Now that you have obtained retirement age and look forward to traveling abroad, you may have some concerns about traveling with dentures. Several of these concerns are completely normal, but your dentist can help you prepare for travel. Here is what you need to do, and what you need your dentist to do, when you leave the U.S. with dentures.

Pack Two of Everything

Pack one overnight cleansing cup and several cleansing tabs in your carry-on and one cleansing cup and some cleansing tabs in the rest of your luggage. Also pack two toothbrushes and two tubes of denture paste, one for your carry-on and one for your other luggage. This way, if your luggage goes missing, you have what you need in your carry-on bag.

Talk to your dentist and see if you can also get an extra set of dentures as a back-up pair in case you lose the ones you are wearing or something happens to them (e.g., they get broken, someone steals them, etc.). It may cost you extra out of pocket for a spare pair of dentures, but at least you know you have them if you need them. Strange and unforeseen things can happen when you travel, and you would not be the first senior citizen to come home without his or her teeth!

When You Have Denture Problems Elsewhere

In the event that you have problems with your dentures, but you are far from home and far from departing the countries you are visiting, you will need to know where you can go to have your dentures repaired. (This only applies if you cannot get/purchase a spare pair of dentures before you leave the U.S.) Ask your dentist before you leave if he or she can find appropriately licensed and accredited dentists or denturists (which is what denture crafters are called in some other countries) for the cities and countries you plan to visit.

It also helps if your dentist knows the names of denture products in other countries that, according to the U.S. government, are safe to use and buy. You do not want to re-enter the U.S. with denture contraband! You can avoid this complication almost every time you travel if you pack several extra tubes or strips, as pre-approved by the airlines you intend to fly.

Save Your Hotel Contact Information

If you forget your dentures or misplace them at a certain hotel, be sure to keep their contact information after you have spoken to the manager. This will allow you to make phone calls from other parts of Europe or wherever else you travel to next. If your dentures have not been located and returned to you before you head back to the States, then you can make international calls once a week until your dentures have been found and shipped home to you.

For professional advice and service, contact a dentist such as Pitts Patrick M.

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