Summer in Barrie means weddings, barbecues, road trips, and long weekends. It also means your Invisalign treatment keeps going, whether you remember to think about it or not. The good news is that you don't have to pause your life, or your snack breaks, to keep your treatment on track. Here's your summer survival guide.
First, if you haven't started Invisalign yet, Park Place Dental has a reason to make July the month you do. More on that at the end of the blog!
Jet-Setting with Your Smile: Travel Tips
Summer travel is one of the most common reasons Invisalign patients fall behind. A disrupted routine, unfamiliar bathrooms, and packed schedules make it easy to lose track of wear time and tray care.
A few things worth doing before you leave:
- Pack a dedicated dental kit. Include your case, a travel toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss. Keep it in your carry-on so it's always within reach. Never pack your current aligners or your dental kit in checked luggage. Lost bags happen, especially during heavy travel periods, and your treatment shouldn't be held hostage at a lost baggage claim.
- Bring your next set of trays. If you extend your trip or damage a tray, having the next set with you keeps your options open. It takes up almost no space and can save you a significant headache.
- Keep track of wear time across time zones. If you're travelling across multiple time zones, clear aligner wear time can slip without you noticing. A simple phone reminder helps keep 22 hours a day on track, regardless of where you are.
Burgers, Bubbles, and BBQs: Tips for Eating Out
Summer eating is social, spontaneous, and rarely happens on a schedule. None of that is a problem for Invisalign as long as you follow one rule consistently.
The Aligner Golden Rule: If It's Not Plain Water, the Trays Come Out
Eating or drinking anything other than water with your aligners in stains the plastic, traps food against your teeth, and can damage the tray. It takes seconds to remove them. Build the habit early in summer, and it becomes automatic.
A couple of practical tips for outdoor eating:
- Designate a spot for your case. Every time you sit down to eat, your case goes in the same place, whether it's your pocket, your bag, or right in front of you on the table. Never wrap your aligners in a napkin at a picnic table. That's a reliable way to throw them out by accident, which is as expensive and inconvenient as it sounds.
- Rinse if you can't brush after eating, and before reinserting your trays. If you're at a barbecue without easy bathroom access, rinse your mouth thoroughly with water and reinsert the trays until you can get to a sink. It's not ideal, but it's better than leaving the trays out while you wait.
Every hour the trays are out during a meal, a drink, or a conversation adds up. Invisalign requires 22 hours of wear per day to move teeth on schedule. Summer is the time of year when the number is most at risk.
Wedding Season and Outdoor Events: Picture-Perfect Compliance
June and July in Barrie mean wedding season, graduation parties, and outdoor concerts. These are exactly the situations where wear time quietly disappears.
A cocktail hour at a wedding is easy to enjoy with your aligners out. The problem is that a cocktail hour becomes two hours of grazing and chatting without you noticing. Set a timer if you need to. Reinserting your trays before you sit down for dinner is a practical checkpoint that keeps wear time on track without requiring much thought.
A few other things worth knowing for outdoor events:
- Never leave your case in a hot car or direct sunlight. The heat of a Barrie summer, particularly in a parked car in July, is enough to warp the plastic and ruin the fit of your trays. Keep your case with you or in a shaded spot.
- You don't need to remove your aligners for photos. One of the great advantages of Invisalign trays is that they are virtually invisible. Whether it's a wedding photo or graduation selfie, most people won't know you're wearing them. Removing your trays for every group photo is an easy way to lose 20 minutes of wear time across a single event.
The 22-hour rule applies every day, including special occasions. One late night with trays out for five hours doesn't derail treatment on its own. but a summer full of them does.
Exclusive Summer Special: Invisalign Day at Park Place Dental
If you've been thinking about starting Invisalign, July 30th is worth putting in your calendar.
Park Place Dental is hosting a special Invisalign event on July 30th. Patients who start treatment at the event receive:
- 0% interest financing
- $0 down payment
- Free in-office teeth whitening (valued at $500)
- Free consultation and 3D digital scan (valued at $350)
- Free Vivera retainers (valued at $850)
Full details and booking are available on the Park Place Dental specials page. Spots for the event are limited, so booking early is recommended.
Starting Invisalign in July means your treatment is well underway before the next summer season arrives, so this special event makes it one of the more practical times to begin.
Ready for a straighter smile? Call Park Place Dental in Barrie to ask about clear aligner treatment or book your spot for Invisalign Day.
