Oral Healthcare Items to Keep in Your First Aid Kit

An oral emergency, like biting your tongue or lip, getting something stuck in your teeth and gums, or damage to one of your teeth, can be a serious cause for concern. While it’s impossible to prevent all oral emergencies from ever happening, JC Brown, DDS recommends stocking your first aid kit with a few common oral healthcare items. This will help you to be prepared when an oral emergency does happen.

Waxed dental floss is the tool of choice for removing something from between teeth or lodged in the gum line. The waxy coating allows the strand to slide between teeth easier than unwaxed floss. It could also be helpful to keep a floss threader in the kit. This will allow you to work around the foreign object from a different angle.

If one or more of your teeth is knocked out, there is a chance that JC Brown, DDS can implant the tooth back into the socket. For any chance of success, the tooth needs to be alive. You can preserve the tooth by keeping it between your cheek and gums. There are tooth preservation products that do an even better job of doing this. These are usually a container containing a nourishing gel. You simply put the tooth in the container and seal it tight.

Having salt packets and a plastic cup on hand will allow you quickly prepare a saltwater rinse. This can help clear blood and debris from your mouth and also help soothe injured tissues. Topical oral analgesic can be rubbed onto your gums to partially numb the area for a short time.

Many oral injuries have some swelling associated with them. Keeping a few zip-top bags and a washcloth in your kit can help to improvise a cold compress.

If you have questions about how to better prepare for oral emergencies, please feel free to call JC Brown, DDS at 901-758-1000 for advice, or to schedule an appointment.