Brandon Boggan has been practicing orthodontics full-time since 1998. He is the Chief Smile Engineer and the CFO (Chief Fun Officer) at Ortho South in Pelham and Calera, Alabama. His love for people, marketing, and helping other orthodontists grow their practice led him to start a brand and website development and digital marketing company called Onboard Marketing Group. You can find Brandon on LinkedIn, OrthoSouth.com, or OnboardMG.com.
Top 5 Ways to Prepare for Summer with Braces or Aligners
By Dr. Brandon Boggan
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KEY TAKEAWAYS
- A summer smile survival kit with the right essentials makes the difference between a minor inconvenience and a derailed trip.
- Schedule your summer appointments early to lock in your preferred times before they fill with school-out crowds and travel conflicts.
- Hydration matters more for braces and aligner patients than most people realize, especially during Alabama summers when dry mouth can affect both comfort and oral health.
- Cookout foods can be brace-friendly with smart choices, and aligner wearers can enjoy summer eating freely as long as they stay on top of removal and reinsertion habits.
- Mouthguards are essential for summer sports and water activities, preventing the dental injuries that can derail months of orthodontic progress in seconds.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Meet Dr. Boggan and Dr. Z
- Why Summer Calls for Extra Prep
- Way #1: Build Your Summer Smile Survival Kit
- Way #2: Plan Around Travel and Schedule Smart
- Way #3: Hydrate Like Your Smile Depends On It
- Way #4: Master the Cookout: Foods to Embrace and Avoid
- Way #5: Protect Your Smile During Sports and Outdoor Fun
- Why Alabama Families Trust Ortho South
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions
Introduction
It's late May. School is winding down, and your family calendar is starting to fill up with road trips, beach weekends, soccer tournaments, and pool parties. Somewhere between sunscreen and snorkel gear, your child's braces or your own aligners are quietly waiting to come along for the ride. Here's the thing most patients don't realize until they're already mid-summer: orthodontic treatment doesn't pause when school does.
Summer brings a unique combination of factors that can challenge any orthodontic patient. Travel disrupts routines. Pool days create dry mouth. Cookouts tempt with foods that are great for everyone except people in braces. The good news is that none of this has to slow your treatment down or create avoidable problems. A little preparation goes a long way.
At Ortho South , we've helped Alabama families navigate 25 summers (and counting!) of vacations, sports seasons, and family gatherings with braces and aligners in the mix. This guide shares the five most useful ways we've seen patients prep for the season to keep treatment on track and minimize the inevitable summer surprises.
Meet Dr. Boggan and Dr. Z
Dr. Brandon Boggan , our Chief Smile Engineer (and Chief Fun Officer), has led Ortho South in Pelham since 1998. His meticulous attention to detail and decades of experience guide patients through everything from straightforward cases to the most complex.
Dr. Zehra Syed ("Dr. Z") is the heart of our Calera location and works hand-in-hand with Dr. Boggan in Pelham. Her innovative techniques and warm, patient-centered approach make every visit feel personal, even when life gets busy.
As Alabama's most experienced orthodontic provider, we've seen what works and what doesn't in keeping treatment on track during the busy summer months. The tips below come straight from years of helping our families navigate exactly these scenarios.
Why Summer Calls for Extra Prep
Summer is the most disruptive season for orthodontic patients in three predictable ways.
First, routines change. The structured rhythm of the school year (regular meals, scheduled appointments, predictable evenings) gives way to a much looser daily pattern that can affect aligner wear time, brushing habits, and even retainer compliance for newly debonded patients.
Second, travel adds logistical friction. Family vacations can mean missed appointments, lost retainers, broken brackets in places you can't easily get them fixed, and aligner trays left behind at hotels or in pool bags.
Third, summer activities expose teeth to greater impact and dehydration risks than any other season, due to sports practices, water activities, and the simple reality of Alabama heat.
The strategies below address all three categories. None of them require expensive gear or major schedule changes. They just take a little upfront thought.
200,000+
The estimated number of mouth, jaw, and dental injuries that mouthguards prevent in athletes each year, according to the American Dental Association. For orthodontic patients, especially, that protection becomes critical during summer sports and recreation.
