A dental emergency can happen at any time. Whether you’re playing sports, eating dinner, or awakening in the night with severe pain, sometimes urgent situations don’t happen when it’s convenient. Thankfully, you can help prepare yourself for a dental emergency by keeping a well-stocked dental emergency kit in your home.
Much like a first aid kit, this can contain a variety of oral health supplies that can help you out until you can make it to your urgent dental appointment. Here’s what you should put in your own dental emergency kit.
What To Put in your Dental Emergency Kit
- Gauze
- A tooth mirror
- Dental floss
- Toothpaste
- Mouthwash
- A toothbrush
- Dental wax
- A small sealable container
- Saline solution
- A handkerchief
- Rubber gloves
- Tea bags
- Tweezers
- Cotton balls
- Cotton swabs
- Alcohol wipes
- Petroleum jelly
- Temporary dental filling material
- A cold compress
- Orabase paste for canker sores
- Lidocaine numbing ointment
- Over the counter pain medication
- Contact information for your dentist
For those who wear braces, aligners, or dentures, you should also include the following:
- Retainer cleanser or aligner crystals
- Denture soak
- Denture adhesive
- Gummies for adjusting aligners
- An aligner removal tool
- Floss threaders
- Small Brushes (braces brushes)
Your dental emergency kit is great to keep at home or take it with you on the go if you’re engaging in an activity that might cause tooth damage such as a contact sport.
Ways to Avoid Injury
While it’s great to have a dental emergency kit as backup, here are a few ways you can lower your risk of getting injured in the first place:
- Visit your dentist twice a year for your semi-annual exam and cleaning
- Brush your teeth twice a day
- Floss daily
- Wear a bite guard if you have bruxism (teeth grinding)
- Wear a sports mouthguard if you are an athlete
- Schedule an emergency dental appointment if you notice any changes to your teeth or gums
- Don’t use your teeth to chew inedible items or to open packaging
Remember, while it’s not always possible to prevent injuries, having a fully stocked dental emergency kit at the ready can help ease any pain or discomfort you might experience until you can be seen by a dentist.
About Dr. Ali
Dr. Sheriff Ali has been a dental patient himself, so he knows how intimidating that chair can be. That’s why he strives to make every patient feel safe and comfortable in his own practice. Dr. Ali believes that providing a warm, welcoming environment and working together with you to implement meaningful, incremental changes can help make oral health easier to manage and will provide longer lasting results.
To schedule an urgent appointment with Kaizen Family Dentistry, please visit our website or call us today at 813-461-3463.