Dentist???

[misseulalie]

I have been on this board for about a year and haven't seen this posted. (Maybe it has and I just wasn't looking )


What happens if your onboard and have a dental emergency?

I am wondering because I just had a filling fall out and had to have it replaced. I am sailing on the 28th, so it got me worried and thankful that my filling decided to fall out now, and not onboard a 7 day cruise...
Would you visit a local dentist at one of the ports?

Or can the doctor onboard handle dental problems???

 

[mom x4 grandma x4]

good question,
I hope someone will have the answer. I would like to know too.

mom x4,grandma x4

 

[Par8hed]

Not to worry. I can handle this. My father is a TV repairman and he has an awesome set of tools.



Seriously.....I have no idea. Though most dental emergencies "could" wait a day or two if needed. Especially with all the bars onboard.

 

[CM_Mom]

The crew goes to dentists in the ports so I would imagine that would be your option if needed.

 

[misseulalie]

Not to worry. I can handle this. My father is a TV repairman and he has an awesome set of tools.



Seriously.....I have no idea. Though most dental emergencies "could" wait a day or two if needed. Especially with all the bars onboard.

Well, probably, but a cracked tooth or something like that would be VERY painful.
My mom was eating a salad at a local Italian restaraunt, and she ended up biting down on a little stone (they said the prep cook didn't wash the lettuce properly). It cracked her tooth and she was in awful pain. She ended up needing to go to the dentist ASAP.

You never know......

 

[tiffanym5375]

Oh great all of my teeth falling out dreams.. have been about this now. Its bound to happen to me..lol. J/k ... but something to think about.. and something for me to worry about. I bet you could at least get some good drugs. Not sure though. I had the flu on our last cruise.. was at the hospital on board the everyday (getting more meds after being treated). Not fun!

 

[tvguy]

Wow, I must be lucky. I've had chunks break off 7 teeth ( I have 7 crowns to prove it and 1 root canal, on a dead tooth though), none ever hurt. As for losing a filling, I suspect the Medical center stocks that "dental wax" they sell at the drug store to temporarily fill the missing filling.

 

[pansmermaidzlagoon]

tvguy: I recently found that dental wax at Target - you just reminded me to pack it!!!!!!

OP - this is a good question and something I had been wondering about. I have only broken a tooth once (and no longer eat Crunch and Munch!!!) - it wasn't too bad, luckily - but I want to be prepared.

 

[cyberfilly]

Bumping in hopes of an answer.... Can the on-board physician handle dental emergencies during a cruise?

 

[granmaz]

I have been wondering about this too. Fillings always come out or teeth break between appointments. Do I need to take all knds of emergency gear from the pharmacy?eek:

 

[outahere]

On our last cruise, our DS had part of his orthodontic device come unglued and was sticking out of his mouth. It has a very small screw holding it to the other piece, but I could not get it to loosen up. We went to the ship's doctor and between the two of us, we did get it apart (cost us $100 for his services). We were on our way to Grand Cayman and he recommended that we NOT go to a local dentist. I would say that some things can be handled, and some can not. We alway pack the temporary dental filling and orajel along with a few other items (Tylenol, Motrin, etc.).

 

[Mom323]

I can answer this one. I had a crown put on before our 4 day cruise last Feb. The tooth began to abcess while on baord the Wonder.

The ship's medical facility gave me a prescription for an antibiotic and pain med. That was all they could do. I had a root canal when we got home.

 

[Skallywag]

Hope someone that is sailing soon can perhaps enlighten us it is also one of my nighmares. Could think of nothing worse than a cracked or lost filling.

 

[Skuba2]

I do not believe there is a ship dentist. My daughter--then 5 or 6 (brain is dead at the moment--decided to launch herself onto a chair in the kids' club. She did it with a running headstart of course and did it with a chair that had wheels. Guess what happened. Face plant! Really did a number on her front mouth. Gums bruised, teeth bleeding and loose, lips swollen. Saw the doctor in the medical center and was given an antibiotic and another ice pack. Called our own dentist from our next port. Said everything was done appropriately and follow up with him when we got home. She kept her teeth for a little while anyway. She did finally knock em out doing another face plant on the street.

This was some 4 years or so ago. Things may have changed.

DG

 

[disneylover5]

I can answer this one. I had a crown put on before our 4 day cruise last Feb. The tooth began to abcess while on baord the Wonder.

The ship's medical facility gave me a prescription for an antibiotic and pain med. That was all they could do. I had a root canal when we got home.

I had a wisdom tooth crack while onboard. All they did was give me antibotitcs (sp?) and pain meds.....took care of it when I got home. The same trip while I was suffering, our room stewart had a terrible tooth ache and while we were in Cozumel, he went to port and had the tooth pulled. I don't think they mess around with root canals and such.....just pull it out

 

[eva]

I'm glad that someone brought this up. It will remind me to get some dental wax for the trip. I have had crowns pop off and have had fillings fall out. Once I had a crown popped off on a Saturday. I called my dentist's emergency service. They asked how much pain I was in. I said that it only hurt when something cold or hot touched it. They advised me to go to the drug store to get dental wax and use it to hold the crown on until Monday. It worked great. My dentist said you can use it for temporary fillings too. Of course you do have to be careful with the tooth. It is not the same as the real thing or we would all go into dentistry.

 

[Tink rules]

Ok... if you're THAT worried...

GO SEE YOUR DENTIST BEFORE THE TRIP!!!

If for nothing else... get a nice cleaning... it will make you feel nice and clean so you can smile for all those great pictures you will be taking...

and if he or she finds a real problem... get it taken care of ASAP!!! If it's not anything too big... schedule the appointment for when you get back.

& ask THEM what you should pack as an emergency kit.

Also... they may be able to contact a data base through the ADA which can suggest Dentists to see in different cities if you do have a problem.

 

[eva]

Tink rules, Great post! We always print out our preferred provider list before traveling. We have to print two, one for doctors and hospitals and the other for dentists. I was sure glad we did this a few years ago. I had an allergic reaction to clams from Cape May Cafe which had us running to the emergency room. Luckily I had the list in my purse and Celebrations Hospital was a preferred provider. Never had better treatment!