As a full-time travel writer, I was really anxious about traveling with Invisalign when I first started my treatment. I didn’t want my trips to impact my treatment, but I also didn’t want my treatment to impact my travel experiences. Thankfully, I made it work, but there were plenty of awkward experiences along the way.
This guide will show you how I personally handled this challenge and provide you with some of the most helpful tips I acquired over my 2.5 years of traveling with Invisalign. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. You should definitely listen to your own orthodontist’s and dentist’s advice above all. I’m only relaying my personal experiences and opinions here. This post is also geared towards adult Invisalign wearers, hence all the talk about alcohol, just making sure that’s clear.
My experience with Invisalign
Everyone’s experience with Invisalign will be different; everyone’s treatment will be unique and will last as long as your individual needs and plan requires. Personally, my Invisalign treatment lasted 2.5 years – from December 2022 to June 2025.
Before I started my treatment, my orthodontist estimated that it would take about 18 months for me to finish. (What a dream that would’ve been!) My treated lasted almost twice that, for a variety of reasons, but how often I travel (and how long my trips were) absolutely played a big part in that extension. (Which I’ll get to in a minute.)
My personal thoughts on Invisalign are that it has been some of the best money I’ve ever spent. (Along with LASIK surgery and laser hair removal, in case you’re curious.) I’d had crooked teeth my entire life and it was always something I was self-conscious about. I’m actually shocked at the results and especially how fast they were achieved. (Most of the big movements happened in the first few months.)
And honestly, having Invisalign wasn’t that bad at all. Like, barely even an inconvenience. I was worried about it totally disrupting my lifestyle, but that wasn’t the case at all. No one could even tell I had them in (even with all my attachments) and they don’t show up in my photos. Really, I can’t recommend Invisalign enough if you’re considering it.
Also read: 9 Random Things Under $15 That Make My Trips So Much Easier
Traveling with Invisalign
As a full-time travel writer and part-time tour guide, I traveled a lot during my Invisalign treatment. During those 2.5 years, I visited 20 countries (some of them multiple times). Looking back at my calendar, I actually spent more than 9 months of those 2.5 years on the road.
When I first started my treatment, I was anxious about traveling with Invisalign for two main reasons:
Over time, those fears disappeared as I gradually figured out how to make it all work in a way that wouldn’t deprive me of valuable cultural experiences or my treatment plan. The trick: trial and error.
In the beginning
At the beginning of my treatment plan, I was super strict about all of it. The orthodontists really drill into you the importance of following Invisalign protocol. You must wear your trays for 22 hours a day! You must brush and floss every time before you put your trays back in!
At the beginning of traveling with Invisalign, I followed all the rules religiously. I was brushing my teeth constantly if I had to take my trays out–in restaurant restrooms, in airplane stalls (with bottled water), anywhere. I’d literally start a timer every time I took my trays out to make sure I didn’t have them out for more than 2 hours a day total.
I remember freaking out to my therapist because I didn’t know how I was going to survive Oktoberfest if I had to wear my trays for 22 hours a day. She was the first to tell me: “Yeahhh… it’s not that serious. Chill out.” And she was right.
Once I figured it out
It wasn’t long before I started playing it fast and loose with the rules of dental hygiene. I’m not exactly proud of that fact, but I, like all of us, am just doing my best. In the beginning, I would lock myself in restaurant or airport “family” stalls just to have privacy as I took out my Invisalign trays before eating. By the end, I’d just pop them out anywhere in front of anyone. I did. not. care. (And you know what? Neither does anyone else!)
I used to brush my teeth after eating or snacking, regardless of where I was. By the end, I’d just swish with some water and pop them back in. (Because a lot of time when you’re traveling with Invisalign, you literally just can’t brush them. Like while hiking the Inca Trail, or in a remote village in the Sahara Desert.)
How that worked out
For the most part, everything was fine. I’d been worried about getting cavities because I’d read that Invisalign users are more prone to tooth decay during their treatment. My first year and half went splendidly. But then I went to Poland where my friend Amanda and I basically lived off Coca-Cola and Oreos during our two-week road trip.
