Travelling Soon? You really want to avoid these 4 things from happening to you!

Images of relaxing beach sunsets or visiting exotic locations are common expectations when most people travel. Never, have I ever heard of someone looking forward to searching for a dentist due to an emergency while on holiday. The reality is, that I’ve been involved in helping people out in this department on more occasions than I can remember.

Fortunately, most of the time its preventable. Unfortunately, people don’t always do what’s required to prevent bad things from happening. Remember the movie ‘Castaway’, with Tom Hanks. If only he’d visited the dentist when he first had a minor problem. He could have avoided the stress and pain of taking his own tooth out while stranded on a deserted island! An extreme example, I know. But significant enough to be included in a blockbuster Hollywood movie.

Here are some common, real-life situations I’ve had to help out with.

Pain on the plane or the boat.

On an international flight to Europe, I was quietly minding my own business, reading a dental journal (Yes, I know, but I’m passionate about learning and about dentistry so it makes sense to me). My friend seated next to me nudged me to listen to the message on the loudspeaker, “If there’s a dentist on board, can you notify one of our crew please?”, announced the stewardess for the second time. The next thing I knew, was that I was up in first class attending to a man with a toothache. He indicated the tooth had been niggling him but he was too busy to go to the dentist before travelling. Now, there’s not a lot I could do on an airplane other than prescribe him some painkillers, which thankfully for him, we had. He needed to get to a dentist on arrival and suffice to say he would have preferred to be sitting in economy without a toothache than first class in pain.

Practical tips here are not to ignore any niggles, aches or pains before travelling and it’s a good idea to have some painkillers in your dental emergency kit. Interestingly, as a side note, while most cruise ships have doctors on board, they don’t have any dental facilities, so you’re stuck until the next port (and praying there’s a dentist there who can see you).

A visit to the dentist instead of a day on tour.

It was a Saturday morning and as I arrived at work for a busy day, I noticed the little, red light flashing on the phone system indicating a message was left overnight. As I pushed the loudspeaker button to hear the message it was quickly apparent the lady was distressed, tired and uncomfortable. “I’m on holiday and I’ve had a loose filling for a while now, which has come out. My tooth is sharp, my tongue is sore and I can’t sleep. Please see me today”, she pleaded. When my team phoned her that morning, she was very appreciative and we instructed her to place some chewing gum (sugar free, of course) in the hole until she could come in to see me. We cared for her that day and fixed her tooth, however she couldn’t attend her day tour which she was previously, eagerly looking forward to.

Practical tips here are that if something doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Trust your instinct and get it checked before you travel. There are temporary filling materials you can keep in your dental emergency kit and don’t underestimate good old chewing gum or wax.

Searching the city for a dentist instead of site seeing

The email came through from one of our patients during the day … Please help me find a dentist! I’m holidaying in Italy and my front tooth has broken. For privacy, let’s call this gentleman Bob. Bob normally wears an occlusal splint or a mouthguard to protect his teeth due to his grinding habit. However, as with most people who are away on holidays, they forget to pack things or are ‘out of whack’ with their normal routines. It did take a couple of days, but lucky for Bob he eventually found a local dentist who could help him. We communicated with his dentist via email and made sure Bob received the most appropriate management – which took a couple of appointments – while on holidays. When he returned home, we had appointments ready for him and sorted everything out with more permanent treatment.

Practical tips here are that it’s good to understand, when we’re on holidays we don’t follow our normal routines. Remember to pack any dental appliances you normally wear and don’t forget your trusty toothbrush and floss.

Returning with a legacy from your holiday – one you’d rather forget.

Bob’s story above is actually quite common and what Bob did, that was smart, was to open communications between the dentist overseas and us. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case and sometimes people get complex treatment overseas.

Sue (not her real name), came in following her trip to Thailand. She had implants placed there while on holiday and when in the airport coming home one had come loose in her mouth. We were able to see her when she returned to Australia, but unfortunately for Sue, the implant had failed causing her future treatment to be more expensive and complex than it needed to be in the first instance.

Practical tip here is that all complex treatment needs to be maintained. Most countries are not regulated like Australia and there are systems used overseas that do not have TGA approval, meaning they do not meet Australia’s requirements and we cannot get componentry for them. So before getting any complex treatment overseas consider what you’d do if there’s a problem that develops with it when you return home. Who’s responsible for any issues that arise? Can we help you with it in Australia? How easy is it to fix or maintain?

Ensure your travels become a true holiday

Make sure you have a holiday that’s as relaxing and stress-free as possible by following these 5 simple points:

1. Have your dental check-up in a timely manner. Book in to see one of our friendly dentists well before your travel date. Make sure you book your appointment early enough to allow time to get any necessary treatment done before you go on your holiday. Preventive maintenance is the absolute, best way to avoid a toothache.
2. Don’t ignore any pain, niggles or discomfort in your mouth. Come in and get it checked. Pain is your body’s way of telling you there’s a problem and it’s usually best to listen. It’s always easier and cheaper to fix any issues while they’re small than to let them develop into bigger issues before being forced to deal with them at the worst time … like when you’re on holiday.
3. Be mindful that when you’re on holidays you tend to do things you don’t normally do. Classic examples here would be using your teeth as tools. Don’t use your teeth to open chip or food packets. Pack a pocket knife with scissors and other handy tools.
4. When you’re travelling, you’re also likely to eat differently or foods you’re not used to. Avoid hard foods, like hard nuts, refrigerated chocolate and beware of the way food is prepared overseas as sometimes you’ll experience the unexpected like whole olives (with their seeds) which may be placed in Mediterranean salads. I remember visiting Fiji and spooning a mouthful of chicken curry into my hungry mouth to find all the bones had been left in the meal. Lucky, I didn’t break anything!
5. Make your own dental emergency kit and don’t forget your toothbrush. This will generally get you out of trouble long enough to get to a dentist. Click here to see what to pack.

If you’re travelling soon, you’ve now got your dental checklist to follow to help you avoid a dental emergency. Top of the list is to get your teeth checked in a timely manner before you travel. If that’s you, make sure you call us on 55972100 or visit our booking page to organize a visit with one of our friendly dentists. We’ll do our best to make sure you’ve got one less thing to worry about on your holiday so it’s the best it can be.