Planning on Traveling with Invisalign? Me too.
Like you, I live to travel. I’ve built my entire life around being able to see the world as I please, and it’s not something I want to give up.
But I do, also, have to take care of my body and my health at the same time. I recently got Invisalign, and I’ve been learning in the process what traveling with Invisalign will be like. So here goes!
Why I Got Invisalign
After I turned 30, I started to notice my teeth were majorly shifting apart — there were huge gaps in my bottom teeth where previously they had been completely straight, and over time, it started to bother me more and more because you can see them when I talk or am on video. It got to the point that my mother would look at me and go “whoa.”
So I decided to get Invisalign, also known as clear braces, although there are alternatives you can compare like Byte vs Smile Direct Club.
I’m currently on my second tray and am figuring out how to incorporate the high-maintenance of having Invisalign with traveling.
Invisalign (and many of the popular Invisalign alternatives) is kind of a pain: you have to keep the trays in for 22 hours a day, removing them only to eat. But after you remove them, you then have to brush, floss, and brush your trays before you put them back in. So you need access to clean water, as well as a travel kit to take everywhere.
Here are the products I use for Invisalign and the things I think everyone considering traveling with Invisalign should know about!
Best Products for Traveling with Invisalign
First and foremost, you need a little travel kit that contains:
- Toothbrush
- Travel size toothpaste
- Floss or floss picks
- Travel-sized mouthwash (we recommend buying large bottle and pouring into small bottle)
- Smartie retainer remover (a lifesaver when you don’t want to stick your dirty hands all the way in your mouth)
- Aligner chewies to get them back into place
You will go through a LOT of mouthwash when you have Invisalign. When you’re traveling, and you can’t always know for sure if you have clean drinking water to brush, floss and rinse with. So in a pinch, I use mouthwash after meals, and then just do a more thorough brush when I get back to my hotel.
Make a little kit using a cute small bag either from Epsy, or something small and long like this (which you can get on Amazon).
In addition, you should always ALWAYS have your retainer case with you. When you take them out, immediately place them in the case and NOT on a napkin or other surface where you might forget/ throw them out. If you don’t have your trays while traveling, you might end up adding time to your treatment. And no one wants that!
Other Products for Invisalign that I use at Home
Denture cleaner. I know! It sounds awful! But they will help to keep your retainers clear and not cloudy.
Retainer bath: great for when you need a place to soak your trays
Invisalign is a commitment that changes your lifestyle and affects a whole lot of things. But it doesn’t have to interfere with your travels! I hope you enjoyed this list of products I use while traveling with Invisalign.
Have I missed anything? Do you have Invisalign? Tell me about your favorite products below!
*** This post contains affiliate links to Amazon products that I actually use. Buy via these links and you help keep the lights on here for many generations of women travelers to come.**
2 Comments
I recently streamlined my kit. I carry small-ish crossbody purses (small to avoid neck & shoulder strain, cross-body for hands-free security). So zipper cases like the one you show won’t do (unless I want to leave my phone, inhaler, Tylenol, Tums, folding hairbrush/mirror, keys, earbuds, wallet, RFID-proof credit card case and assorted sample sizes of essential touch-up makeup home. Nope).
Until today I wore aligners. Now I have a retainer (and though I need to wear it most of the time, I needn’t obsess about wearing it 20-22 hrs. a day like I did the aligners). I can actually wait till I get home from a restaurant to clean, brush & floss. Here are three absolute essentials, whether for aligners or retainers:
1. Case. Ideally a slimline one that is watertight (you want to put your appliance in wet).
2. Mirror. Mine is part of a folding hairbrush (does double duty).
3. Collapsible drinking cup. Mine’s silicone, the diameter of a tennis ball, and collapses to 1/4″ thick, lid included. Last thing you want to have to do is use your hand to slurp up sink water in a public restroom. I generally fill mine with water from my drinking glass at the table, put the lid back on, and bring it into the restroom with me. No room in that purse for a water bottle (I keep one in the car, though).
Now, for the aligners (assuming a large enough purse):
1. Ziploc sandwich or snack bags instead of those cosmetic cases. Double up for strength, especially for the pointy things (see below). The bag should contain:
2. Travel toothbrush (the kind whose cover doubles as its handle).
3. Travel size toothpaste, the smaller the better. (If you fly internationally, you likely have a stash of these–and hotels will provide them free if you tell them you left yours home).
4. Floss picks or proxi-brushes. Less messy & awkward than actual floss.
5. (Optional) Infant/toddler toothbrush or even small “concealer” brush for brushing out your appliance without scratching it as you rinse it. In a pinch, you can (yuck) use your fingers.
Now that I have a retainer, and I needn’t obsess as much about fully brushing & flossing in a restroom immediately after a meal, but can wait till I get home to do the “full monty:”
1. Colgate Wisp toothbrushes. Tiny, disposable, pre-pasted, soft silicone bristles, with a pick on the end. Hard to find in stores now (used to be in the travel-size aisle) but very inexpensive in bulk at Amazon.
2. Flat “brush-picks.” They’re plastic, curved, with a rubber-bristled pointy end. Also disposable.
3. Maybe a floss-pick or two.
The latter two fit in my retainer case–with room for the retainer! Use a snack-size baggie for the Wisps.
I can’t take my Invisalign out without Smartie Retainer Remover. Total life saver. I tried all the plastic removers and they were not strong enough to remove my super tight trays, so I invented Smartie Retainer Remover