1. Before Your Trip: Emergency Prep Checklist

How a dental problem plays out depends a lot on what you did before you landed.

Documentation to carry

• Your treatment plan and written quote, on your phone and printed.
• Your home dentist's contact details.
• Your most recent X-rays or scans, on your phone or in cloud storage.
• A list of your medicines and allergies.
• Copies of your passport and insurance card, kept apart from the originals.

Insurance: what actually covers you

Read your travel policy before you book. Many standard policies exclude complications of treatment you travelled abroad to have, while still covering some emergency care such as an accident. Ask the insurer in writing if you are unsure. Our travel insurance guide lists the questions to ask.

Pre-departure dental visit at home

A check with your home dentist a few weeks before you fly can catch loose fillings or cracked teeth that might cause trouble mid-trip, and gives you up-to-date X-rays to take with you.

2. The 7 Most Common Dental Emergencies Abroad

A. Lost crown or onlay

• Keep the crown, rinse it, and store it in a small container.
• If you need to, a pharmacy (nhà thuốc) may sell temporary dental cement; follow the pack instructions.
• Avoid chewing on that side and book an appointment.

B. Broken or chipped tooth

Rinse with warm salt water, use a cold compress on the cheek, and cover a sharp edge with dental wax. Take over-the-counter pain relief as directed on the pack if it is safe for you, and book a visit.

C. Severe pain after an implant or extraction

Some pain in the first days after surgery is expected and should ease. Pain that gets worse after a few days is not.

• Message the clinic with a photo of the area and how bad the pain is.
• Follow the pain relief advice the clinic gave you.
• Do not rinse hard after an extraction.
• If you cannot reach the clinic and the pain is severe, go to a hospital emergency department.

D. Dental abscess or swelling

A spreading facial infection is a real emergency and can affect the airway.

E. Knocked-out tooth (avulsion)

• Pick the tooth up by the crown only, never the root.
• Rinse it briefly in milk; do not scrub.
• If you can, put it back in the socket and bite on a clean cloth.
• If not, keep it in milk and see a dentist as fast as you can. Time matters.

F. Broken denture or bridge

Do not glue it. Bring all the pieces to the clinic in a bag and ask about repair. Picasso lists denture repair at 1,000,000 VND.

G. Bleeding that will not stop

Light oozing for a while after an extraction or implant is normal. Heavy bleeding that soaks gauze quickly is not.

• Sit upright and bite firmly on folded gauze for 20 minutes.
• Do not rinse or spit.
• If it keeps going despite pressure, especially if you take blood thinners, go to an emergency department.

3. Decision Tree: Clinic, Hospital, or Embassy?

4. Hospitals: When and How

For serious swelling, breathing or swallowing problems, heavy bleeding or a facial injury, go to a hospital emergency department rather than a dental clinic. If you have travel insurance, call its assistance line: it can usually direct you to a suitable hospital and tell you how payment works. Your hotel can also help you get there.

5. Hanoi Clinic Contacts

SmileJet lists two dental clinics in Hanoi, both branches of Picasso Dental Clinic (Nha khoa Picasso). Both are featured partners, a commercial listing relationship and not a clinical endorsement. Both are open every day from 8:30 to 18:00.

Ask the clinic before you leave how to reach it about a problem after hours, and what it charges to see you for a complication.

6. Emergency Phone Numbers & Embassy Lines

Vietnam emergency services

• 115: Ambulance
• 113: Police
• 114: Fire and rescue

Your embassy

Save your embassy's emergency number from its official website before you travel. Embassies do not pay medical bills, but can help with lost passports and give lists of local doctors.

7. What to Pack: Dental Emergency Kit

• Temporary dental cement
• Pain relief you know is safe for you
• Dental wax
• Gauze pads
• A small screw-top container for a crown
• Floss threaders or interdental brushes
• A soft toothbrush
• A small zip bag for ice
• Your treatment plan and recent X-rays on your phone

Pharmacies (nhà thuốc) are easy to find in Hanoi if you forget something.

8. Post-Treatment Complications to Watch For

Your dentist's written aftercare instructions come first. These are general signs to watch for.

After tooth extraction (nhổ răng)

• Usually normal: soreness and some oozing in the first days.
• Warning: severe pain starting a few days later with a bad taste, which can be dry socket; contact the clinic.
• Urgent: fever, facial swelling or pus.

After dental implant placement (trồng răng implant)

• Usually normal: pain, swelling and bruising that ease over the first days.
• Warning: pain that gets worse instead of better, or an implant that feels loose. See our implant failure guide.
• Urgent: numbness or tingling in the lip or chin that does not wear off after the anaesthetic should have; contact the clinic straight away.

After All-on-4 or All-on-6

• Usually normal: swelling, a soft-food diet as instructed, and time adjusting to the provisional bridge.
• Warning: a provisional bridge that feels loose or a bad smell from under it; contact the clinic.

After a sinus lift

• Usually normal: mild congestion, pressure and small nosebleeds.
• Warning: fever, lasting discharge or severe upper-jaw pain.
• Flying: ask the dentist when it is safe to fly.

After crowns or veneers

• Usually normal: some sensitivity and a short period of getting used to the bite.
• Warning: sharp pain on biting that does not settle, or gums that keep bleeding; ask for a check.

9. When to Fly Home vs Stay in Hanoi

Stay in Hanoi if…

• The problem relates to recent treatment in Hanoi and the clinic can see you.
• You have an active infection or swelling.
• You have just had surgery and the dentist has not cleared you to fly.

Consider flying home if…

• Your treatment is finished and the dentist has cleared you to fly.
• Your insurer has arranged to bring you home.
• The problem is unrelated to your Hanoi treatment and your home dentist can see you soon.

10. Travel Insurance & Assistance Lines

Keep your policy number and the insurer's emergency assistance number on your phone and on paper. When you call:

1. Give your policy number.
2. Say where you are.
3. Describe the problem and ask where to go and how payment works.
4. Ask for a case reference number.

FAQ

What should I do if my crown falls off during my trip to Hanoi?

Keep the crown in a clean container and contact the clinic. If it was placed in Hanoi, contact that clinic first; both Picasso branches are open every day 8:30 to 18:00. Do not use superglue.

Where do I go for a serious dental emergency in Hanoi at night?

For anything life-threatening, such as swelling that affects breathing or swallowing, call 115 for an ambulance or go to a hospital emergency department. Your travel insurer's assistance line can direct you to a suitable hospital.

How do I know if pain after an implant is normal?

Some pain and swelling in the first days is expected and should ease. Pain that gets worse after a few days, pus, a bad taste, fever, spreading swelling or lasting numbness needs a same-day call to the clinic.

Should I fly home or stay in Hanoi with a dental problem?

If the problem relates to treatment done in Hanoi, it is usually easier to have the same clinic see you before you leave. Ask the dentist whether it is safe to fly, especially after upper-jaw surgery or with an infection.

Does travel insurance cover dental emergencies in Vietnam?

Many policies cover some emergency dental care, such as pain relief or an accident, but exclude complications of treatment you travelled for. Read the wording and ask the insurer before you go.