Saturday, November 19, 2011

The Dental Emergency Kit

Dental Emergency Kit sold by Landfall

Another very good dental emergency kit by Traveler's Supply,
only $24.95
http://www.amazon.com/Travelers-Supply-Emergency-Dental-Kit/dp/B001MA316C/ref=pd_sim_sbs_sg_1

            

   Last week, I went out to dinner with my husband when a very small piece of molar broke off during dinner.  On reporting to the dentist, the following day, I found that there had been some problem with the filling in that tooth, and that this had weakened it sufficiently to allow a small portion of the actual tooth to break off.  I was fortunately able to get a dentist's appointment quickly, and have this repaired.  The new polymers which look white, were used, to which I appear somewhat sensitive, and I have been in pain ever since.  It is therefore not surprising that I would want to make a post on your establishing an emergency dental kit for your preparations.
                     The first and most important thing to do is to make sure you have established a business relationship with a good dentist so that if there IS a disaster, you would still have someone who could see you and help you in an extreme dental emergency.  Yes, some of them will work on Saturdays and Sundays in an emergency, but not if you have not seen them before.  Secondly, it's important that you address any known dental problems you have. Infected or abscessed teeth cannot simply result in the loss of the tooth and a lot of pain, but also in heart lining infections which can produce death.  Rarely, a brain infection can occur following an infected tooth.  General health can be adversely impacted as a result of dental neglect.    Fortunately, in much of the world, dental care is less expensive than it is in the United States.   When we were in Russia, I spent considerable time looking in the hotel menu of dental services, wishing that I could have my regular dental work done at such reasonable prices !  In many parts of the world, dental care is a good value.
                  Following addressing known problems and maintaining your teeth and gums as your dentist directs. there are some other things you can and should do, in anticipation of emergencies.  One is to get sufficient Vitamin C.  Since our bodies cannot store Vitamin C, we need some each day.  Without Vitamin C, gum diseases accelerate, and without healthy gums, our gums recede, and we accelerate the process of losing our teeth.  Many nations are good about this, and in Russia, people are liberal with lemon juice as a means of getting their Daily C.  In Europe, oranges are very popular in one form or another.  In the US, Vitamin C appears to slide just a little more.  With the skyrocketing costs of orange juice, this isn't a breakfast staple anymore.  Look at your diet and your supplements. Are you receiving a sufficient amount ?
                 Make sure you are getting adequate calcium. If you are a pregnant woman or nursing mother, your calcium requirements are higher. If you are a person taking thyroid hormones, estrogen supplements following menopause,  drugs to correct osteoporosis, or someone with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, you may also need calcium supplementation and additional Vitamin D.
                 Next, you should establish a dental emergency kit.  The two above are excellent examples.
These do not allow you to repair your own teeth or become your own family dentist, but they do allow you to make it to the dentist's appointment at the end of the week without going mad in pain. They will allow you to temporarily fill a lost filling.
             My favorite kit can be purchased from:

   http://www.landfallnavigation.com/sfa36.html?cmp=amazon-ppc&am=sfa36&utm_source=sfa36&utm_medium=shopping%2Bengine&utm_campaign=amazon-ppc

It contains:

 
Dental examining gloves
Dental examining mirror
Dental tweezers
Dental exploring point
Dental spatula
Dental wax
Dental floss
Dentemp filling material
Dentemp crown & bridge cement
Dental ointment for cold sores
Dental ointment for canker sores
Salt sticks
Cotton stick
Cotton rolls
Cotton balls
Cotton gauze pads
Toothbrush with toothpaste
Toothache drops (eugenol oil of cloves)
Emergency Dental Treatment Instructions
It sells for $34.95 US.

        Fortunately, there are a number of kits available in many places which contain filling material and directions. I would also recommend getting something like Oragel or Anbesol, which basically is Benzocaine 20%. Using a small amount around the gum of a tooth which is painful can be a big help at times.

  
This kit is only $19.99 from Amazon.com


A good kit enables you to deal with toothache; loss of a filling, crown or cap; a tooth fracture; gum irritation and sores, or irritation from braces, or new dentures. This kit is used for emergencies only and is not intended to replace regular professional dental care or when available, emergency dental care.



This one is a Hiker's dental kit:

Hiker's Emergency Dental Kit, available at Landfall, above.

