you switch to a new set, do it in the evening: that way you sleep through the first, tightest hours.

The same rhythm applies to elastics: link the switching to a fixed moment that exists on holiday too (brushing your teeth, for example) and you are always fine.

With a fixed brace the same rules apply on holiday as at home, only the temptations are a little closer by:

• Hard and crunchy: a well-baked baguette crust, nuts and chewing on ice cubes are the classic bracket-breakers. Break the baguette into pieces and eat it from the inside out.
• Sticky: caramel, toffees and dried southern fruits such as dates and figs stick to your brackets.
• Ice cream is fine. Scoop it, lick it, but do not bite on rock-hard frozen ice.
• Acid and sugar: soft drinks, slush and sports drinks are acidic sugar bombs. Drink water alongside or rinse briefly afterwards. Plenty of water is the best thing for your mouth in the heat anyway.

And then the questions we get every June: yes, swimming is fine: chlorinated water and sea water do nothing to your brace. No, your brace does not rust from salt water and does not get scorching hot in the sun. Only your aligners belong in the case while swimming, not in a napkin on your towel.

Our practice is in central Amsterdam, within walking distance of the Museumplein. In the weeks before summer we deliberately set aside room for holiday checks, so everyone can leave with peace of mind. What you can expect from us:

• The holiday check as a fixed part. Tell us when you leave and we adjust your check-up, supplies and switching schedule to match.
• Reachable, even when you are far away. In doubt at your holiday address? Send a photo and we think along from a distance.
• Quickly seen after summer. We repair a loose bracket shortly after your return, without delay for your treatment.
• Easily reachable from all over Amsterdam. By tram, bike or car, also for that one quick visit just before departure.

Curious which treatment suits you, or want to schedule your check-up before the holiday? View our treatments or get in touch.

Do I still need to see the orthodontist before my holiday?

With a fixed brace that is wise, certainly if you are going away for more than two weeks. Two to three weeks before departure is ideal: then we fix loose parts and give you wax and elastics. With aligners the check is mainly: do you have enough sets plus a spare for the whole holiday?

What do I do if a bracket comes loose on holiday?

Usually nothing exciting. Cover it with wax, take a photo and send us a message. A loose bracket is hardly ever an emergency; when you get back we fix it again. Only with persistent pain, infection or a blow to your mouth do you look for a local dentist.

Can I swim with braces or aligners?

Yes, without restrictions. Chlorinated and sea water do not damage your brace. If you take your aligners out to swim, put them in the case, never in a napkin, because that is how most aligners get lost.

How do I handle my aligners in another time zone?

Count hours instead of clock times: about 22 hours of wear time a day, wherever you are. Shift your rhythm gently along and switch to a new set in the evening.

My retainer is lost or broken on holiday: what now?

Message or call us straight away, then we decide together whether it can wait until your return. If you have your previous aligner set with you, wear it at night as a temporary replacement. In any case, do not wait weeks without anything: teeth shift back faster than you think.

Holiday booked and want to come by before departure? Contact our practice in Amsterdam. Then the holiday check goes straight into the diary.