Metal Mouth Message Board

I'm not sure how many frequent flyers have Invisalign. For me, having Invisalign on airplanes is one of the more difficult things I have to deal with.
- Airplane lavatories typically don't have potable water, so I can't brush my teeth there. If I took the time to brush my teeth and clean my aligners,
100 fellow passengers would make me wing-walk when I came out!!
- The air is dry, causing more mouth dryness and discomfort.
- Frequently the seat-belt sign is on or the flight attendents are pushing carts down the aisles for drinks and food (???!), so its not practical to get
up to deal with my aligners.
- On the ground, airport restrooms usually have warm in the sinks.
- There's also all of the TSA rules. When I got my most recent attachments, my ortho gave me an appliance hook that looked like a large crochet needle.
I'm not sure how this would make it through security!! Fortunately, I can remove my aligners with my fingernails although it takes both hands.

To make flying easier -

- I take a small empty water bottle through security and fill it at a water fountain after I'm in the gate area. This is cheaper than buying bottled water,
and there is not always a drink vendor in the gate area.
- I've put together a kit of aligner wipes and hand sanitizer wipes, both individually wrapped so they are easy to pack, and a pack of Colgate Wisps.
- In this, I include a travel toothbrush that I pre-paste before leaving for the airport.
- I also be sure that I have this kit, my retainer case, and spare aligners in my carryon that goes under the seat.
- One problem is trying to discretely remove my aligners since it takes both hands to get them out. I always book a window seat where I can face the
window to remove my aligners. It's not ideal, but better being on the aisle where there is no privacy at all. I'm also becoming more blatent the longer
I'm in treatment!! I get very tired of finding a restroom everytime I want to remove my aligners.
- I use my water bottle to keep my mouth from drying out and to rinse if I drink anything with my aligners in. I have drank sodas, white wine, and beer
flight with my aligners in.
- If I snack, I can use a Wisp if I go to the lavatory and use an aligner wipe to clean my trays. If I stay in my seat, I try to use water to rinse out
any food left until I land.
- I do have a plastic appliance hook that fits in my retainer case, but have never figured out how to use it on my aligners. My attachments are rectangles that are squared at the edges, so I have to pry my aligners straight out to get them unlatched. So far, only fingernails seem to work for this.

On the ground, I clean my teeth and aligners in the airport restroom using cold water from my water bottle.

I have a "wonderful" transcontinental trip coming up in a few weeks. I'll probably have some more war stories and misadventures to add to this experience!!

I did have one question posted about my travel experiences so I started this thread. If there are other frequent fliers out there, it would be great to have your suggestions!

There are two products that can help:

Check out the retainer cleaning spray and the retainer cleaning wipes:

http://www.dentakit.com/clfrgo.html

I personally use the retainer cleaning wipes as they fit easily into my carry-on that goes under the seat. The hand sanitizers come from a local drug store and, with the flu around, can be hard to find. Dentakit also has a small plastic appliance hook that fits into a retainer case if you need one. TSA won't mistake it for a lethal weapon. When my ortho handed me a large metal appliance hook, I asked was it TSA approved - they thought I was joking!

If you are considering sprays or other liquids and are flying in the U.S. remember no container can have over 3 oz of liquid and all liquids have to fit into a single one quart bag (the 3-1-1 rule). TSA's web site http://www.tsa.gov/ has all of the details of what can go through security. Remember that airlines have separate rules as well.

Its also a good idea to keep all of your ortho stuff in your carry-on under the seat. It is really inconvenient to get up for the overhead bin, and on some small commuter planes you may be required to gate check larger items, making items in these bags inaccessable during flight.

Happy flying!!!

I fly a lot, and do a lot of the same things you do.

It was hard in the beginning, when I followed all the rules diligently (floss and brush the second you finish your meal!!) and didn't want to remove my aligners in public.

After a while I got used to pop them out whenever, wherever. I always get the window seat and face the window and I use a napkin to be more discreet. After the meal I rinse with water and pop them back in, and I floss and brush when I get to the airport. If it's a long flight, I'll of course use the lavatory on the plane - but using my own bottled water.

I'm usually on short flights though, so I often do the "invisalign diet" thing: skip the coffee and the snack! It's often easier to eat a nice nutritious meal before take-off and just stick with water on the plane. You need to eat something that keeps you going for hours, lots of protein and slow carbs, no sugar etc. But that's a whole other chapter!

Lots of water, travelkit with toothbrush and paste and hand sanitizer wipes are essential! As always =)

Hi there,
As someone who has clocked up 80 hours in the air in the last month I can fully sympathise with all of this. I have found it to be a monumental pain to keep my Invisalign going correctly, in fact on one 7 hour flight I gave up and removed my aligners until I landed. I have also had 2 small children with me throughout all of these flights which complicated things even more.
One thing that I hadn't realised is that you shouldn't use the water in the toilets to brush your teeth- I thought that was fine and have been doing it regularly.

For my part I brush and floss pre flight and then only brush after eating on the plane. I do this in the toilet after each meal. Several times I have forgotten my toothbrush and had to use the free one in the amenity pack.

I also give my aligners a quick scrub in the toilets with my toothbrush and make sure that I have my aligner case.
I am also a fanatic about alcohol hand gel since the advent of swine flu, but even more so on the plane than anywhere else. My only advice is just to get the small bottles.

Realistically, air travel seems to me to be one of the hardest issues with invisalign. I figure I can only do the best I can and try not to do anything that would actually damage my teeth (i.e wearing my aligners without cleaning my teeth for hours on end) I prefer to not wear my aligners than that.

myhollywoodsmile wrote:
I also give my aligners a quick scrub in the toilets with my toothbrush and make sure that I have my aligner case.

I hope you are using bottled or fresh water to clean your retainers in the airplane bathrooms. In case you didn't know, the water that comes out of the bathroom faucet on an airplane is rife with bacteria. You should not put that water in your mouth, or you could get sick. If you don't believe me, look it up in google! Several news stories have been written about this.

Taking two small children on long flights deserves a medal - Invisalign or not!!! I'm not sure about the water quality on aircraft in other countries or very long haul flights. I do remember on one long flight that everyone lined up at the lavatory to brush their teeth in the morning. However, there are probably issues with keeping the aircraft water tanks sanitized over time and this could result in a visit from one of those nasty water-borne bacteria often known to wreck vacations. Aircraft lavatories in the US are typically posted "Non-Potable Water".

I did a transcontinental trip last week and it wasn't as bad as expected. About half-way through the 5 hour flight I got out my snacks, turned my head towards the window (window seat) and pulled my aligners out. After I finished eating, I rinsed my mouth out with my water bottle (brought in empty and filled up at a water fountain after Security). I put my aligners back in then headed for the first rest room after landing to do a good brushing. While not a perfect solution, it got me through the flight - both directions.

I also allowed myself time between connecting flights to get something to eat on the ground where I had access to restrooms with fresh water and could brush my teeth afterwards. I also do this (even before Invisalign) to avoid airport sprints when the inbound flight is late and to increase the odds of my checked baggage making the connection.

I get to do this all again in November!