Dental care at sea?

[coljack]

My wife is having occasional tooth pain but our dentist does not believe a root canal is warranted at this time and is not even sure of which tooth is the culprit.  We are doing the TA from NY to Barcelona on Splendor in April and are worried about the possibility of the tooth acting up while we are at sea.  We know there will be a doctor on board, but will there be a dentist and are there even dental facilities?  Come to think of it (this is our first crossing), are the doctor and ship facilities equipped to handle an unexpected, serious medical problem in the middle of the Atlantic?  We've never had a problem on a cruise so we have never seen the facilities on board.

 

Thanks to anyone who can shed some light.

[bissel]

I had dental pain at sea but waited until the next day when we arrived in London..The ship was not equipped for dental care. If I remember correctly, as this was about five years ago, the medical office would charge you to give you a recommendation for a dentist in port.

I phoned my personal dentist at home and he was helpful so that I could wait until we got home. Whew...that was a close call and something we think about when we cruise. When one gets to a certain age or has some chronic conditions this becomes a bigger factor in deciding where to go.

[tripperva]

This thread may get a lot of views. You may wish to solve the issue before sailing as there is minimal dental assistance on board.

[tampadee]

I always bring pain medication just in case.

 

I always remember boarding a coast to coast flight in the US when my tooth started hurting and continued to hurt for the 5 hours of the flight.

[DeepFreeze63]

2 hours ago, coljack said:

My wife is having occasional tooth pain but our dentist does not believe a root canal is warranted at this time and is not even sure of which tooth is the culprit.  We are doing the TA from NY to Barcelona on Splendor in April and are worried about the possibility of the tooth acting up while we are at sea.  We know there will be a doctor on board, but will there be a dentist and are there even dental facilities?  Come to think of it (this is our first crossing), are the doctor and ship facilities equipped to handle an unexpected, serious medical problem in the middle of the Atlantic?  We've never had a problem on a cruise so we have never seen the facilities on board.

 

Thanks to anyone who can shed some light.

I don't know anything about on-ship dental capabilities BUT the reason we only cruise with Regent is that on each of the 3 times we needed significant medical attention on Regent, the care was terrific (but expensive). In the middle of a TA from Monaco to  Rio, DW tripped and punctured her calf with her high heels  (heels no longer packed for "Formal Optional" night). Immediately after I called Reception, the Doctor (and a group to cleanup all the blood) were at our cabin. Then every day for a week at sea, she got Doctor's attention, an intravenous (spell?) and a new dressing. Contrary to our initial worry, it healed without the need for cosmetic surgery. Also luckily, we got the $5500 bill paid in full by insurance.

[frankdp]

Do not get aboard a ship for two weeks with a hinky tooth.  Get a dentist that can isolate the issue and fix it.  Don’t wait long, these things don’t just go away.

Edited January 22, 2020 by frankdp

[Got2Cruise]

You do not want to risk having an abscessed tooth on a TA! Why is your wife having tooth pain? There must be a reason. 

Edited January 22, 2020 by Got2Cruise

[rcandkc]

A year ago on a Friday before getting on a plane Monday, I had an emergency root canal after a come and go pain that was hard to pin point but causing significant distress when present got worse.  The root canal specialist was able to pin point tooth with tests.  It was not the tooth I thought was the problem.  You have time..get to the bottom of this before trip. 

[slidebite]

Yes, get this looked after before you go. That said, if you don't, first port hit up a local dentist. But that's the kind of thing I'd far rather get done with your local dentist than another one, they already have all your x-rays and history.

 

Don't play around with this - if it's painful she's asking for trouble.

Edited January 23, 2020 by slidebite

[Hambagahle]

I totally agree.  The onboard doctor can give painkillers but s/he is not a dentist.  Very likely s/he could do an extraction.  But certainly not a root canal.  Having just had one of those I suggest she get it done before you cruise.  The only thing that hurts about it is the bill!!

 

There are such things as medical evacuations in the mid Atlantic - but I doubt you and your wife would care to participate in one.   Last time we were on a trans-Atlantic the ship had to change course for a medivac and get within 500km of the Azores.  A naval helicopter with long range came to pick the patient up.  But its maximum range was 1000km...  the patient was picked up and apparently recovered.  It was a bumpy night though because we were going at full speed!!   Best not to experience this from the patient's point of view!!

[Mask-1234]

19 hours ago, tampadee said:

I always bring pain medication just in case.

 

I always remember boarding a coast to coast flight in the US when my tooth started hurting and continued to hurt for the 5 hours of the flight.

Pain medication will not help if you need a root canal.  Topical such as Ambesol will help a lot.  Usually lines will send you to a dentist while in port.  Been there done that.

