How to Handle a Dental Emergency

If there is one nightmare that no one wants to have, it’s a dental emergency. Not only do you have to deal with the pain in your mouth, but you have to deal with the pain in your wallet when you have to pay out for dental care. It’s even worse when you are traveling and your tooth breaks – it’s away from your usual dentist, and what are you supposed to do now?

On one hand, you couldn’t have planned for this and on the other, your health insurance that you paid for won’t cover dental emergencies. You can get easy loans when you’re traveling, but what should you do to combat the emergency? If you suddenly experience a pain in your gums and your jaw, it’s time to think about how you handle it when your usual dentist is miles away. Let’s take a look:

1. Go to the dentist before you get on the plane and travel anywhere. You need to make sure that your teeth are in the best condition before you go anywhere. A general health check is one that will ensure you’re not caught off guard when you are traveling. You can be checked for cavities and any sensitivity can be combated before you’re busy eating hot wings and ice cream!
2. Get a referral from your usual dentist for an emergency dentist in your new location. You can request a dentist that can render emergency services, and you get the recommendation from a professional in the field at the same time!
3. If you have any dental treatment that is still ongoing, complete those services before you go on your adventure. You can’t deal with infections and pain when you are supposed to be seeing the world, so don’t deal with them if you don’t have to!
4. Where possible, stay away from crunching down on hard foods. You don’t want to cause a broken tooth if you can avoid it. Harder foods can cause cracks in the teeth and can also cause your teeth to fall out!
5. Find the nearest emergency dentist before you settle into your vacation hotel. You need to know that there are painkillers and treatment options close by before you get settled. If there is any pain or issues in your teeth or gums, you can get them sorted quickly. The same is true if you have to have a tooth removed and a replacement put in temporarily until you get home. The earlier you get treatment, the faster you can save your teeth!

You can’t just prepare for a dental emergency, you have to be financially aware of the cost of it and you need to think about how to look after your dental health. You can work with a local emergency dentist to help you to stay as healthy as possible while you are traveling. The more you get to know the best, local services, the easier it will be to deal with an emergency.