Conscientious diving tourists check their equipment before the holidays and go to the sports medical examination. But that's not enough. A visit to a dentist is highly recommended by experts, because defective fillings can quickly lead to great pain when diving.
Dental problems during the dive
"Anyone who has had to stop a dive or even a vacation due to a defective filling has had an extremely painful experience", comments Dirk Kropp, Managing Director of proDente, the lack of caution.
In addition, unfinished incomplete root canal treatments, too thin dental cement or dentures can cause problems. The reason: under water, the pressure on the body increases significantly.
After just 10 meters, divers are exposed to twice the pressure on land. Cavities trapped in the body are compressed. Conversely, the compressed air expands four times during ascent from a depth of 30 m to the surface.
Why are cavities created?
Air-filled cavities in the mouth are caused by fissures in older fillings, carious areas, improperly fitting dentures, incomplete root canal treatments or thin dental cement. A pulled tooth or an orthodontic treatment may also include gas in the tissue.
The causes for the pain are usually the maxillary sinuses, because they are close to the upper molars. The pressure transfers directly to the tooth root. So the different pressure loads in a dive can be sufficient to solve fillings, to break a tooth or even to explode.
By unnatural pressure on the front teeth, the rear teeth are lifted. The denture slips, it comes to irritation and pain. Partial bites can also shift easily. Often a correction of the adjustment is required, in an emergency there is a risk that the prosthesis is lost or even gets into the airways.
Removable bits should be removed during the dive. The only exception is partial teeth that are attached to adjacent teeth with brackets or other brackets.
The explanation: The regulator required for the air supply is held with the teeth. Often, divers push their jaws forward to grab the mouthpiece. This leads to problems especially with prosthesis wearers.
Tip: break after dental treatment
If diving vacationers are not sure if there is any damage to their dentures or their restorations, an x-ray examination will provide certainty about possible problems. After a dental treatment with local anesthesia should not be dipped for 24 hours. For orthodontic treatments, the break is at least one week.