Geriatric Orthodontia! (Second, Uh, Third Adolescence).

Well, I was a bit blithe about how easy it was to care for my trays (and then retainer) when traveling: until last week I didn't have to deal with long trips except by car, for which I have more room in my bags to carry a proper soaking container and cleaning products for the retainer. As long as I can keep the retainer good & wet--rinsing it first--while it's out, it's fine.

But last week I flew to London for 5 days, staying in a hotel and trying to pack lightly & compactly. I've found that if I let the retainer dry out (even after first dipping it into water when I remove it and put it in its slim case) it's really hard to keep it perfectly clean & clear. Worse yet, my saliva is very mineral-y, as was the tap & bottled water at our London hotel--and to my chagrin there are now mineral (looks like calcium or tartar) deposits on the inner molar surface. This is a problem I'd never before encountered. Bought some "orthodontic appliance cleaner" tablets at a Boots, and soaked the retainer with it in a little warm water in a bathroom glass. Got it sparkling clear, but those stubborn deposits remain. When I got home, I ultrasounded it in distilled water--but whether I use those Boots tabs, RetainerBrite, Invisalign crystals or generic Polident, those deposits won't budge. Hope my ortho's heavy-duty ultrasonic machine can dissolve them. Good thing I bought spares.

I saw my ortho for a followup, and he's pleased with my smile & bite. He was surprised at how much I wear the retainer--he said I only need it at night, and he wears his own only a few times a week. I said that if mine is out for 3-4 hrs., it feels tight when I put it back in so I'm wondering if teeth start to regress as soon as you "liberate" them. He says probably, but the retainer reins them back in. I suggested it might be a good idea to have a spare set, and he agreed. So I ordered four, to change out whenever they seem to be a bit too loose, discolor or the molar surfaces feel worn.

They arrived a few days ago, so for spits & giggles I tried one--and it was quite tight, as if it were the next one in a treatment series. So I've gone back to being stricter about wearing my retainer whenever not eating (and removing it surreptitiously if drinking something hot, or even warm, like a cappuccino, then wiping it with a retainer-cleaner towelette)--if I'm out to dinner and more than half an hour from home, I'll go to the restroom and do like I did to clean it & my teeth when I was still under treatment. Tonight I will switch to that first spare, and pop a couple of Tylenol at bedtime like I did whenever I switched trays.

It's so cool that people say I look great. I tell them I've lost almost 45 lbs., and they say, "no, that's not it." I tell them about the Invisaligns, and they're amazed that someone my age (68) would get them--all except a fellow lawyer in the Bar Assn. Show cast...he's 71 and got his at 69!

So the retainer I got is a Vivera clear one--made by Invisalign, but a stiffer thicker less porous plastic than the aligner trays. It's more stain-resistant and durable, and fits my teeth much more snugly than the trays did.

But the downside to that is that it takes two hands to remove it: the same right thumbnail to loosen it from the left lingual (tongue-side) molar side as the aligner; but then grab the loosened end with my LEFT thumb and use the right thumbnail to gradually wiggle it loose, moving towards the center. So much for the ol' "hide-behind-the-napkin-pop-it-out-drop-it-into-the-case" one fell swoop move.

But since I don't have to wait till the last second to remove it and then hit the "out" timer button, I needn't remove it at table. I can remove it in the car (or if walking from home, at home). If you don't have "thumbnails of iron" (ok, four coats of builder gel & no-chip polish) like me, there's a little plastic removal tool called "OrthoKey." It's shorter than a crochet hook but still has a hooked end--at the other end is a circular loop for holding it securely.

That being said, I've been able to pare down my "on-the-go" after-meal care kit. (And carry a smaller & lighter cross-body purse to save my neck & shoulders). What I carry now:

1. Invisalign slim case ($20 on Amazon, if you didn't get one with your aligner--my retainer came in a larger generic plastic case with a name & address label on the back).
2. Collapsible silicone cup
3. OrthoKey (if I don't want to mess up my manicure)
4. Couple of Colgate "Wisp" brushes--which come in their own little packet
5. Pet "toothbrush:" actually a rubber fingertip "cot" with little nubs to keep Kitty from biting your finger off when you try to (hahahaha) brush her teeth per your clueless vet's instructions. This is for cleaning out your retainer while rinsing it under cool running water, without scratching it or getting your finger full of yuck.
6. G.U.M. Proxi-brush
7. Couple of G.U.M. curved flat plastic interdental picks with rubber bristles at the end.
8. Some sort of mirror--either the one on my folding hairbrush; or if I'm carrying just a small comb, a flat mirror. (Necessary only for reinserting the retainer correctly).

#6 & 7 will fit into your Invisalign slimline case along with your retainer. #3 & 5 will fit a snack-size baggie without poking through--the pick at the end of the Wisp (#4) is shielded by the foil shielding the brush in its packet. #2 is flatter and barely bigger than the Invisalign slimline case.

Brushing with toothpaste? Flossing? Mouthwash? As long as you've basically "eliminated the evidence" of your meal, that all can wait till you get home or your hotel room. (I don't wanna think about airplane lavatories).

One more thing: if you are traveling, pack your final aligner tray in your new retainer case (or buy one on Amazon--they're as little as $10 for a six-pack). Fill out the label on the back--if no label, use a Sharpie to write name & contact info on the back. Keep it in your carry-on luggage, or at least packed in your checked bag. If anything happens to your retainer, you can use that final aligner as a temporary retainer till you can have a new one made.