Source: American Dental Association, ADA position statements on mouthguards and oral safety
With that foundation, here are the five most practical ways to set yourself or your family up for a successful summer with braces or aligners.
Way #1
Build your kit
Way #2
Schedule smart
Way #3
Hydrate well
Way #4
Master cookouts
Way #5
Protect during sports
Way #1: Build Your Summer Smile Survival Kit
The single highest-impact prep step is assembling a small kit you can take anywhere. It doesn't need to be elaborate. A small zippered pouch with the essentials is enough to handle 90 percent of summer orthodontic situations without a panicked Google search at 11 p.m.
WAY 1 Build Your Summer Smile Survival Kit
What to do:
- Pack orthodontic wax for any bracket or wire that starts to irritate the cheek
- Include a travel-size toothbrush, fluoride toothpaste, and floss threaders (or a water flosser if you have one)
- Add a small mirror for inspecting brackets, wires, or aligner fit after meals
- For aligner wearers: an extra aligner case (clearly labeled), and your previous tray as a backup if a current tray goes missing
- For braces patients: small tweezers (for repositioning a wire that has shifted) and a pencil eraser (clean, used to gently push out a poking wire end if needed)
Why it matters:
When something small goes wrong during a road trip, beach day, or sports tournament, the difference between an annoying problem and a derailed weekend is usually whether you have the right supplies on hand. A 5-minute kit assembly in early summer prevents hours of stress later.
Common mistake to avoid:
Throwing the kit together once and never restocking it. Replenish wax, floss, and any disposable items at the start of each month so they're always ready when you grab the bag.
Way #2: Plan Around Travel and Schedule Smart
Summer is the busiest season for appointment scheduling at most orthodontic practices, including ours. School being out means more flexibility for families, which means our calendar fills up fast. The patients who get their preferred times are the ones who book early and think a season ahead.
WAY 2 Plan Around Travel and Schedule Smart
What to do:
- Map out your summer travel and major activities on a calendar before booking ortho appointments
- Schedule appointments at least 4 to 6 weeks ahead during peak summer months
- If you'll be away for an extended trip (10+ days), let us know so we can plan your aligner sequence or wire adjustments accordingly
- For braces patients: ask about a longer appointment interval if travel makes the usual 4-week schedule tight
- Save our number in your phone and the number of a trusted local emergency dental provider in cities you'll be visiting
Why it matters:
A missed appointment in summer can delay treatment by 4 to 8 weeks because rescheduling into a fully booked schedule is harder than usual. Planning ahead keeps your treatment timeline intact and reduces the stress of last-minute calls.
Common mistake to avoid:
Waiting until the week before summer travel to think about appointments. By then, the convenient times are already booked, and you're choosing between awkward Friday afternoons and rescheduling into late August.
Way #3: Hydrate Like Your Smile Depends On It
Alabama summers are brutal on hydration, and dry mouth is a much bigger issue for orthodontic patients than most people realize. Reduced saliva flow leads to greater plaque accumulation around brackets, increased discomfort with aligners, and a higher risk of bad breath and cavities. Staying ahead of dehydration is one of the easiest wins of the season.
WAY 3 Hydrate Like Your Smile Depends On It
What to do:
- Carry a refillable water bottle everywhere from June through August
- Drink water consistently throughout the day, not just when you feel thirsty
- Limit sugary sports drinks and soft drinks during outdoor activities
- If you're an aligner wearer, sip water freely (it's the only drink you can have with aligners in)
- Notice signs of dry mouth (sticky feeling, bad breath, increased sensitivity) and increase water intake when they show up
Why it matters:
Saliva is your mouth's natural defense against plaque, decay, and irritation. When you're dehydrated, that defense weakens just as orthodontic appliances are creating more places where food and bacteria can hide. Hydration is preventive care.
Common mistake to avoid:
Treating sports drinks, sweet teas, and sodas as hydration. They contain calories, sugars, and acids that increase your risk of decay around brackets and don't actually rehydrate you efficiently. Water remains the gold standard.
Pro Tip: If your aligners feel weirdly uncomfortable on a hot day, the cause is often dehydration rather than a problem with the aligners themselves. Drink a full glass of water and reassess in 15 minutes before assuming there's something wrong.