 

       Also, the other thing I have found is that many fillings, done at the dentists particularly those filled with the newer quickly setting polymers do not seem to provide the same level of hot cold protection as did the amalgam fillings.   I am extremely sensitive to cold when I eat, to the point at which I am not requesting "no ice" in anything.   There is a line of Sensodyne and similar toothpastes which help the user's teeth to be less sensitive to temperature changes, following dental repair.

       There are also simply Den-temp kits which for two or three dollars provides emergency filling material. This is the same material that your dentist uses to temporarily fill a tooth.  You can build your own dental emergency kit around a two or three dollar Den-Temp filling kit.  Please follow the directions for use exactly. These kits do expire eventually, and do best when stored in a heated and cooled environment, so pay attention to where they are housed, and to their expiration dates.  (They do work for some months past their stated date of expiry)

        There is one other thing I should mention.  If you or a child ever lose a viable tooth due to trauma or accident. Save the tooth, place it in cool milk and head to a dentist immediately.  A surprisingly large number of teeth can be reimplanted and anchored temporarily, while the the re-placed tooth regrows roots.
      I hope this post is helpful to you.

34 comments:

Jessie said...

Must admit that you are one of the coolest bloggers I ever saw.


Dentist in West Linn

JaneofVirginia said...

Thanks Jessie,
I think there will be more blog posts on dental subjects because people need to know how to manage the more common dental issues when they occur.

Excel Dental said...

Dr Lapsi provides emergency dental services for the Mission Viejo, Laguna Hills and Orange County areas. You do not necessarily have to be a current patient of Dr. Lapsi to be seen for dental emergency. If you have pain, swelling, bleeding, a broken tooth, a broken crown or a broken veneer, you can contact

Emergency Dentist Carlsbad

Karan Johar said...

I hope you will share this with your colleagues. It would be interesting to hear what they have to say, too!

Dentist in Bakersfield

JaneofVirginia said...

I do not generally allow advertising on the blog for people I have not used personally, but if anyone is in the area, this dentist is at least interesting in educating the public in terms of emergency care and its availability. Thanks for posting.

JaneofVirginia said...

Most of my collegues have not signed up to "follow" the blog per se, but they do sign on now and again and comment to me, usually in the areas in which they have expertise. Interestingly, emergency dental care, and getting in to see a dentist on an emergent basis is of great interest to everyone worldwide.

Jayden Carrick said...

Great Blog!! That was amazing. Your thought processing is wonderful. The way you tell the thing is awesome. You are really a master. Your blog just reminded me a Dentist in Abilene

Jack brendan said...

Thank you for another fantastic blog. Where else could I get this kind of information written in such an incite full way? I have a project that I am just now working on (Denist in Methuen), and I have been looking for such information¡­ Regards

Anonymous said...

This kind of information is very limited on internet. Nice to find the post related to my searching criteria. Your updated and informative post will be appreciated by blog loving people.


Dentist in Livonia

john mcovey said...

Gracias por tu post, estoy en busca de esos artículos a lo largo del tiempo, por fin lo he encontrado en tu blog.

Dentist in Boise

Alfie Lewis said...

The dental emergency kit is very important for treatment of your teeth to destroy your problems related teeth. It has many tools like screw, brush, medicine etc.
Emergency Dental

JaneofVirginia said...

Actually, the dental emergency kits I am advocating are not intended to treat dental problems, per se. They are intended to provide dental first aid while you are in the process of locating or traveling to a dentist. These do not contain a "screw" of any kind.

Unknown said...

A dental emergency kit comes in handy especially in situations when your son/daughter has a problem with their teeth or gums, and your personal dentist isn't around or you’re in a long vacation. But, you need to be sure that these kits are properly sanitized in order to avoid infections in your teeth. Bacteria tend to thrive in equipment if they are not properly cleaned and sanitized.

Trinidad Philipps

JaneofVirginia said...

Trinidad, The emergency dental kits I am advocating are designed for one time use. Once the small portions of filling material are opened and placed, and the directions are followed to a tee, the kit should be thrown away and replaced, thus diminishing concerns for a need to sanitize such articles. Of course, anyone using a dental emergency kit needs to see a dentist as soon as possible. This will not only potentially save the tooth, but can prevent bacterial infections in the tooth, mouth or gums which migrate to the endocardium. Such infections of the heart following a failure to obtain dental work have resulted in death.

Unknown said...

