Dental work and flying?

Question

I broke a tooth and the dentist put a permanant filling in this morning. He said the break is a lot closer to the nerve than he would like so it may be a little sensitive. My problem is I leave in 3 days and i have a 4 hr flight. My dentist told me that the change in the altitude will most likely cause some pain in my tooth. What are some possible ways to help prevent this before and during my flight?

Answer 1

If he put a permanent filling in there and it is a molar tooth he should have put a layer of cement under the filling to protect the nerve and prevent that problem, however if it is an anterior tooth you may have a problem. You can try drinking room temp liquids, nothing too cold or hot to prevent further irritation to the nerve. If he put a permanent silver filling in then there is not much you can do. Bring advil if you can just in case. If this is a molar tooth you should question your dentist as to why he did not "insulate" or protect the nerve prior to putting the filling in (the cement they use is usually called IRM) Because a chronically irritated nerve usually leads to a root canal. Good Luck

Answer 2

THE ALTITUDE CHANGES IN A FLIGHT MAY CAUSE SOME DISCOMFORT, BUT THIS IS NOT A PERMANENT EVENT.

TO HELP LESSEN THE POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECT TAKE 1-2 ADVIL 1 HR BEFORE THE FLIGHT. THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES OF ADVIL WILL LESSEN ANY DISCOMFORT.