Summertime is perfect for taking some time off work for a vacation, but traveling can interrupt your daily dental hygiene routine. Proper preventative care is essential for avoiding emergencies, especially when you’re away from home. It can be intimidating and challenging to know where to go or who to call if you’re in another city, state, or country and have an issue that needs immediate attention.
If you’re planning to head out of town for a while, keep reading to learn 3 tips that can help you handle any potential dental emergencies that might occur!
Tip #1: Have a Checkup First
Imagine arriving at your destination just to realize you have a stabbing toothache the moment you bite into the local cuisine. You’d have to put your carefully planned itinerary on hold to find a dentist who can help, which might be hard to do if you’re in another country and your insurance doesn’t apply.
Although you can’t fully anticipate when or if such an urgent situation will happen, you can avoid it with the right preventative care. Visiting your dentist for a standard checkup and professional cleaning before you leave town ensures that your teeth and existing dental work are all in good shape. If your dentist finds any areas of concern, like weakened enamel or early signs of gum disease, they’ll apply the necessary treatments before sending you on your way. You’ll be able to make the most of your vacation knowing that you’re less likely to have any unexpected issues.
Tip #2: Pack What You Need
Although a change of scenery can be good for your soul, the change to your daily routine might lead you to neglect your daily dental hygiene habits. For example, if you’re suffering from jet lag, you might forget to brush your teeth at the usual time. Thankfully, it’s easy to find travel-sized items like collapsable toothbrushes, mini tubes of toothpaste, and tiny bottles of mouthwash at most grocery stores or pharmacies. You might even want to keep these items in your carry-on bag so that you can freshen up in between flights if you have a layover.
Tip #3: Make A Plan
Acting quickly can make all the difference when it comes to handling dental emergencies. If you have injured a tooth, getting the right help as quickly as possible increases the likelihood that your tooth can be saved versus extracted and replaced. When you’re in unfamiliar territory, though, you might not know where to go or who to contact.
To give yourself some well-deserved peace of mind, why not research and choose a local emergency dentist before you arrive? That way, if the unexpected happens, you’ll be able to act fast.
By taking a few precautionary steps, you can fully kick back and relax on your vacation, knowing that your smile is happy and healthy.
About the Practice
At Frandsen Dental of Orem, patients benefit from two dentists with decades of combined experience providing a wide array of services. Whether you need a checkup and cleaning or have had a dental emergency, they have the training and state-of-the-art technology to assist. They take the time to get to know you so when there’s an issue, they can quickly create fully individualized treatments to address it. They also have same-day emergency appointments and dental sedation available so if you need immediate attention, you don’t have to wait for relief. To request an appointment, you can contact the office on the website or call (801) 224-7900.