Escapees May June 2015 Demo

We arrived about mid-morning, and using my smartphone, called a few medical clinics, but none were open. I then went to a Walmart pharmacy and begged for a few antibiotics, but although the pharmacist was sympathetic, she wouldn’t give me anything. However, she did suggest that I go see her dentist, just around the corner, who she thought would be open. With thanks, I set out hoping that her dentist would be open and have the time to see me. The dentist could not have been nicer. After a short wait, I was given a seat in the treatment room, where an x-ray was taken. A few minutes later, the dentist came back and told me that I had an abscessed lower molar, which I already had suspected. By then, however, the whole side of my face was on fire and I was unable to make heads or tails of what was causing my problem. She gave me a prescription for a good strong antibiotic, which I filled back at Walmart. A cou- ple of hours later, I was feeling better and we continued our trip to Pittsburgh, where I had a root canal treatment and a cast crown made. This experience got me to thinking about the folks who have unexpected dental emergencies on the road but don’t have the background that I have to get relief. While some dental emergencies can be life threatening, many can be pain- ful or only annoying inconveniences, like a lost filling or a denture sore spot.

“While I caution anyone from treating themselves, sometimes extraordinary circumstances require extraordinary actions.”

Dentures Lost Denture Tooth This may only be an embar- rassing situation if the lost tooth is a front one. If you’ve completely lost the tooth, you are

If the sore area cannot be clearly seen, go to the pharmacy and buy a small bottle of gentian violet. Dip the tip of a toothpick into the gentian violet. Apply a small drop of the violet stain onto the sore spot, then insert your denture. The stain will leave a mark on the denture. Again, gently remove a small area from the denture.

If you have a history of getting sore spots, before you leave on your trip, go to your dentist and purchase a supply of Thompson’s Sore Spot Indicator Sticks.

out of luck, but if you have the tooth, you have a chance of putting it back in place. First, gently clean out any old glue, then re-insert the tooth in the denture. If it goes in nicely, try using some of the tips covered in the “Lost Crown or Bridge” portion of this article on page 70, to hold the tooth in place such as denture adhesive, chewing gum or a product at the pharmacy. You can use a tiny drop of glue to temporarily hold the tooth in place, but you don’t want to make the permanent replacement by the dentist a bigger job than necessary. Denture Sore Spots A sore spot from an ill-fitting denture or partial can be painful. Often, it is difficult to find the offending area. Sore spots can develop unexpectedly when there is a change in the underlying bone or surrounding teeth. Again, I caution you if you are treating yourself, but if you can see the sore spot and the responsible area on the denture, use a nail file, emery board or sand paper to gently and slightly re- move the offending area of the denture. Rinse your mouth regularly with warm salt water to help heal the ulcer that was formed.

These look like wooden match sticks with gentian violet on the tips. As for the ulcer that has yet to heal, there are several medications at the pharmacy. Most contain 20 percent benzocaine in liquid or ointment form. Rinse with warm salt water to accelerate healing. Broken Dentures The lower denture is the most common denture break and the most difficult to self-repair. However, depending on where your denture is broken, there are products at the pharmacy to make a temporary repair. You will need to be careful. The most important thing is if you can put the two broken pieces together with confidence. If the pieces go together nice and square, you have half a chance, but if the two pieces flop all over, don’t risk it.

68 . ESCAPEES | May/June 2015 | www.escapees.com