Emergency field dental skills

RightHand,
It is true, technology in dentistry and dental treatment has been growing by leaps and bounds. Having a "filling" today is MUCH different comparred to 20 yrs ago, and we are still thinking of ways we can educate people to prevent having major work done.

 

Ambisol will numb either orifice.

 

I have been using clove oil for many many years with great results....Having had 8 children, that always had a cavity, a cracked or broken tooth, or a dislodged filling...! (as stated prior, keep that stuff out of any place near mucous membranes!) It really BURNS!
It works, and it does so fast!
I also keep a few Large bottles of 3% hydrogen peroxide, just for cleaning and any possible infections.
Warm salt water works good on several problems as well.
Since I am now "doomed" to wear dentures, following a lot of years of pain and oral surgeries, I found out a lot about taking care of the mouth!
I have had phone calls from people 35 miles away in the middle of the night about a toothache, had to help treat a co-worker to be able to even get them into the car to a dentist following a fractured tooth accident at work...and have had neighbors come over at 2 and 4 in the morning in extreme pain, and even had my son the deputy, call me about a person that had been in a car accident that needed immediate pain relief....It was always the same:
Clove oil to the rescue!
Now for those of you that wear dentures, partial or whtever appliances, and may at some time need a reline, I suggest you contact:
Lee Pharmaceuticals and get their "acryiline 2" temporary denture reliner kit! (It's not quite as good as the older "sea bond" liner material, but it's close enough!) I use it now!

 

Here's a great video showing sidewalk dental work in India:



OUCH!!!!
Welcome to the 1800's.

 

The active invredient in Oil of Cloves is Eugenol - over 85% of the oil by volume. It may e labeled as either one - 'Clove Oil' or 'Oil of Clove(s)' is more common in an herbal shop, and Eugenol is more common at the drugstore, from what I've seen. I've bought and used a tooth pain kit that has a small bottle of Eugenol, cotton pellets, and angled forcets to hold the little oil-soaked cotton ball against the injury - works great!

 

I've got a root canal that the top half came off, and a molar beside it cratering out. Clove, Oragel and Chloraseptic spray will help with the pain. People with heart conditions should not use the epinephrine based pain shots, use the alternative. I'm scheduled for next week to meet the drill.

 

Old thread revived!

WhatIi would add to the list is sugarless gum. It has been shown to do a very good job of cleaning teeth if you can't brush.
Also, I would have a ten day supply of antibiotics (penicillin AND erythromycin for the allergic folks out there). They expire after a couple of years, so you may have to keep up on that and make friends with someone who can write a prescription for this, which is ok. Asking for narcotic pain pills is NOT! I would still put a bottle of Ibuprofin there too. It's one of the better non-steroidal anti inflamatories out there for dental pain.

 

I'm on 500 mg of Amoxicillin right now for an infected nerve, they can't save it, has to be extracted.
I first put some clove in it, and follow up with 20% Oragel then a Tylenol, because nsaids interfere with my Coreg and Zestril. While I got a low co-pay, I'm going to get them all fixed, because you can't get around a bad tooth out in the field.

 

Sure you can. I was a combat dental surgeon for the 7th Infantry Division. I did alot of field dentistry out there when we weren't humping rucksacks all over the place. (I should have gone Airborne when I could have).
It can get extracted and your troubles are over! LOL
But seriously, you're right. You can't really get around it. That's why guys like me had to be out there too.

 

Don't forget

Sea salt helps with a lot of teeth problems. And a small ball of gaze with clove oil on it then a larger piece of gaze over to bite down on keeps it where you want it. Garlic it a natural antibiotic if ya care to have a bite

 

Why not go beyond general dental kits?

I am surprised that no one has suggested items that go beyond the basic dental kits of clove of oil, wax, cotton pellets, etc. Aren't there basic dental instruments that could be purchased? Like lifters and general extractors. I don't want someone pulling my teeth with pliers. They would tend to crush the tooth where an extractor would not. Suggestions anyone?

 

as a farrier and equine dentist i had the tools for tooth extraction
havent seen them in a few years tho, wife probly threw them away on me
but they are pretty much the same as for our teeth, just a little heavier
after 30 some years of excrutiating pain (Every dentist swore they could save my teeth)
they finally pulled them all shortly after i turned 30
dont even wear the fake ones, hate them, but i have no dental probs at all now
other than the occasion case of raw gums when i eat too much toast or chips
i had no enamel on my teeth, just 2 little spots on one of the front ones
brushing just ate them away, by the time i was in my 20s i was chewing on jagged stubs
in my experience its much less pain overall to just pull the troubled tooth

as for female probs, i raised 4 girls pretty much alone, was lots of fun( sarcasm)

 

this was a concern for me as well and I have now added this list to my buy list. Thanks good work

 

All good stuff on the dental problems. There is one other solution that can be considered, a Leatherman. If there isn't any dentists around the pain can get so bad that self extraction might be the only way. I did it once and with the pain as bad as it was I just did it. Realizing that we don't have an endless supply it can still be better than unbearable pain.

 

I would use all that stuff except for the baggies lol I respect your reason but why would I want to keep my teeth that fell out?.... I think it would be useless for keeping teeth but for many other reasons, yes I keep baggies for 'water bags' maybe a replacement for a latex glove but I wouldn't use it for "Teeth" lol but if you do, great cool.

 

I think it's advisable to carry anti-biotics and at least a small supply of the heaviest pain med's that you can get. I've had absess recurr due to a chronic infection that can't be stomped out. It rears its ugly head whenever my immune system is compromised. These are debilitating and atrociously painfull, but can also be deadly.
I had to pull (knock out) one of my own teeth once when I was three days away from the nearest road. By the time I picked myself up off the ground I had no idea how long I was out. I never, ever, ever want to go through that again!

Re: Bear & Melbo, pg.1) Raised two girls by myself for a few years. Talk about scary. Thank God for aunts!

 

there is a product called temperin you can get at wal-mart. it is a temporary filling material that has a pain medicine in it. it dries quickly and you can eat with it. i used it to fill some of the wife's teeth till she could get to the dentist. the H2O2 is good rinse for cleaning the cavity. for a preventative and a help, mix it 50/50 with your favorite antiseptic mouthwash{ Listerine,etc} it really does help!

 

67 now and about to get me some "stow bought choppers". Had these a long time but time to trade them in for a new set--lol.
ETA: "Super glue" should be in every dental kit. I have put many dentures together with it--same thing the dentists use to repair broken ones. It can be used in lieu of stitches in a pinch. Good stuff to have on hand. We keep several packs of tubes in various places.