Teeth and Aches

[Lance]

Greetings:

For the last 4 days I have suffered a somewhat severe tooth ache from a sideways growing wisdom tooth (heyokah!) with a grain of under cooked wild rice stuck between it and my back molar. I've been on mass amounts of codeine and mostly stayed in bed listening to 'patriot' radio stations. Front row seats with wine and popcorn at the end of the age of empire.

For those who can afford it, get thee to a dentist. What, I pondered, would it be like having to do things other than laze in bed in an opiated haze while in intense pain. What if I ran out of painkillers (not that, that, is a likely scenario around here with our natural products lab)? So, on this my last day of pain (seemingly) I admonish each and everyone of you...

Get thee to a dentist and get your teeth checked. It is one of the most debilitating pains, I'd rather a pain in the **** than a pain in the mouth.

Yes I thought about that a couple of days ago. I wouldn't like to develop a painful tooth and only have Oil of Cloves to put on it. I have done that before and it did not do anything for me except hurt.

[Sol Invictus]

Here is why that age old profession of dentistry will become the new 'elite' when times fall down.

They will have revered status amongst us because of their ability to soothe pain and take out those teeth.

Us that have bad teeth are in for a few months of wild pain i am afraid if its a wilderness situation.

I lost 5 teeth in a fall on a mountain, cracked a further three and having them out soon.

LOL, at this rate you'll be calling me 'gummy'.

Along with the codeine and clove oil you should add naproxen or
ibuprofen.

In the U.S. the naproxen is available over the counter
in a 220mg tablet. You can safely take two twice daily. This is good
stuff. I have successfully weathered a broken fibula with nothing more than naprosyn. (naprogesic to you poms)

The ibuprofen in the U.S. is available as a 200mg tablet otc and you
may safely take up to 800mg three times a day. I would take less
if I could get away with it.

These drugs control pain by reducing swelling and have a synergistic
effect with the codeine.

Do not blow this off! Get your butt to a dentist A.S.A.P. before you
form an abscess and really get into a pickle.

Hesperian Foundation Where there is no dentist
http://www.hesperian.org/publication...ad_dentist.php

[Racsouran]

for most people the wisdom teeth problem is solved through removal of the teeth.

[whitecrow]

I started making my own toothpaste around 20 years ago and have had ZERO dental problems since. Before that I had 5 root canals, 6 or 7 extractions, and my dentist told me I needed to have my gums cut back and my roots planed.

I have actually not seen a dentist in over ten years. No need. I had a filling fall out 4 or 5 years ago and no decay has entered the cavity. My teeth aren't blinding white like the folks on TV but they are healthy and tight. And they are white enough.

Basically I use baking soda and melaleuca (tea tree) oil. Mix enough oil into the soda to make a paste. Doesn't taste great but you get used to it. Over the years I've evolved a more elaborate way of preparing toothpaste, but tea tree oil and baking soda are all you really need.

Here's my method of making really great toothpaste: first I buy a couple ounces of powdered myrrh resin, and dissolve it in alcohol (vodka). This takes a week or so. The saturated alcohol is poured into a bowl of baking soda and allowed to evaporate (or cooked off). Now you have baking soda saturated with myrrh. Mix in enough tea tree oil to make a thick paste, and add enough vegetable glycerin to smooth out the texture. You need a pinch of citric acid for a preservative. This makes real toothpaste that kills germs, buffs your teeth, reduces swelling, eliminates bleeding, and protects your mouth. It isn't the cheapest thing in the world due to the tea tree oil and the vodka, but compared to the equivalent quantity of commercial toothpaste it's about half-price.