Upon returning from two weeks of consuming an unholy amount of Coke and Oreos, I had a dentist appointment.
Anyway, that one’s on me. I really do recommend brushing as often as possible before putting your trays back in. I’d just gotten a little too comfortable/lazy after two years of treatment.
What’s crazy is that I didn’t even get a cavity after I had to spend three whole nights in the Amazon jungle without a toothbrush and therefore unable to brush my teeth. For three whole days.
The times I didn’t wear them
As time went on, I gave myself more and more leniency as to how long I needed to wear them per day. I still aimed for around 20 hours, but I didn’t keep time anymore. For some activities, I just gave myself a full pass. When that happened, I’d wear that particular tray for an extra day or two to make up for it. Here are some examples of when I took my Invisalign trays out and just didn’t stress about it:
So I think the lesson here is, traveling with Invisalign is much less of an issue if you don’t drink alcohol. Huh.
Some of my more awkward moments
Some of the more awkward moments I’ve had traveling with Invisalign mostly stem from the generosity you experience from others when visiting their countries. It was usually a situation of someone welcoming me somewhere, handing me a bit of food or drink, and me being unable to turn it down despite the fact that I was wearing my Invisalign trays. How do you explain to someone in a small Moroccan village that you have to remove your teeth first?
Trying the bread in Morocco
While in Chefchaouen, Morocco, we visited a local baker. Well, it was really just the man who operated the town’s oven. He showed us how they make that delicious Moroccan bread, then took a piece out of the oven for us to try. Unable to remove my Invisalign trays as he stared us down, I simply put the bread in my mouth and attempted to chew. (But really, I basically just gummed it until it dissolved.)
Being welcomed to the bratwurst hotel
While checking into the bratwurst hotel in Georgensgmünd, Germany, the owner brought me a welcome snack that consisted of a tiny sandwich with a bratwurst spread and a small beer. Grateful as ever, I thanked him profusely and then put it aside to consume in my room when I got there.
But, being German though he was, he stood there and stared at me, waiting for me to eat it. Rather than try to explain my situation, I put the sandwich in my mouth and gummed at it awkwardly and then washed it down with the tiny beer. I’m sure I had sausage bits in my braces as he showed me to my room.
Not being able to bite things
On a related note was the time I took a food tour in Naples, Italy. Having just switched trays, my front teeth were a bit sensitive and weak. So, even without my trays in, trying to bite down on the rock-hard bruschetta our guide gave us at the start of our tour was virtually impossible. The guide watched as I feverishly tried to bite through the thick crusty bread and simply… couldn’t. Who knows what he thought about that.
Also check out: 21 Essential Travel Safety Items
You may need to wear them for a bit longer
If you travel a lot, there’s a good chance your estimated treatment time will go longer than anticipated. Some of this was due to having to wear certain trays for longer if I’d gone a day without wearing it the full 22 hours.
Some of it was also due to the fact that I took several extended trips–anywhere from two to six weeks at a time. This usually coincided with when I was due for a fresh scan and new trays. So, there were several times when I had to wear one tray for a whole month until I could get home and get scanned. And then it was another four weeks or so until the new ones came in.
This happened several times during my treatment, which caused tons of delays and why I ended up having my Invisalign for a whole 2.5 years. Regardless, I wouldn’t trade those experiences for anything. You will eventually finish your treatment. It’s a marathon, y’all.
Tips for traveling with Invisalign
Here are a few of the most helpful things I learned over the years of traveling with Invisalign.
1. Be fine with loosening up
Do what you can with following all the Invisalign rules to the letter, but learn to be comfortable with breaking them sometimes. It’s okay to fall off the Invisalign wagon for a little bit as long as you get back on when you can.
It’s not the end of the world if you can’t wear your trays for 22 hours a day. You will finish your treatment, even if it takes a week (or however) longer. Finishing “on time” isn’t worth missing out on so many awesome activities while you’re traveling.