Hello! This is a good read. I will be looking forward to visit your page again and for your other posts as well. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about Dentist in your area. I am glad to stop by your site and know more about Dentist. Keep it up!
Specialists in these fields are designated "registrable" (in the United States, "board eligible") and warrant exclusive titles such as orthodontist, oral and maxillofacial surgeon, endodontist, pediatric dentist, periodontist, or prosthodontist upon satisfying certain local accreditation requirements (U.S., "Board Certified").
At Dr. Solomon's office, dental emergencies are always handled promptly. If your emergency occurs during business hours, we will see you in our office as soon as possible. Until you are able to see your dentist, you can alleviate pain and prevent further damage by adhering to the guidelines.

Dentist Stoneham MA

Unknown said...

thank you for sharing great post. Its good to see this information in your post, Dental Emergency Orlando

Anonymous said...

hi, this is one of the good blog site and i find more valuable information here... thanks and looking forward for more posts.

http://healthysmileskids.com/sedation

Unknown said...

You just need to be careful when you're looking around for a local emergency dentist and take the time to check their particular experience before letting them perform any dental work or treatments.

emergency dentist and lansing emergency dentist


JaneofVirginia said...

This is true. There are a wide range of dentists, skills and techniques being employed depending upon when they completed dental residencies and where. It took me years to find a really great team.

dany chandra said...

Hi!
Super-Duper site! I am loving it!! Will come back again - taking you feeds also, Emergency Dentist Centre.Thanks.....

JaneofVirginia said...

Thanks,Dany.

Unknown said...

Pretty good post. I just stumbled upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts.

car service gloucester

Unknown said...

Hi there! great stuff, glad to drop by your page and found these very interesting and informative. Thanks for sharing, keep it up!

hamilton , ma emergency dentist

JaneofVirginia said...

Thank you for posting. I have used my own dental emergency kit twice each time on a weekend. Then, she was able to see me the Monday afterward for a repair. Then, I replaced my kit to keep the Temparin in it as fresh as it needs to be. It was worth the amount paid for the Dental Emergency Kit to be comfortable and to prevent additional damage until I got to the dentist.

Unknown said...

Hi there! great post. Thanks for sharing a very interesting and informative content, it is a big help to me and to others as well, keep it up!
Emergency Dentist Hanover

JaneofVirginia said...

Thank you Kaieza, I try to bring important posts on general preparedness to everyone, as often as possible.

Unknown said...

Hi there! great post. Thanks for sharing your knowledge in this area. keep it up!
emergency dentist hingham

JaneofVirginia said...

Thanks so much for posting. I will continue to blog about important preparation issues, and good products which help us to that end. These kits have been beneficial to our family more than once as we bridged a day or two until our dental appointment.

Unknown said...

Thanks for the information actually this blog is really useful for everyone keep it up Admin... Night Guards

james brownn said...

I think this is an i nformative post and it is very useful and knowledgeable. therefore, I would like to thank you for the efforts you have made in writing this article.
Calgary Dentist

Leonardo Swafford said...

Very nice information about emergency dental care

encinodentalsmile said...

The wonderful post is very impressive to read thanks for sharing. 24 hour dentist in Encino

mylondondentist said...

Thanks for share kind information about Emergency Dentist In general, any dental problem that needs immediate treatment to stop bleeding, alleviate severe pain, or save a tooth is considered an emergency and Daher dental provide emergency services.

JaneofVirginia said...

@mylondondentist, Of course, what you are saying is very sensible and quite true for your location. However, much of the world and much of the US is not at all like suburban Toronto, Canada. Canada as a whole has only 20% of the population of the entire US. Many states and regions have few dentists. In my own rural location in the US, I saw a dentist this week and I had waited four months for an appointment. When she saw me, she addressed only one of my issues and rescheduled me for the others for June. By June, my other issues are likely to be emergent. Some of us see two dentists so that we may schedule an adequate number of visits. In the US, dentistry is extremely expensive and many people have no dental insurance whatsoever. Also, the US is a nation that does not recognize, license or employ denturists and so dentists time is also taken by selecting, fitting and providing dentures. A number of American dentists are specialists, in either pediatric, endodontic, orthodontic, oral surgery or facial surgery specialties. Many states have inadequate numbers of competent licensed general dentists. For this reason, providing people with some guidance as to how to make it to their next dental or physicians appointment has value and contributes to their safety.