Dental care while traveling

You’re off on your vacation and naturally want everything to go off according to plan. This means no cuts, wounds or sprains and certainly not a dental emergency. But if you are traveling, why not be safe and prepared for dental emergencies? Here’s how:

Preparing for a holiday: Pack your emergency dental medical kit with your dentist’s office phone number, liquid saline, a kerchief, gauze, a small container and lid and a strip of Ibuprofen. If you have this kit ready with you, you can prevent the loss of a tooth

What to do in a dental emergency

  • First, look for a dentist: This needn’t be difficult even if you cannot connect with your regular dentist. Look up the Yellow Pages for the state dental society’s phone number or the local one and ask for a referral for a dentist in your area. You could also ask the emergency department of the hospital nearest you to recommend a dentist. And if you face dental problems abroad, contact the U.S. Consulate or ask your hotel personnel to refer you to a dentist.

  • Take an emergency appointment: Call your dentist for an emergency appointment, especially if you have a broken tooth. And do remember that if a reimplantation takes place within 30 minutes, it is most successful. Hold the tooth by the crown as touching the root can only damage the cells that will be needed for bone reattachment. Wash the tooth in plain water to remove dirt. Do not scrub. Replace tooth in the socket or in the space between your teeth and gums to keep it moist. Alternatively, wrap the tooth in a clean cloth, gauze or tissue and dip it in milk so that it does not dry out.

  • Do you have a broken tooth or filling? Call your dentist immediately as he will be able to ascertain the extent of injury. Wash your mouth with warm water and use an ice pack or cold compress for any swelling.

  • What to do for a punctured lip or tongue: In this condition, clean the area with cloth and continue to apply cold compresses to reduce the swelling. Your dentist will pull your tongue and will place pressure on the wound by using a piece of gauze. If it is accompanied by excessive bleeding, go in to the emergency department of a hospital or ask for over-the-counter remedies from a pharmacy for the pain.

  • If the wire of your braces breaks: For this, blunt the sharp edge of the braces with a little dental wax or use a piece of pre-chewed sugarless gum.

  • A broken jaw: Head straight to a hospital’s emergency department and to reduce the swelling, apply a cold compress.

  • For a bad toothache: Ask to see a dentist immediately. Until that happens, rinse your mouth with warm water and clean the tooth. Remove all food particles trapped between teeth with dental floss, and for the pain take over-the-counter pain medications.

    • To save your teeth in an emergency, you need to follow these measures. Of course, you can do a lot for your teeth before emergency crops up by just being careful of what you put in your mouth.