Many people start idealizing their upcoming vacations as the summer months come into view. You might think you’re guaranteed a problem-free holiday once work or school lets out. However, things are never that simple. To have a great getaway, you’ll need to protect your time-off from obstacles — including tooth or gum conditions. Luckily, your dentist in Dublin can help with the latter issues. Here are three tips to prevent dental emergencies during your fun in the sun!
Enforce Pool Safety
If you’re staying in a vacation spot with a swimming pool, you should follow the proper safety practices. For instance, don’t let your kids (or yourself) run on slippery decks or dive in shallow water. Doing so can lead to falls, or even result in hitting the pool’s bottom face first. Either incident could cause chipped, lost, or displaced teeth.
Prepare a Dental Emergency Kit
While you obviously want to avoid dental injuries, it pays to prepare for the worst. That said, keep a dental emergency kit with the following items in your car or beach bag:
- Dentist Contact Information – Try to pack a card with your local dentist’s phone number. Ideally, it should list both their office and emergency numbers.
- Gauze – You can apply this material to a dental injury to stem bleeding.
- Handkerchiefs – A clean piece of fabric or tissue paper works well for picking up missing tooth pieces.
- Saline Solution – Instead of water or milk, use saline solution to rinse and store a broken tooth root.
- A Lidded Container – In the event you lose or break a tooth, it can hold parts that fall out of your mouth.
Monitor Summer Hygiene
Even on vacation, you and your family need to keep proper oral hygiene. That being the case, you may need to remind everyone to brush their teeth after breakfast and before bed, as well as floss daily. Also, remember to pack new toothbrushes and toothpaste for the trip and be ready with disposable brushes and toothpaste in the car.
Don’t let your summer getaway become an extended stay in the emergency dentist’s office. Instead, follow the guidelines above so the time away from work or school is genuinely relaxing.
About the Practice
Dr. Eric Buck is a Dublin, Ohio, dentist who strives to give his patients beautifully lasting smiles. Since earning his DDS from Ohio State University’s College of Dentistry, he’s gained membership in the American Dental Association, Ohio Dental Association, and the American Orthodontists Society. Today, he also serves as a visiting faculty member at Spear Dental Education. Dr. Buck currently practices at Distinctive Smiles of Dublin and can be reached at his website or by phone at (614)-792-1800.