In week 10 [1], dental preparedness was introduced and preventative dental health was stressed. This week we are taking our dental issues to another level… a longer-term level. It is important to remember that your teeth and gums are living body parts that respond to vitamins, minerals and fatty acids just as your skin, hair, muscles and organs do. And we must do all that we can do to keep them healthy. When teeth do not get the proper amounts of vitamins [2] and nutrition [3], their overall health diminishes. Did you know there are foods [4] that are both nutritious as well as good for the teeth and gums? Having access to some of these foods during a short or long-term emergency can be beneficial to your health as well as to your teeth.
As previously discussed in week 10, preventative dental health is the best type of oral care you can give your teeth and gums. Schedule regular check ups with your dentist to keep your oral health up to par. After all, we don’t want to be dealing with any existing dental problems during a long-term emergency. Having supplies and knowledge on natural alternatives to turn to during longer term emergencies will help keep you thriving.
When we think about being in a long-term emergency, the thought of having dental issues on top of everything else is a nightmare in itself. Since our goal is to create an all-encompassing preparedness supply, knowing what the most likely scenarios are and planning for them is better than going into a situation blindly. In the case of dental emergencies, the most common types of dental emergencies [5] to prepare for are:
- Toothache
- Swollen jaw
- Dental injuries
- Prolonged bleeding after an extraction
- Painful jaw
- Painful erupting tooth
- Cold Sores, Canker Sores, Fever Blisters
Most of these issues can be eradicated through preventative maintenance, so I’ll stress again: Keep your teeth healthy. When there is an emergency, however, dentist appointments are hard to come by. So, we will learn some alternative approaches to keep our teeth and gums in top shape. When the toothpaste and toothbrushes run out of your disaster supplies, look for these dental alternatives in your emergency supplies:
- Salt
- Baking soda
- Essential oils
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Water
These items are multi-purpose, inexpensive and can keep your teeth and gums very healthy during a long-term disaster. For more detailed information including recipes for dental pastes and rinses, click here [6]. Also, if you plan to have any elderly family members staying with you during a short or long-term disaster, do not forget to anticipate their dental needs.
Having some dental supplies to rely on during short-or long-term emergencies would be opportunistic to say the least. Your emergency dental supplies should be all encompassing with regards to multiple dental emergency resources, first aid supplies, vitamins, pain relief, anti-inflammatory needs and antibiotics.
Preps To Buy:
- Salt (in quantity)
- Baking Soda (in quantity)
- Essential oils (in quantity) such as clove oil, cinnamon oil, or 4 thieves oil
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Toothpaste (in quantity)
- Soft bristled toothbrush (in quantity)
- Dental floss (in quantity)
- Toothpicks (the rounded end type)
- Mouth rinse [7]
- Tweezers
- Instant hot and cold packs (in quantity)
- Dental wax (to place over sensitive areas)
- Dentemp
- Cotton balls (in quantity)
- Gauze pads (in quantity)
- Black teabags (tannic acid in tea is a natural blood clotting agent)
- Activated charcoal [8]
- Suture kit [9]
- Vitamins
- Additional dental resources
- Dental tool assortment [10]
- Monofilament or suture “thread”
- Suture needles
- Celox or quikclot
- Antibiotics
- Ibuprofen or pain reliever
- Rubbing alcohol to sterilize dental tools
Action Items:
- If you haven’t done so, get a check up with your dentist.
- Begin stocking up on vitamins that can help dental health [2].
- Click here [11]to download a PDF version of “When There Is No Dentist” by Murray Dickson. Then begin studying this resource to familiarize yourself with how to provide care.
- Start changing some bad eating habits (i.e., eliminating sugars, sodas, honey and molasses and junk food from the diet). If you do eat or drink any sugary items, make a habit of brushing your teeth within 30 minutes to remove any sugars left on your teeth. This can significantly reduce cavities.
- Get in the habit of flossing.