Summer holiday 2026: how to keep your teeth healthy while travelling

The summer holiday of 2026 is around the corner. While you are probably thinking about sunscreen, travel adapters and insurance, most travellers forget one thing: their teeth. A shame, because on holiday everything your teeth are used to changes: more ice cream and soft drinks, a different brushing routine, different water and no familiar dentist around the corner. In this guide, the English-speaking dentists of Tandarts West in Rotterdam West cover everything, so you can enjoy your summer holiday without worry.

Why your teeth need extra care during the summer holiday

On holiday your whole rhythm changes, and with it the conditions for your teeth. You eat out more often, snack more ice cream, drink more soft drinks and cocktails full of acid and sugar, and your brushing routine shifts along with late nights and long beach days. At the same time, you are far away from your own dentist.

We see the result in our practice every September: small problems that were dormant before the holiday have grown into acute toothache, a broken filling or inflamed gums during the trip. The good news: with a little preparation you can prevent almost all of these holiday dental problems.

Most toothache on holiday announces itself weeks in advance. A summer check-up before departure catches that signal.

Holiday checklist: what to pack for your teeth?

Good preparation starts with packing. With this checklist, your teeth are holiday-ready in ten minutes.

The travel dental kit

For adults: the basics for healthy teeth while travelling

• Toothbrush with a ventilated cap. An airtight case keeps the brush damp, and in summer temperatures that is a breeding ground for bacteria.
• Travel toothpaste (max 100 ml for hand luggage). With fluoride, also on holiday.
• Dental floss or interdental brushes. Small, light and indispensable after an evening of barbecue.
• Paracetamol. First aid for sudden dental pain on holiday, according to the leaflet.
• Temporary filling material from the pharmacy. An emergency solution if a filling comes loose, until you can see a dentist.

Extra for sensitive teeth in summer

Do you have sensitive teeth? Then also pack a toothpaste for sensitive teeth and start using it one to two weeks before departure. The active ingredients need time to seal the open dentine tubules, just in time for the first ice cream at your destination.

Extra for children on summer holiday

For children the same checklist applies in mini format: their own children's toothbrush, children's fluoride toothpaste appropriate for their age, and a fixed brushing moment, also on holiday. Tip from our children's dentist: let your child pick out their own travel brush, that turns brushing on holiday into a treat instead of a battle.

Toothbrush travel hygiene: keeping it clean en route

Always let your toothbrush air-dry after use before it goes back into its case. Rinse it with bottled water in countries where you would not drink the tap water. And replace the brush after your holiday: three weeks in a warm travel bag is a good reason for a fresh start.

Toothache on holiday: what do you do abroad?

It happens to thousands of travellers every summer: sudden toothache on holiday, often on a Friday evening or in a faraway country. Do not panic. With this step-by-step plan you know exactly what to do.

First aid for dental pain on holiday: 4 steps

1. Rinse your mouth with lukewarm water. Not ice-cold, not hot: extreme temperatures stimulate the nerve even more.
2. Take paracetamol according to the leaflet. Do not place aspirin on the painful spot, that damages the gums.
3. Avoid sweet, sour, hot and ice-cold. So no sangria, ice cream or hot coffee on the painful side for now.
4. Does it last two days, or is there swelling or fever? Then see a local dentist. Your hotel, campsite or tour operator almost always knows a reliable address.

What to do about a broken tooth on holiday

Keep the broken piece in milk or your own saliva and rinse your mouth gently. If the edge is sharp or the tooth hurts, have a temporary repair placed locally. Preferably have the definitive crown or filling done back home: then the repair matches your teeth seamlessly and the warranty is properly arranged. Also read our detailed emergency page for step-by-step help.

Sensitive teeth and ice cream: cold drinks in summer

That short, sharp jolt of pain at the first bite of ice cream: more people suffer from it in summer than in any other season. Which makes sense, because your teeth suddenly face extreme cold (ice cream, ice cubes in your drink) and acid (citrus, wine, sports drinks) far more often.

The cause lies in open dentine tubules: microscopic channels in the dentine that connect directly to the nerve. With receding gums or thinner enamel they lie exposed, and then cold comes in hard.

What helps directly against sensitive teeth in summer?

• Toothpaste for sensitive teeth, used consistently for at least two weeks.
• A soft toothbrush and not brushing too hard. Hard scrubbing makes receding gums worse. Also read our article on choosing the best toothbrush.
• Wait 30 minutes before brushing after acidic food or drinks. Directly after acid, your enamel is temporarily softer.
• Drink acidic and cold drinks through a straw, so the liquid flows past your teeth instead of over them.

Does the sensitivity persist for weeks or does the pain get worse? Then there may be more going on, such as a starting cavity or a small crack. Have it checked during a dental check-up.

Summer food and drink tips for strong teeth

Nobody expects you to resist every temptation on holiday. You do not have to: it is about smart choices at the moments that really matter.

Smart enjoyment of ice cream, soft drinks and cocktails

• Eat ice cream as dessert, not as a snack. Every sugar attack counts separately: six small moments are more harmful than one big moment after a meal.
• Choose water ice without citric acid, or dairy ice cream over sorbet. Sorbet combines sugar with fruit acid, the double attack on enamel.
• Rinse with water after a sweet or sour treat. Inconspicuous, free and surprisingly effective.
• Sugar-free chewing gum after meals stimulates saliva, the natural protector of your teeth.
• Drink mainly water in hot weather. Dehydration means less saliva, and less saliva means less natural protection against bacteria.

Dentist abroad: how does Dutch health insurance coverage work?

The question we get every summer: "Is a dentist abroad covered?" The short answer: emergency dental care often is, but usually only partly. This is how it works:

Basic insurance, supplementary insurance and travel insurance

• Dutch basic insurance (basisverzekering): covers emergency care abroad up to the Dutch NZa tariff at most. If the local treatment is more expensive (think Switzerland or the US), you pay the difference yourself.
• Supplementary dental insurance (aanvullende verzekering): depending on your policy, also covers part of the non-emergency costs. Check the conditions before departure.
• Travel insurance with medical cover: often fills the gap between the actual foreign costs and what your health insurer reimburses. Worth checking, especially for faraway destinations.

How to avoid surprises afterwards

1. Before departure, call your insurer or check their app: what is covered in your holiday country?
2. Save your insurer's emergency number in your phone.
3. Keep every invoice and every treatment report, preferably photographed on your phone right away.
4. After returning home, have your own dentist check the treatment, especially for fillings, crowns or root canal treatments started abroad.

Before departure: book your summer check-up at Tandarts West in Rotterdam West

The best holiday preparation for your teeth remains a check-up before departure. Our dentists check your teeth, fillings and gums, and fix dormant problems before they flare up at your holiday address. Combined with a professional cleaning by the dental hygienist, you start the summer with a clean slate.

At Tandarts West on Taandersstraat 121 in Rotterdam West you can usually get an appointment within one to two weeks, also as a new patient. No waiting list, a multilingual team (English, Dutch, Turkish, Arabic, French, German) and 4.7 stars on Google with 169 reviews. Expats welcome. Register online or call 010 846 6539.