While you can’t prevent an injury from ever happening in your mouth or to your teeth, there are a few things you can stock in your first aid kit to help you manage some common oral emergencies, when they happen.

Waxed dental floss is a handy thing to have on hand if a foreign object gets stuck between your teeth or in your gums. It’s waxy coating makes it easier for the strand to slide between teeth to let you try to free a foreign object. It’s also a good idea to keep a floss threader in the kit to help work around a foreign object from a different angle.

If one of your teeth is knocked out, it could possibly be implanted back into the socket, by your dentist, so long as the tooth is still alive. While you can keep the tooth alive by holding it in your mouth between cheek and gums, there are also tooth preservation products on the market that do a good job of this as well. Most come in the form of a can containing a nourishing gel, you simply put the tooth in the can and seal it tight.

Keeping salt packets and a plastic cup in the kit to make a quick salt water rinse. This can help clear the mouth of blood and debris, while also soothing injured tissues.

Swelling in your cheek or lip is a common side effect of some oral emergencies. Keeping a few zip-top bags and a washcloth in your kit can help to improvise a cold compress. Topical oral analgesic can be rubbed onto your gums to partially numb the area for a short time.

If you have questions about what items to consider for your oral emergency first aid kit, please call us at 909-822-9090 to schedule an appointment.