2. Prepare a small Invisalign kit to take with you
Something I did almost immediately was pack up a small Invisalign travel kit to throw in my purse or carryon. You can use something like a small pencil case, and be sure it includes everything you’ll need like:
- Small toothbrush – Something like this that folds up is great.
- Small toothpaste
- Dental floss or floss picks
- Dental wax if you need it
- A chewy or two
- Small thing of mouthwash
- Your aligner case
- Small thing of ibuprofen (or whatever) in case your aligners tend to cause a little pain
And whether you keep it in your Invisalign travel kit or elsewhere, always have a small thing of hand sanitizer with you for when you need to pop them out at random places.
3. Get an ultrasonic cleaner
For the entirety of my treatment, I simply used my toothbrush to clean my Invisalign trays, but this isn’t ideal. While it did get them clean, this isn’t great for long term use since the abrasive bristles of the toothbrush can damage the trays. I was only wearing my aligners for a week at a time, so I wasn’t too worried about this (and neither was my ortho). Cleaning them this way was also incredibly time consuming though.
But when I got my retainer, I knew I’d have to keep it in tip-top shape for a long time so I finally got an ultrasonic cleaner. And I am so pissed I didn’t do this from day one! These things use sound waves and water only to clean the aligners and it’s quick, effortless, effective, and causes no damage.
But the best part is that it’s small and light enough that I can easily pack it in my suitcase for trips. The Zima Dental Pod (which is what I got) is also dual voltage so I can use it all over Europe without needing a voltage converter (but you’ll still need an outlet adapter obviously).
4. Pack extra trays
Make sure to pack all the trays you’ll need while you’re gone… and then pack an extra one just in case. There’s always a chance you could lose one, damage one, or even get delayed and have to be away from home longer than anticipated.
5. Call your ortho if this happens
If you do happen to lose one of your Invisalign trays, contact your orthodontist immediately to see what they want you to do. They may say to go ahead and move to the next tray, or wear your current one for a bit longer, etc.
6. Write the dates on your trays
One thing that really helped me while traveling with Invisalign was writing the dates on the envelopes of when I was supposed to change them. I don’t know about you, but I tend to lose track of days/dates while I’m traveling, so this helped to keep me on schedule.
7. Set a reminder
Another thing that helped me keep track was setting a weekly reminder in my phone to remind me when it was Invisalign day.
8. Let your ortho know you’re traveling well in advance
Whenever you know you’ll be traveling, let your orthodontist know when you’ll be gone and for how long. They may need to coordinate things for your treatment plan like appointments and scans, when to order new trays, etc. (I had to do this a lot.)
9. Keep your Invisalign case on you at all times!
My ortho taught me early on that my Invisalign trays should always be either in my case or in my face, and I never forgot it.
Never, ever, ever take out your aligners, wrap them in a napkin, and put them in your pocket/purse. (I mean, I know shit happens so go easy on yourself, but just really try not to.) Get in the habit of always taking your Invisalign case with you wherever you go, even if you don’t plan to eat or drink anything. It is so easy to lose your trays if they’re just tossed in your purse or wrapped in a napkin (that can easily be forgotten and thrown away).
I can count on one hand the number of times I had to do this is an emergency over 2.5 years and I was so nervous the whole time.
10. Always pack your Invisalign in your carry on
Don’t let lost or stolen luggage affect your Invisalign treatment! It could be several days (or maybe even never) before you get your luggage back. And if your trays were in there, this could set you back weeks while you wait for new ones to be made.
11. Use your Invisalign as an excuse
Feel free to use your Invisalign treatment to your advantage when you just don’t want to do things. Don’t want to drink one night? Don’t want to try some weird food in a foreign country? Or just afraid to admit that you think Aperol Spritz are totally disgusting but don’t want your friends to judge you? Just say you can’t because you have to wear your Invisalign for 22 hours a day. You’re welcome.
Traveling with an Invisalign retainer
Now that I only have to wear a retainer, traveling with Invisalign is so much simpler. When you get to this point, here are the few things to know:
More info for your upcoming trips
Like this post? Have questions about traveling with Invisalign? Let me know in the comments below. Have a great trip!
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