Hi all, while we are not full timers the past 3 years we have spent at least 8 months on the road each year. Next year we are considering being on the road 100%. One of our hang ups is our 10 year old is going to need braces on his teeth for sure.

So I feel we have a few choices

1) hold off and get them when he's older.

2) Get them this summer and look for places to have them adjusted as we travel. Is this possible. Anyone doing this?

Any parents out there dealing with braces on the road?

Edited April 3, 2015 by rcharrette

I think that the place to start is by talking with your orthodontist about the issue. If you explain what you are considering doing he/she may well have some good advice. He can also advise you about the advisability of waiting to do this.

Good luck! There must be an answer that will work for you.

The only data point I have doesn't quite match your situation, but may give you some hope. I spent three months on the road with my kids when my oldest had braces. He managed to pull the wire out on a Sunday afternoon in Nevada. We were traveling through the mountains at that point. Hunted up the phone number for an orthodontist in the area, stopped when we got a signal, called & left a message & continued on. When we came back into to a service zone, we had a message from another orthodontist in that town asking that we call back & arrange a time to meet him that evening. We did, he fixed my son's wire and refused any payment. He told us that this happens all the time and most orthodontists will do this, which our own orthodontist back home confirmed.

I had pre-arranged with my son's orthodontist to have the three month lag in changes. We were not in a critical part of the process (like his palate expander) so it worked. You'll certainly have to talk to your orthodontist for his recommendation, but ours said they deal with all kinds of things like boarding school, military family disruptions and so on, so they have the ability to be flexible.

Good luck.

Thanks for the replies. I feel like our society is so geared towards tying us down! We'll have to set up a meeting once we are home.

Edited April 3, 2015 by rcharrette

Earlier treatment is usually better but it can depend on the issue. Some things you have to wait until they are ready before starting treatment but even then you want to start as soon as possible.

Talk to your orthodontist about emergency situations like a broken wire. Sometimes it is an easy temp fix and you can do it on your own to stop any further damage and get it fixed a bit later. They can also recommend emergency supplies that are really handy.

I had a real issue breaking wire tie-downs, dad got a tiny set of cutters and pliers to fish the broken bits out and I got a big hunk of beeswax to slap over the rough edges. It wasn't pretty or much fun but it meant I could finish a short camping trip before needing to see the doctor. We used it a couple times just over a weekend, my mouth was much happier and the orthodontist was really happy to not have one more emergency call on Monday morning.

I would not postpone ortho work against the orthodontist's recommendations. One idea is to have it done in Los Algodones, Mexico. If you don't know about Los Algodones, it's a "dental tourism"city right on the border. Our 7 yr old needs a "spacer", which is a pre-braces procedure ...we are considering hanging out in the SW for several months to have this done.

I also know there are orthodontists in Texas that have worked with our RVing friends' schedules. I can get that info if you want it...PM me.

Los Algodones

Thanks for the info KyleHenson, we were discussing this recently. Actually we hear Costa Rica is another good option as well. We have a bad history (personally) with Mexico so it's probably out.