Planning Your Summer Holidays? Don’t Forget About Your Teeth

Ensure that your teeth are healthy before you go away on holiday or you could run into problems!

We are probably being a little premature and over excited at seeing some springlike weather just starting to creep in, but we also know that this is the sort of thing that can trigger people to start booking a holiday abroad for the summer. After all, it’s fair to say that we probably all need one after the last few years!

There are obvious things to consider when booking a holiday such as hotels, things to do for the kids etc, but one thing that we often don’t think about is the health of our teeth. Good oral health is important at any time, of course, but if something goes wrong when you are in another country, it can cause additional problems that are less easily resolved than when you are at home.

A spoilt holiday

The most obvious problem caused when you have a dental health issue on holiday is that it can really spoil your break. Whilst some issues may only be inconvenient and perhaps cause you to eat only softer foods, others, such as a raging toothache, can totally distract you from all the things you were looking forward to and ruin your holiday completely. A bad toothache on day one can leave you wishing the rest of your holiday away so that you can see your own dentist to get it treated.

Dental care abroad

Dental problems should not be ignored and if one does occur when you are on holiday, you should, in most cases, get it treated while you are there. How willing you are to do this might depend on where you are staying. Dental facilities in a major European city, for example, are likely to be superior to those of a rural third world village. Unless you think that the risks are too high though, we generally recommend that you do see a dentist for problems like toothache or any damage that has been caused by accidents etc.

You should make sure that you are covered for treatment by your holiday insurance and we also recommend that you do a little research before you go, for good quality dentists in that area.

Patients travelling abroad from Burton or Ashby might also wish to consider the situation. If, for example, you find that you have relatively minor tooth discomfort a day or so before you return home, you might just wish to wait until you can see one of the dentists at Alexandra Dental Care. If this is the case, we recommend that you call us for advice and possibly an appointment before you leave. This will enable us to see you quicker on your return home.

Sort any issues now

Preventative oral care is key to minimising the chances of any issues spoiling your holiday. Of course, accidents can, and do, happen, but most dental problems are caused by neglect, either in the way that your teeth have been cleaned, or equally, neglect in having them monitored on a regular basis by your dentist. As we have said before, a tiny amount of decay can be treated with a straightforward filling, but if it is allowed to continue unchecked; by the time you are in pain with a bad toothache, it will almost certainly require more extensive treatment to save it, or it may even need to be extracted.

Having your teeth checked regularly at our Swadlincote dental practice may also help even if you do have an accident. A tooth that is already weakened is more likely to break if, say, you bite into something harder than expected. If this has been treated beforehand, it will have a much better chance of surviving relatively minor accidents such as this.

Make sure that you don’t simply leave things to chance and keep your fingers crossed that your teeth ‘hold out’ whilst you are away on holiday. For the sake of making an appointment now, why risk your well earned holiday being spoiled by a painful toothache or similar? Please call us now to make sure that your check ups are up to date in order to keep your teeth and gums in the best of health. Call Alexandra Dental Care today on 01283 216347.

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