DIY Dentistry

[Talulah]

There's been questions before on First Aid but how about dentistry?

Curious to know if anyone has had to do a DIY dentist job on board.
What happned and any lessons learnt, tips to be given etc.
Was it simply cementing on a Crown or extraction of some poor crewmates tooth?
How did you cope with extreme toothache?

 

[Pete7]

48 hours to go before reaching Vilamoura a winch handle slipped out of a large 3 speed winch and hit one of the crew in the face taking out his top two front teeth but leaving the nerves behind. He was a dentist. The bleeding stopped after a while but there wasn't anything else he could do for himself. Relieved of all duties he was sent below and fed luke warm mash potato and milk drinks. On arrival in Vilamoura a local dentist did a temporary repair for him until he could get back to the UK.

The only thing I can think of carrying would be oil of cloves.

Pete

 

[PlanB]

We bought an emergency dental kit years ago (includes glue for sticking crowns back and temporary filling mix etc). The only thing we've ever used is the oil of cloves.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I have had to recement a crown that came out which then held untill I was able to see my regular dentist I used and carry one of the propriety kits which can also be used for replacing lost fillings as well. The fixes are only temporary and my dentist said it was OK but if I could have seen him within a day or so it was probably best left alone, ie for offshore use only not day sailing or cross channel jaunts.

 

[Sniper]

On more than one occasion I have recemented (my own!) loose crowns using an off the shelf kit. There is one available called 'toofypegs' which I have found very good. The resulting repairs have proved remarkably durable, lasting days or even weeks on occasion until I have been able to get to a dentist. The material comes as a powder which is then mixed with a drop or two of water to form a paste. From memory it has a pot life of about 30 seconds to a minute, so room for a bit of jiggling around.

 

[oldharry]

I used a temporary filling kit after I lost one when I was in Croatia soon after the war there. Dentists were few and far between at the time. It survived several weeks until returning to UK, and my dentist said it was still intact and probably saved the tooth.

 

[Habebty]

I have actually used a Dremel on myself to grind back a very jagged part broken tooth to stop it from cutting the inside of my cheek. You need a small freestanding magnifying mirror with a head torch taped to it pointing into mouth and a steady hand. Just took enough off to remove the sharp edge and not close to a nerve. Had it tidied up by a dentist later.

 

[Skylark]

I have actually used a Dremel on myself to grind back a very jagged part broken tooth to stop it from cutting the inside of my cheek. You need a small freestanding magnifying mirror with a head torch taped to it pointing into mouth and a steady hand. Just took enough off to remove the sharp edge and not close to a nerve. Had it tidied up by a dentist later.

You are barking mad and I've almost spat out my tea after reading your post. Many thanks. The reason I think it's so funny is because I've done something similar but didn't have the courage to confess

 

[SAMYL]

If a filling drops out you can get by with some softened candle wax to plug the hole. Used successfully by POWs during the war.

If a tooth is knocked out ie the whole tooth and not just the crown, do not wash it but put it in some fresh milk until you can see your dentist.
Alternatively if you can bear to push it back into the socket do so and try to splint it with some layers of tinfoil folded over it and the teeth beside. If you have some thick glue type stuff all the better to hold the tinfoil on, Isopon or similar works well.
But do not wash the tooth, rinse it if required in milk or fresh water but do not wipe or scrub it in any way.

 

[Searush]

I made a temporary filling out of Araldite once. Hardest bit is getting the tooth to dry so it will stay in for any length of time at all. Only lasts a few days, but it can be enough to get you home.

 

[Martin_J]

Talulah

I know you asked about real life experiences but have you checked out the book entitled...

'What to do when there is no dentist'

Avalable free from here - The Hesperian website dedicated to sharing health information...
http://www.hesperian.org/publications_download.php

Once you open the book there is a Tools -> Download pdf option.

Same site has doctor, midwife and other similar topics...

 

[Talulah]

Talulah

I know you asked about real life experiences but have you checked out the book entitled...

'What to do when there is no dentist'

Avalable free from here - The Hesperian website dedicated to sharing health information...
http://www.hesperian.org/publications_download.php

Once you open the book there is a Tools -> Download pdf option.

Same site has doctor, midwife and other similar topics...

Excellent site with hands on stuff.
Many thanks for posting.