Picture this: You’re sitting at a gorgeous Parisian café, biting into a fresh baguette, or hiking through the breathtaking trails of the Swiss Alps. Suddenly—zap. A sharp pain shoots through your jaw.

While we all love to plan our travel itineraries down to the last detail, dental emergencies are the ultimate uninvited travel guests. They can turn a dream vacation into a stressful search for a local clinic.

The good news? Most travel dental mishaps are entirely preventable or manageable if you know what to do. Here are four common things that can go wrong with your teeth while overseas, and how to handle them like a pro.

1. The Sneaky Traveling Toothache

Dental decay is a bit of a secret agent. It’s incredibly common, but it usually doesn’t give you any warning signs or symptoms in its early stages. If left untreated, that quiet cavity can turn into a sudden, throbbing toothache that catches you completely off-guard mid-trip.

• The Best Prevention: Book a routine dental exam with a set of check-up X-rays before you head off on your holiday. Catching a problem while you’re still home is much easier than dealing with it in a foreign country.
• The On-the-Road Fix: If a toothache strikes overseas, a great short-term way to cope with the pain is combining ibuprofen (like Nurofen) with paracetamol (like Panadol). However, this just buys you time—you will likely need to find a reputable local dentist nearby to treat the root cause.

2. Outdoor Traumas and Accidents

If your holiday involves outdoor activities like hiking, skiing, snowboarding, or cycling, the risk of physical trauma to your teeth goes up. Accidents happen, and knowing exactly what to do in the first 60 minutes after a dental injury can mean the difference between saving or losing a tooth.

• The Travel Essential: Before you lose cell service or head out on an adventure, download the free app Tooth SOS. Created by dental trauma experts, this app provides a comprehensive list of instant instructions and tips for exactly what to do during a dental emergency.

3. The Broken Tooth or Lost Filling

Vacations usually involve indulging in amazing food, but hard or sticky local delicacies can easily chip a tooth, dislodge a filling, or pull off a dental crown.

• The Golden Rule: If a dental crown falls out, do not throw it away! In many cases, a dentist can easily clean and re-cement your original crown back into place, saving you a massive amount of time and money.
• The On-the-Road Fix: Avoid chewing on that side of your mouth, keep the area as clean as possible, and find a local dentist to evaluate the tooth and properly restore it.

4. Sudden Tooth Sensitivity

Trying new foods is one of the best parts of traveling, but a sudden spike in dietary acids (like citrus fruits, local wines, or tomato-heavy dishes) or a flare-up of acid reflux from heavy holiday meals can quickly erode your enamel and exacerbate tooth sensitivity.

• The On-the-Road Fix: Pack a travel-sized tube of desensitizing toothpaste (like Sensodyne). Rubbing a little bit of the toothpaste directly onto the sensitive spot and letting it sit can help alleviate the sharp, uncomfortable symptoms so you can get back to enjoying your culinary tour.

Travel Tip: Always check your travel insurance policy before you fly. Many standard policies only cover emergency dental pain relief up to a small dollar limit, so it pays to know your coverage before you need it!