Need to Book Before Summer Hits?
Our summer calendar fills fast. Whether you're an existing patient lining up your next adjustment or a new patient ready to start treatment, now is the right time to call. Reach our team at 205-664-4140.
→ SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENTWay #4: Master the Cookout: Foods to Embrace and Avoid
Summer is cookout season, which means the food landscape changes. The good news is that most summer cookout foods are fine for orthodontic patients with a few smart adjustments. The not-so-good news is that the worst offenders for braces (sticky candies, hard nuts, popcorn, corn on the cob, hard pretzels) tend to show up at exactly these gatherings.
WAY 4 Master the Cookout: Foods to Embrace and Avoid
What to do:
- For braces: embrace burgers (cut into smaller pieces), boneless grilled chicken, pasta salads, fruit salads, ice cream, and watermelon
- For braces: avoid corn on the cob (cut kernels off the cob first), hard pretzels, popcorn, sticky candy, ribs with bones, and ice for chewing
- For aligners: enjoy everything, but always remove aligners before eating or drinking anything other than water
- For aligners: bring your case to every cookout (a missing case usually leads to a missing tray)
- For both: brush or at least rinse with water after meals before putting aligners back in or going back to your day
Why it matters:
Summer foods that don't play well with braces can cause broken brackets, bent wires, or trapped food, which can create discomfort and increase the risk of decay. A little awareness at the cookout prevents the emergency appointment the next morning.
Common mistake to avoid:
Wrapping aligners in a napkin at the table. Approximately 80 percent of lost aligner stories begin with a napkin and end in a trash can. Always use the case.
Way #5: Protect Your Smile During Sports and Outdoor Fun
Summer sports and outdoor activities are some of the best parts of the season, but they also produce more dental injuries than any other time of year. A mouthguard is the single best protection an orthodontic patient can have during any activity with risk of impact. The American Dental Association estimates that mouthguards prevent more than 200,000 dental and jaw injuries every year, and the protection is even more critical when you have appliances in your mouth.
WAY 5 Protect Your Smile During Sports and Outdoor Fun
What to do:
- Wear an orthodontic mouthguard for any sport or activity with risk of facial impact, including non-contact sports like skateboarding, biking, and water skiing
- Use a mouthguard specifically designed for braces (standard boil-and-bite versions don't fit well over brackets and may even damage them)
- For aligner wearers: remove your aligners before sports and store them safely in their case (a clear aligner is hard to find on a grass field after a fall)
- Wear a mouthguard even during practice, not just during games. The majority of sports-related dental injuries happen during informal play, not competition
- Keep a backup mouthguard in your sports bag in case the primary one gets lost or damaged
Why it matters:
Months or years of orthodontic progress can be lost in seconds during a sports injury. A properly fitted mouthguard is cheap insurance against a serious setback that could mean broken brackets, lost teeth, or jaw injuries that complicate ongoing treatment.
Common mistake to avoid:
Skipping the mouthguard for low-contact summer activities. A jet-ski wipeout, a tumble off a bike, or even an accidental elbow during pool basketball can produce the same dental injury as a contact sport. Wear it when there's any meaningful risk.
Honest Truth: We have seen many patients lose months of treatment progress to a single summer injury that could have been prevented with a mouthguard. We will gladly make you a custom orthodontic mouthguard at any visit if you need one. Ask at your next appointment.
Why Alabama Families Trust Ortho South
Across more than 25 years, Ortho South has built a reputation across Alabama for the kind of orthodontic care that fits real families and real lives. Here's why so many of our neighbors in Pelham, Calera, Helena, Alabaster, Oak Mountain, Hoover, and Birmingham choose us for their smile journey.
