Oral Health Care Tips for Travel

Checking your oral health status might seem like an odd way to prepare for a vacation or business trip, but a professional evaluation could save you from dealing with painful tooth problems during your travels.

What Causes In-Flight Tooth Pain?

Any type of tooth pain can be aggravated by airplane travel, and new problems can crop up during a flight.

Changes in cabin air pressure can affect every part of your body. If you’ve ever felt your ears pop during a flight, you get an idea of how this phenomenon works.

Teeth that are decayed or infected often have microscopic air pockets. Fillings, crowns and other dental work can also have trapped air inside. On the ground, you might not notice. But in the air, cabin pressure changes can exacerbate these problems and cause you to experience sudden, unexplained pain.

What Can You Do if a Toothache Develops?

When your ears pop or you experience sinus pain on a flight, chewing a stick of gum can provide relief. But chewing gum won’t get rid of the trapped air in your teeth. Consequently, it won’t help with the toothache pain — and it could make your tooth problems worse.

If you develop an in-flight toothache, try taking over-the-counter pain medication. You might also ask for some ice to apply to the affected area. Once the plane lands, call your oral surgeon for advice. Depending upon your symptoms, you may need to contact an oral health care professional in your destination city for an emergency appointment.

Can In-Flight Tooth Pain Be Prevented?

To avoid suffering a toothache on your next flight, take care of your oral health in advance. Visit your oral surgeon or dental professional for an exam and get treatment for any gum and tooth problems well in advance of your flight.

Ask anyone who’s ever flown with a toothache — it can be incredibly painful, enough to ruin a trip. So before heading out on a vacation or business trip, take the time to get an oral health care evaluation, because you won’t want to worry about tooth pain while you’re traveling.

If you live in northern Utah, make an appointment with the oral health experts at Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery of Utah. Our experienced team can make sure your smile is in great shape for airplane travel. Contact our Cottonwood Heights, South Jordan or Tooele office to schedule an oral health care consultation today.