About a year ago, after brushing my teeth one evening, I noticed a massive brown spot on one of my canines. I mean, it was huge. How had I gotten such a honking cavity without seeing it sooner? I was absolutely mortified. Of course, I called the dentist office the next morning and the scheduler got me right in. And kindly Dr. Johnson assured me that it wasn’t a new cavity—the filling had merely fallen out. He fixed me right up and I was on my merry way.
According to statistics posted at ElectricTeeth.com, 91% of American adults have had cavities.[1] Most of those cavities have been filled. Occasionally, a filling will fall out. If it isn’t replaced soon, food will find its way into the cavity again. Bacteria will eat away at the tooth, and pain and infection are soon to follow. If the original cavity and filling were big enough, pain will set in quickly.
With any luck, we will have access to competent dentists even when things fall apart. But just like doctors, dentists aren’t likely to be stocking up on all the supplies needed to service their patients for a full year or two or whatever it takes before society is functioning again. We need to have our own supplies on hand. The Master Dental Shopping List, posted two weeks ago, is a place to start.
When a filling falls out, hopefully we can get right in to the dentist. If not, (because, you know, these things always seem to happen on weekends and holidays, or when we just got slammed with a massive case of TEOTWAWKI), the world doesn’t really have to come to an end. Temporary filling cement is cheap to come by and easy to use. Amazon sells it for as little as a couple of dollars; I think it is cheaper in grocery stores and pharmacies.
Temporary filling cement like Dentek’s Temparin is just what the name implies—temporary. It’s only designed to be used for a couple of days—just until you can get in to the dentist. It will do the job temporarily, protecting the cavity from filling up with food and preventing the nerves from causing pain. If you don’t have temporary filling cement, some dentists recommend chewing a piece of sugarless gum and using it to cover the cavity.
But what if the situation is a little more critical? What if there is absolutely no going to the dentist for a somewhat longer period of time?
Then you want to a have zinc oxide, eugenol, and some rudimentary dental tools. These can be purchased individually, or you can get a little outfit like the mastermedi Zinc Oxide Eugenol Cement Dental Care Kit on Amazon. And as the description on Amazon indicates, this zinc oxide-eugenol cement can also glue loose crowns and bridges. Directions with the kit state to mix 1 scoop of powder with 1-2 drops of oil. Be prepared to work quickly as the cement sets up rapidly.
The zinc oxide-eugenol filling is also temporary in nature, but some have been known to last for years. Naturally, DIY dental care beyond brushing and flossing should be left to the professionals while society is still functioning. If things have collapsed, a dentist should still be sought out for care. Just be sure to bring along your supplies.
The following option for managing a lot filling comes from The Ship's Medicine Chest and Medical Aid at Sea:
"If pain is absent, no treatment will be required for a lost filling and the patient should e advised to see a dentist when in port. If the tooth is sensitive to cold, a temporary dressing should be placed into the cavity. First, the tooth is isolated by placing a 2"x2" gauze on each side. A cotton pellet can be used to dry the cavity. A drop of oil of cloves or eugenol should be placed on cotton and gently pressed into the cavity. Pain is usually controlled. This may be repeated 2 or 3 times daily as necessary.[2]
Links to related posts:
[1] https://www.electricteeth.com/dental-statistics/
[2] The Ship's Medicine Chest and Medical Aid at Sea, 1978, 152.
Coconut oil is an excellent gum and tooth preventative and treatment. Oil pulling used to be voodoo to me but like using a Neti pot once you give it a try it's pretty useful.
ReplyDeleteI'm a night grinder and often have tooth pain-gun issues. PRN use of coconut oil helps the gums heal and I've proven to myself it's ability to resolve tooth infections.
Also Coconut oil very useful for healing skin wounds-dry skin issues and such. A tiny dab will do it :-)
Still working on my first jar of it. Have a few more set aside.
Cpt. Cook noted how beautiful the natives of Hawaii's teeth were. Marveled they didn't brush their teeth or anything, studies snowed that coconut meat and oil was the reasons.
But I still brush my teeth :-) Now if I can figure out a replacement for coconut oil that I can make in NE I'll be setting up my post SHTF Dentist office :-)
Interesting tidbit there on Captain Cook's observations. I think coconut oil is the duct tape of food and medical preparedness--so many uses. I think you can't store too much of it--it makes a wonderful replacement for butter in making chocolate chip cookies. And if you can figure out how to make coconut oil up there, you'll be set for life.
DeleteI used to be able to get 7.25 ounce bottles of it for a dollar at the Dollar Tree stores. I'm guessing they raised their prices by now--don't know--it's been a year since I've been to Dollar Tree.
This a timely article full of good information, thank you!.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I think there is just too much focus on how to start on IV or do an amputation in the field, are far too little on the issues that are more likely to affect us and cause us considerable pain--and that are entirely avoidable or treatable with just a little information and the supplies to go along with it.
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