I know I have read it in the past... but now cant find it.

Also.... I read once upon a time, that there are temporary dental supplies. I have small children and we do not have the best teeth in our family. We drink plenty of milk and brush/floss often. Any advise would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for all of the help in advance.

-- bulldog (sniffin@around.com), December 07, 1999

Answers

Ho ho ho,

You need some Clove Oil in your stocking!!! Santa recommends Red Cross brand Toothache medicine! Ho Ho Ho!!!

A second suggestion (with a twinkle in my eye) is.... Colloidal Silver! As a topical application, it really does away with toothache pain. Just hold a mouthful around the tooth as long as you can, spit out, repeat as necessary!

Don't forget my cookies 12/24!

That jolly old elf himself

-- S. Claus (jolly.old@saint.nick), December 07, 1999.

You can get a dental kit from Wal Mart for about $5. It's for temporarily replacing loose fillings, etc. For toothache, it depends on the problem. I know that a regular tea bag that has been dipped in warm water and applied to the tooth will help.. Tannic acid I think. (Disclaimer: I am not a licensed dentist. I only play one on Tee Vee)

-- (rcarver@inacom.com), December 07, 1999.

For an abscessed tooth, swab the sore, infected area with a Q-tip dipped in Tea Tree Oil. Tastes baaaaad, but is very effective!

LunaC

-- LunaC (LunaC@moon.com), December 07, 1999.

Oil of clove. Put a drop right onto the aching tooth. It's a pain reliever. Found in small bottles in the toothpaste/dental floss section of stores. I saw some in Wal-Mart this weekend, and drug stores usually carry it as well. There ARE some temporary dental supplies, such as material to place over a broken tooth. Also saw something new (to me) at Wal-mart near the clove oil - a package containing the tool and polish to clean your teeth similarly to the way a dental hygienist does it.

-- Jill D. (jdance@mindspring.com), December 07, 1999.

The woman at the health food store suggested dipping a toothpick in the oil of clove and applying it so you can control where it goes. It feels like it burns a bit going on. However it worked very well for two of my friends while on retreat in the mountains.

----------------

-- Artful Dodger (ckabel@rust.net), December 07, 1999.

Oil of cloves is an excellent way to relieve the pain but if you want to knock out the infection *causing* the pain, the Tea Tree Oil is the way to go.

Also, for sore, inflamed gums (or any mouth wound or sore throat)a salt water rinse will speed the healing process.

And if you're suffering from a tooth infection, it wouldn't hurt to take Echinacea tablets to strengthen your immune system to further fight that sucker off.

LunaC

-- LunaC (LunaC@moon.com), December 07, 1999.

*Paging Will Huett*

-- flora (***@__._), December 07, 1999.

I have suffered more abcesses than I care to remember. Before I ever heard of clove oil (which is the ultimate) I kept an airline size bottle of Jack Daniels in my medicine cabinet. Soak a q-tip in the Jack and swab liberally. For good measure, soak another and lightly clamp down on it. I could usually get through the night with this, but not much longer.

-- lvz (lvzinser@hotmail.com), December 07, 1999.

I drive my dentist crazy. I had one abcessed tooth and I swear I will never have another. My dentist explained that a blow to your tooth (hit in the mouth by a rake handle, ball, etc) can cause an abcess tooth. Clove oil is what is used by the dentist to pack your gum after a tooth extraction and to treat a dry socket. It works. Rub and ice cube on the web of skin between the thumb and index finger on the same side of the body as your toothache. Research has shown that when that area of the hand is numb, the dental pain often decreases significantly. I got this info from the Academy of General Dentistry through my dentist.

-- Carol (glear@usa.net), December 08, 1999.

Also vitamin C, high doses every few hours, for infection. It might give you diarreah though.

-- Mara (MaraWayne@aol.com), December 08, 1999.

Bulldog,

First and most important and effective is GET 'EM FIXED!

Absolutely do not go into rollover with decay or large buildups of tartar in your mouth!

After that, hygiene, hygiene, hygiene. If your teeth are in good shape, the most likely trouble you will have is gum problems. The cleaner they are the less likely this is and this is the one area that you have more control than the dentist.

Odds are that alone will take care of the first year. Yes emergencies can and do occur, but I am speaking from 20 years experience and most likely if your mouth is well taken care of this month, it will be ok for quite a while.

Now the kids.

You said small, so I will assume under 12. If you have very small children, remember to ( pardon me while I raise my voice...)

NEVER LET THEM HAVE A BOTTLE WITH ANYTHING IN IT BUT WATER AT ANY TIME OTHER THAN PLANNED MEALS AND ORGANIZED SNACK TIME. Always follow this with rinsing, brushing or a bottle of water.

Children's teeth decay at a much faster rate than adults. Bath them in a sugar source and you can almost watch them rot.

For emergency pain the clove oil is the best over the counter. Also get a tube of Polygrip or cushion grip to replace a cap that comes off. The temporary filling kits are good, but I would not recomend them for re-cementation, the denture adhesive is more user friendly.

Don't forget a dental mirror and explorer, these will make the job easier.

Unfortunately, serious infections such as abscessed teeth don't have a home remedy. Get a supply of anti-biotics and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories ( motrin, advil, etc. )

Carol's suggestion of pressure between the thumb and forefinger is good. This is an acupunture point called Ho-Ku. Press hard, it is very sensitive if you are in the right spot and is good for any pain above the neck as well as nausea.

Again, an ounce of prevention really IS worth a pound of cure in this case. And even in a fairly mild scenario, dentistry is a vulnerable to the supply chain as any industry I know, so now is the time.

Good Luck and God Bless,

Will

-- Will Huett, D.D.S. (WILLHUETT@USA.NET), December 08, 1999.

Thanks everyone! An extra thanks to Will Huett!

Yes, I agree.... we all just had dentist apointments this last week. Yes my kids do usually have good check-ups....but this time, one of my girls had 2 teeth with problems. We had them fixed.

I remember as a child... having a tooth-ache. It is something I dont want my kids to have to go through. If I can help it. I guess I am also thinking of my neighbors/friends kids too. They DGI.

Again.... thanks alot. I will go to Wal-mart tomorrow.

-- bulldog (sniffin@around.com), December 08, 1999.

One thing you do NOT want to do. Do NOT hold a hot water bottle or a heating pad on the side of your face or jaw if you have an abcess. The heat will cause the abcess to drain out on your face. Very ugly!

-- Homeschooling Grandma (mlaymon@glenn-co.k12.ca.us), December 09, 1999.