How to Travel With a Retainer or Aligners

More retainers are lost on trips than almost anywhere else. They get wrapped in napkins at restaurants, left in hotel bathrooms, or crushed at the bottom of a bag. A little planning avoids most of it.

Before you leave

• Pack the case. Always. If you have a spare case, pack that too.
• Pack cleaning supplies. A soft travel toothbrush and a few of our retainer cleaner tablets take almost no space. Tablets are the easiest way to deep clean on the road.
• If you wear aligners, bring your current set and the next set in case you move to the next stage during the trip.
• Ask your orthodontist what to do if a retainer is lost or broken while you are away.

While you travel

Keep the case in the same pocket of the same bag every time, so putting the retainer away becomes automatic. At meals, the retainer goes into the case, never onto the table or into a napkin.

Rinse the retainer with bottled or tap water after wearing it, and brush it once a day. Every couple of days, dissolve a tablet in a hotel cup and soak the retainer while you get ready.

On the plane

Cabin air is dry. Keep the retainer in your mouth or in the case, not loose. If you take it out to eat, put it away before the tray table comes down.

When you get home

Give the retainer a full deep clean. A few minutes in an ultrasonic retainer cleaner removes whatever built up during the trip, and the case deserves a wash too.

This article is general care information and is not medical advice. Follow the instructions from your dentist, orthodontist or the maker of your appliance.