Dr. Nancy Rosen’s Top 3 Tips for Treating Tooth Mishaps While Traveling

Having any kind of tooth problem can really put a damper on your travel experience, and it always helps to know what to do in a dental emergency. Dr. Nancy Rosen is one of New York City’s leading practitioners of cosmetic and restorative dentistry and appears as a frequent guest expert on national television as well as in magazines and newspapers. Therefore, I knew she was just the person to give sound, useful advice to my readers.

Carolyn: “What do you do if you break a tooth in-flight or on a trip? How do you fix it for the short term?”
Dr. Rosen: “If you fracture a tooth in-flight- if you can leave it alone until you can find a dentist to help you.  If the fractured tooth is very sharp, cutting into your tongue or cheek and you have a long flight ahead of you- try to gently smooth the area with an emory board or nail file.  If you are on a trip, try to find a reputable dentist in the area and have him/her treat the problem.  The hotel concierge can probably recommend a great local dentist.”

Carolyn: “Can you make due and put dental wax/braces wax on a broken tooth to protect it until you get to a dentist? Or is it better to ‘let it breathe’ and not cover it?”
Dr. Rosen: “If someone can find or has dental wax to place over the fracture, they can do that as well. The person should try to put the wax on the sharp, pointy part of the fracture. There is no need to cover the entire tooth. That would be my 1st choice and the nail file would be my second!”

Carolyn: “What is the best thing to do if a veneer falls off while on a trip, and its difficult to find a reputable dentist?”
Dr. Rosen: “If a veneer falls off you can try to get some temporary dental paste or denture adhesive and try to put the veneer back on the tooth. If you can’t get either of those, use some vaseline to attach the veneer to the tooth- but be very careful and do not bite into any food!”