Every home needs to have a first aid kit with some of the essentials: bandages, antibiotic cream, and hydrogen peroxide are all important parts of treating injuries fast. The same goes for dental injuries, but unfortunately not many of us have a dental care first aid kit sitting around at home!
Whether you’re a patient at our New Albany dentist office or you’re a busy Indianapolis resident looking for tips, we want to help you be prepared for any dental care emergency that comes your way. Here’s a list of some of the most important items to keep in your dental care first aid kit.
When The Injury Happens
You need to have the right materials for the immediate treatment and cleaning of the wound. These should be in your first line of items.
- Rubber Gloves: make sure you have some regular latex ones and a vinyl pair in case you have to help someone who has a latex allergy. Gloves are essential if you’re helping anyone besides yourself: whether it’s your own children, a family member, or a friend.
- Alcohol Wipes: cleaning the injury is an important first step, especially if there is dirt or debris in the wound. You can clean and sanitize the area with alcohol wipes, which are a great option because they’re individually packed and sterile.
- A Dental Mirror: having one of these in your kit can be indispensable if you can’t easily see the wound. They’re also a must for treating yourself. Make sure you either buy the kind with an attached light or make sure you have a small flashlight in your kit as well. Just because a mirror can bend around those tight areas doesn’t mean it will actually help you see in the dark corners of the mouth!
- Floss: It might be surprising to think of floss in your emergency kit, but food stuck between teeth can definitely cause an emergency. Keep some in your kit so you always know where it is.
- Salt: rinsing the mouth to clean out dangerous particles or bacteria is important. Mix some water with salt to create a good rinse that should be used immediately. It burns, but that’s because it’s doing its job!
First Aid Treatment
Once you’ve stopped bleeding or identified the problem you’ll need to be sure you’re treating the wound between home and an emergency dental visit.
- Cotton Swabs: you can use swabs to not only clean out a wound, but also to apply topical products that ease pain and prevent infection. They’re an invaluable part of your kit!
- Cotton Balls: use these to stop out-of-control bleeding, fill an empty socket, or cushion a cheek. Anything that might require cushioning or stopping bleeding is a great task for cotton balls. Make sure they’re kept packaged so they stay clean.
- Dental Wax: if you’ve ever worn braces, or know someone who has, you’ve probably seen dental wax. It’s a soft, pliable wax that can cover broken orthodontics, sharp points on fractured teeth, or other dangerous points in the mouth. You can buy it at most drugstores.
- Temporary Filling Material: it’s pretty rare, but fillings do fall out. When they do you want to plug the hole fast, and that’s best done with temporary filling material. It’s a paste-like material that goes in and helps provide relief from sensitivity and harmful bacteria.
- Vaseline: this is a better way to temporarily attach a crown or other restoration that’s come off. We like it because it’s easier to clean off than adhesives. Just fill the crown, pop it on, and the gel makes a seal that holds it temporarily in place.
Pain Relief
Make sure you or your patient feels better quick – dental pain can be excruciating.
- strong>Ibuprofen: don’t keep aspirin in your first aid kit – it thins blood and makes it harder to form a clot.
- Topical Anesthetic: these are a great way to ease pain from soft tissue damage. Just apply some with a cotton swab and you’ll feel relief almost instantly. It doesn’t last too long, however, so be sure you keep that tube handy.
- Cold Compress: we recommend keeping some of the instant disposable ones in your kit so you don’t have to go looking for the ones in the freezer.
Keep It Handy For Best Results!
A first aid kit might contain some items you already have lying around, but the point isn’t to have extra: it’s to have them in one easy-to-find place. You don’t want to spend time trying to find things that you need right away during an emergency!
If you’re experiencing an emergency don’t hesitate to call. We’ll do what we can to help at New Albany Implants! You can reach us at (812) 945-7645 or you can request a non-emergency appointment right here online.