What To Do If You Are On Vacation With a Dental Emergency
A painful toothache, a chipped tooth, or bleeding gums can instantly ruin your vacation. Here are some tips that can save your vacation when you are faced with a dental emergency.
Prepare: Before you leave, visit your dentist for a check-up and cleaning. Let your dentist know about your travel plans before you go in so no procedures are done that can increase the sensitivity of your teeth.
What to do if faced with an emergency?
Toothaches: Rinse your mouth with warm water and then use floss to remove any particles stuck in your teeth. Other natural remedies include rinsing with salt water, drinking cool peppermint tea and applying clove oil directly to the tooth to sooth the pain.
There are also good over-the-counter pain pills to soothe a toothache, such as aspirin and acetaminophen. For slight swelling take non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen, Advil, or Aleve. It’s important to get a doctor’s recommendation for anti-inflammatory drugs if you are pregnant or have a history of ulcers. Never rub aspirin on your gums to numb the pain because it contains salicylic acid that can burn or damage gums. If you are wary of pills, there are also good pain-relieving gels like Anbesol or Orajel found at any pharmacy.
Chipped or Broken Teeth: Rinse you mouth with warm water to remove any broken pieces and apply gauze to stop the bleeding. If swelling occurs apply a cold compress to the area. Save any pieces and bring them to the dentist.
Bleeding, Swollen, and Sore Gums: Gum problems can be an indicator of a bigger issue like gum disease. Ginseng tonic is a natural remedy to alleviate irritation and increase circulation and healing. Another home remedy is to apply a wet tea bag to the painful area. Tea can shrink inflamed tissue and stop bleeding because it contains astringent tannins.
Dislodged Tooth: Sadly, not all teeth can be saved but try to reach a dentist within 30 minutes. If you have the tooth, place it in a container of milk.
Canker Sores: Use toothpaste without sodium lauryl sulfate, or SLS, a foaming agent linked with canker sores. For a natural remedy, tea tree oil can be applied directly to the sore to decrease inflammation. Avoid eating foods that can easily scrape the infected area and stay away from food such as shellfish, pineapple, tomatoes, chocolate, citrus fruits, whole wheat, rye, barley, and anything containing too much salt.