[tampadee]

Strong pain medication did help me when I needed a root canal. Has to be stronger than aspirin or Aleve.

[rcandkc]

I doubt a dr would prescribe pain medication in case she needed root canal.  They have really tightened up the prescribing of pain medication.  
My dentist could not find a problem but the endodontist found the problem and fixed it in one long sitting.  If in doubt, go to an endodonist. 

[Hambagahle]

Given the fact that she will be on a trans-Atlantic cruise it is more than likely that in order to get to a dentist will take some days.  In which case a good pain killer would help.

 

For me there is no question - I would get it done before I leave.

[Art Instructor2]

I worked in dentistry for many years, so I can speak from experience.  

 

Great advice from everyone, get this resolved before your leave for your cruise.  An endodontist will be able to find the problem.  Aside from the pain when the tooth flares, the infection in the canal can spread to her blood stream.  Sepsis is very serious and can lead to death if not treated.  This should be #1 on your "to do list."  

[Wendy The Wanderer]

You've made me think about this, and I always do worry.  There's crowns that could fall out, my cracked tooth that could start acting up after being quiescent for years, who knows?  I'll have a good talk with my dentist before our world cruise next year.  And probably take some kind of temporary cement in case of a crown coming loose; and anbesol--great idea.

[wishIweretravelling]

38 minutes ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

  And probably take some kind of temporary cement in case of a crown coming loose

 

My dentist suggested bringing some fix-o-dent as a temporary solution to a crown coming off.  If the crown is on an implant, it's advisable to keep the crown on until you can get to a dentist to better attach it. She says that the teeth around it can start shifting very quickly, which can complicate re-attaching the crown.

[Mask-1234]

My periodontist told me pain killers such as Oxcycoden will not help.  I had a root canal on one tooth and what they do is kill the root that is causing the pain.  I highly recommend you get this done before you travel anywhere.

[slidebite]

19 hours ago, wishIweretravelling said:

 

My dentist suggested bringing some fix-o-dent as a temporary solution to a crown coming off.  If the crown is on an implant, it's advisable to keep the crown on until you can get to a dentist to better attach it. She says that the teeth around it can start shifting very quickly, which can complicate re-attaching the crown.

 

Absolutely true. I received a crown a few months ago and my temporary came out 1.5 days before the appointment for the new on. I went in to the dentist for the permanent and while it fit, my teeth definitely already begun to shift because of the free space they had. Another day would have for sure been too long and a problem.

[captn337]

Since implants don't move (teeth do shift if there is no contact to hold them in place) it is advisable with implants to put crown in a safe place and have your dentist recement it when you return home. If there is no discomfort with a crown that has come off and cruise is less than 2 weeks, just return to your dentist and he will recement with maybe some small adjustments. As to the OP have your dentist refer you to an endodontist that has a CBCT which is a cone beam and they will find the culprit.

[wishIweretravelling]

4 minutes ago, captn337 said:

Since implants don't move (teeth do shift if there is no contact to hold them in place) it is advisable with implants to put crown in a safe place and have your dentist recement it when you return home. 

Sorry, this is NOT what my dentist advises. While implants don't move, the teeth around them do, and keeping the crown out for 2 weeks means that the other teeth could shift to the point that the crown no longer fits. I did exactly this--put the crown away and went to the dentist when I returned from a cruise. She told me that I was lucky that nothing had shifted, and in the future should use denture adhesive to put the crown back into place until I can get to a dentist.

[captn337]

Since implants don't move (teeth do shift if there is no contact to hold them in place) it is advisable with implants to put crown in a safe place and have your dentist recement it when you return home. If there is no discomfort with a crown that has come off and cruise is less than 2 weeks, just return to your dentist and he will recement with maybe some small adjustments. As to the OP have your dentist refer you to an endodontist that has a CBCT which is a cone beam and they will find the culprit.

[captn337]

Fully understand, if someone puts the crown on and it is not done properly there is a chance that it could be aspirated while sleeping which will lead to a whole set of new and much more difficult issues. Slight adjustments in seating a crown is much more preferable than surgery to remove a crown from your lungs. 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Good point.  Don't sleep with a crown attached with Fixodent!

 

I might add to my list the wax that they sell to cover painful brace wires tro prevent gum and tongue abrasions.  At least then you could cover the hole with wax so your tongue gets a break.

[wishIweretravelling]

9 hours ago, captn337 said:

Fully understand, if someone puts the crown on and it is not done properly there is a chance that it could be aspirated while sleeping which will lead to a whole set of new and much more difficult issues. Slight adjustments in seating a crown is much more preferable than surgery to remove a crown from your lungs. 

She didn't mention that, but that certainly makes sense. I hope it won't happen again, but if it does, I'll be sure to take it out at night.