Before the trip

A trip changes your routines, not the need to look after your teeth. If you’ll be away for longer, two short things are worth doing before you leave: take stock of where you stand with prevention, and pack the dental kit deliberately.

If a check-up or prophylaxis session is already coming up in the next few weeks, you can often bring it forward. A small spot that’s still straightforward to treat at home is noticeably more awkward to resolve on vacation — and in some destinations, logistically demanding too. ⁴ If you’re unsure, get in touch: we’ll look at your preventive plan together and judge whether anything should be brought forward.

Which trip, which preparation?

A rough orientation. What you actually need depends on the destination, your history, and the planned activity — the tiering below covers most everyday cases.

• Weekend within Germany (1–3 days): ordinary travel care, done. No reason to bring appointments forward.
• Holiday within the EU (up to 3 weeks): travel kit as below; keep your health-insurance card or European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) on hand — it covers dental emergency care in most EU countries.
• Long-haul or non-EU trip: schedule a check-up before you leave, especially if your last one was more than six months ago. Check the German Foreign Office (Auswärtiges Amt) travel-medicine notes for your destination. ⁴ Take out travel health insurance that includes dental emergency cover.
• Multi-week trip or long-term stay: in addition, bring a copy of your most recent X-rays. If an ongoing treatment is paused (orthodontics, implant prosthetics), pack a written note about its current stage.

For trips with children: a dental check-up once or twice per school year is sensible anyway and can usually be slotted around travel plans.

What belongs in the travel kit

Dental care while traveling doesn’t differ fundamentally from care at home. What does differ are the quantities and a few additions that help in case of trouble.

Daily care

• Toothbrush in a breathable case. Closed plastic boxes encourage microbial growth through residual moisture.
• Fluoride toothpaste in travel size (≤ 100 ml for carry-on).
• Floss or interdental brushes in your usual size. A trip is not the right moment to try a new size.
• Mouthwash only if you also use it daily at home — a trip is not the place to test new products.

Useful on the go

• Sugar-free gum for long stretches without a chance to brush. It’s no substitute for the toothbrush, but it can stimulate saliva flow between meals and help briefly.
• A small LED flashlight or your phone’s flashlight, in case you want to look in the mouth in the evening.
• Travel mouthwash or individually packaged floss for situations when you can’t get to the sink calmly.

For emergencies

• Your practice’s phone number and address in written form — not only in your phone contacts. Phones get lost or run out of battery.
• For longer or more distant trips: look up a dental emergency number at your destination before you leave. In most EU countries 112 will route you on, but a direct dental number is often faster in an emergency.
• Travel-kit staples: painkillers that work well for you at home. Which ones those are is best clarified with your doctor — blanket recommendations aren’t useful here.

When a tooth rescue box makes sense

A tooth rescue box is a small plastic container with a nutrient solution in which an avulsed (knocked-out) tooth can survive for several hours until it can be reinserted at a practice. ² It isn’t needed for every trip — but it makes sense for:

• Active vacations with contact sports (skiing, mountain biking, horse riding, team sports)
• Trips with school-age children, especially primary-school age ³
• Class trips and club outings — many schools now keep one in the first-aid kit anyway

The box is available without prescription at pharmacies and keeps for several years. The Bundeszahnärztekammer (Federal Chamber of Dentists in Germany) publishes patient information on what to do when a tooth is knocked out:

In an emergency — what to do

Even with good preparation, problems can come up while traveling. The diagram below gives a rough orientation for how urgent a situation might be. It doesn’t replace the judgment of a dentist on the ground.

If a tooth is fully knocked out, every half hour counts. Statistically, the first thirty minutes weigh most heavily on the prognosis for replantation; after two hours the chances fall sharply. ² That’s why getting to the nearest dental service takes precedence over returning home to your own practice.

If a tooth is knocked out — the first minutes:

These steps apply to permanent teeth, roughly from age seven onward. Milk teeth are usually not replanted, because the underlying permanent tooth shouldn’t be damaged — in that case, just secure the site of the injury and have it checked by a dentist.

1. Pick up the tooth — if possible only by the crown (the visible white part), never by the root.
2. Don’t clean it, don’t wipe it, don’t put it in water. If there’s dirt, only rinse it loosely, if at all — the fine fibers on the root surface decide the chances of replantation.
3. Choose a suitable storage medium — in descending order of preference:
   • Tooth rescue box (ideal, several hours of time)
   • UHT milk or cold whole milk (noticeably better than water, about 60–90 minutes)
   • Saliva in a clean container or in the injured person’s cheek pocket — if nothing else is available
4. Go to the nearest dental practice or clinic immediately — if possible, call ahead. In rural areas, the nearest hospital with a dental emergency unit can be the faster option.

Storing the tooth dry in a tissue is explicitly not suitable — even if it’s the instinctive impulse.

After the trip

If complaints came up during the trip, an appointment after you return makes sense — even if they’ve subsided in the meantime. Some matters can only be judged properly with peace and a full picture.

A replantation or emergency treatment carried out abroad also needs follow-up in Germany: a check X-ray, a splint check, or a definitive restoration of a provisional filling is often required. If possible, bring the findings and the invoices issued abroad with you; the invoices are also important for reimbursement by your travel health insurance.

Schedule an appointment by phone or through our contact form. An overview of our preventive services is available under Preventive care.

A good trip is one you look back on with pleasure. We’re glad when we can accompany you both before and after.

About this article. This piece was prepared with reference to the patient information of the Bundeszahnärztekammer (Federal Chamber of Dentists in Germany), the DGZMK / DGZ S2k guideline on dental trauma in permanent teeth, the notes of the Stiftung Kindergesundheit (Children’s Health Foundation), and the travel-medicine advice of the Auswärtiges Amt (German Federal Foreign Office). Source citations appear in the list at the end of the page. — The notes here are general in nature and don’t replace a conversation with a dentist in practice.