A practice led by experienced specialists: Dr. Brandon Boggan has been practicing orthodontics full-time since 1998, joined by Dr. Z who brings her own deep expertise and patient-first approach
Alabama's Most Experienced Aligner Provider: decades of clinical experience with Invisalign and other clear aligner systems, including our latest innovation, SHIFT Aligners™
Two convenient Alabama locations: Pelham serving greater Birmingham, and Calera serving the southern Shelby County area
Treatment for every age and need: traditional braces (metal and ceramic), Invisalign® , SHIFT Aligners™ , and advanced orthodontic appliances for children, teens, and adults
State-of-the-art technology: digital scanning, advanced imaging, and modern treatment planning tools that make every appointment more precise and more comfortable
Complimentary consultations and flexible payment options designed to make exceptional orthodontic care accessible to every Alabama family we serve
At Ortho South, we treat every patient like family because so many of our families have been with us for generations. From the first consultation to the day you wear your retainer to summer cookouts, we're here for the whole journey. Smile On!
Conclusion
Summer doesn't have to be a stressful season for orthodontic patients. A small kit, smart scheduling, consistent hydration, thoughtful eating, and a good mouthguard cover the vast majority of summer scenarios you'll encounter. Build the habits early in the season, and the rest takes care of itself.
Our team at Ortho South is here to help every step of the way. Whether you need to schedule a summer appointment, ask about a custom mouthguard for sports, or just want to talk through your summer game plan, we're a quick call or click away. Have a great summer, and Smile On!
ORTHO SOUTH
Smile On!
Schedule Your Complimentary Consultation Today
Pelham Office
2705 Pelham Parkway, Suite 200, Pelham, AL 35124
Calera Office
8535 US-31, Calera, AL 35040
Phone: (205) 664-4140
Website: orthosouth.com
Office Hours: Monday–Friday 7:00am–4:00pm
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I still go swimming with braces?
Yes, swimming is perfectly fine with braces. Pool water, ocean water, and lake water do not damage orthodontic appliances. Just be cautious about jumping or diving with significant impact risk, and avoid any swimming game that involves underwater wrestling or significant facial contact. A mouthguard is appropriate for activities like water polo or surfing.
How often should I be cleaning my aligners during summer travel?
At least twice a day with cool water and a gentle brush, ideally with a non-abrasive cleaner. Avoid hot water (which can warp aligners), avoid leaving them in direct sunlight in a hot car (same reason), and always put them in their case when not in use. Travel can disrupt cleaning routines, so set a phone alarm if you need one to stay consistent.
What if a bracket comes loose while I'm traveling?
Don't panic. A loose bracket isn't an emergency unless it's causing significant discomfort or a wire is poking your cheek. Apply orthodontic wax to keep it stable, and call our office to schedule a repair when you return. If the wire is sharp or causing real discomfort, a local dentist or orthodontist can usually help with a temporary fix until you can see us.
Can I drink iced coffee or sweet tea with aligners in?
No. The only beverage you can have with aligners in is plain water. Iced coffee, sweet tea, soft drinks, sports drinks, and even milk all carry sugars, acids, or stains that get trapped against your teeth under the aligners. Take the aligners out, enjoy your drink, brush or rinse, and put them back in.
Is summer a good time to start orthodontic treatment for my child?
It can be a great time. Starting treatment in summer gives your child a few weeks to adjust to braces or aligners before the school year begins, which many families and teens prefer. We'd be happy to schedule a complimentary consultation for your child.
How do I order a custom mouthguard for sports?
Just ask at your next appointment, or call our office to schedule a short visit specifically for the mouthguard fitting. A custom orthodontic mouthguard takes about 15 minutes to fit, fits properly over braces, and provides far better protection than a standard boil-and-bite version from a sporting goods store.
Sources
- American Dental Association. Mouthguards: Position of the American Dental Association and Patient Resources. View ADA resources
- American Dental Association MouthHealthy. The Mouth-Body Connection: Hydration and Oral Health. View MouthHealthy resources
- American Association of Orthodontists. Patient Resources: Caring for Braces and Aligners During Travel and Summer Activities. View AAO patient resources
- Academy for Sports Dentistry. Position Statement on Mouthguards in Sports. Comprehensive guidance on mouthguard use across recreational and competitive sports. View ASD resources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hydration and Heat Safety: Recommendations for Outdoor Activities. View CDC resources
This blog is intended for general educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalized medical, dental, or orthodontic advice. Please contact Ortho South or your healthcare provider with specific questions about your braces, aligners, summer care, or any orthodontic treatment.
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