What Should You Do If Your Teeth Hurt On A Plane?
Whether you're traveling for business or pleasure, chances are that scheduling a dental appointment at your destination wasn't on your mind. But even if you're far from home, if you notice that your teeth seemingly hurt while you're on an airplane, it's cause for concern and something that shouldn't be ignored. Here's why you should get it taken care of at a location that offers emergency dental care before you go home.
Changes in Pressure
If you haven't noticed any problems with your teeth before your trip, or if you have and the pain was considerably worse on the plane, there's a reason for that: air pressure.
Air pressure changes when you're on a plane, especially when it's descending or ascending. This same pressure change is what causes your ears to pop. While rare, air pressure changes can also cause teeth to hurt when they're damaged. For this reason, sometimes people will notice that there's something wrong with their teeth for the first time when they hop on a plane, go for a long drive over hills or mountains, or dip down to sea level.
Damage to Teeth
Generally speaking, healthy teeth shouldn't experience any significant reaction to air pressure changes. It's only once teeth become decayed, cracked, or have otherwise had their internal structure compromised that this becomes a problem. This is because the air inside the tooth and around the tooth can end up with different pressure levels, creating pressure inside the tooth. This pressure is detected by the tooth's internal nerves, which are then sent as a signal to the brain, which interprets it as pain.
What to Do
If one or more of your teeth were hurting on the plane, chances are that there's something wrong with your oral health. Whether you were in mild discomfort or severe pain on your last trip, there's always a chance that the discomfort will be even worse when you get on your return flight. For this reason, the best thing you can do is to visit an emergency dentist before heading back.
Emergency dentists can usually fit patients in during the same or very next day, meaning you can get help quickly. Your dentist will examine your teeth for visible problems and will perform x-rays to get an idea of what's going on on the inside, too.
If decay or cracks are found in your teeth, they can be drilled and filled in order to repair the damage and prevent pain from happening again. Emergency dentists can also perform emergency root canals and dental extractions if the damage is severe.
When it comes to dental health, pain is one of the first signs that patients have that something has gone significantly wrong. If you're worried about your teeth and don't want to have to cope with pain on the way home, you should visit an emergency dentist for care right away. You'll be able to get back on the plane knowing that you'll be comfortable and won't have a pending dental problem waiting for you once you arrive.
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