Escapees May June 2015 Demo

area and gently bite down. Clean off any excess. At my local pharmacy, I found three different such products. Again, I caution you to be careful and to seek a dentist first, and only as a last resort treat yourself. Read the directions carefully. Lost Crown or Bridge Losing a crown (or cap) can result in pain or an inconvenience. If you’ve lost a crown from a back tooth, you can live with it until the crown can be re-cemented by a dentist. If it is a front tooth, that’s a different story. Again, I caution you about self-treat- ment, but if you have pain and are in the middle of nowhere, you have few choices. Self-treatment can result in a more serious problem than the one you are starting with, so it is advis- able to use good common sense. Here are suggestions for temporary relief, depending on the situation. First, pick out as much old cement (dental glue) as you can from inside

stuck using floss, a small brush or the rubber tip found on the end of some toothbrushes. Take a length of floss and tie several knots in the middle. Insert the floss between the teeth and run the knots back and forth. If that doesn’t work, there are many kinds of tiny brushes at most pharmacies that can do the job, all the while rinsing with warm, salt water. Sometimes pressing the swelling with your finger and “milking” the area can help. One thing I wouldn’t do is to apply an as- pirin directly on the gum area. Aspirin is an acid and can cause a nasty burn. Lost Filling or Broken Tooth Sometimes a lost filling or a broken tooth is only an inconvenience, but at other times it can be an excruciating experience. Again, if possible, seek out a dentist. While it seems simple, self-treatment can cause a lot of trou- ble beyond just a lost filling. Losing a whole filling, a piece of filling or chipping a piece of tooth can leave you with a toothache and/ or a sharp edge. Sometimes balling up some warm, moist cotton and apply- ing it into the hole can give relief. Or, applying gum or wax over the area will give temporary relief. If that doesn’t work, try using a fingernail file to carefully and gently file off the sharp corner. Don’t take off more than you have to, just enough to get by. If you have a lot of pain, there are temporary filling materials at the pharmacy. The clove-flavored material comes in the form of a medicated putty that will harden. Using the small applicator, apply to the

permit the crown to go all the way down, making it impossible to close your teeth together. If these ideas don’t work, there are some products in the pharmacy that can temporarily hold the crown in place until you can get to a dentist. One caution: If the crown can- not be securely re-inserted, there is a risk of swallowing the crown or, worse, aspirating it into the lung. Cold Sores Cold sores are a herpes virus infec- tion, and there are several medications at the pharmacy to alleviate the pain and suffering. If you are one of those persons who often get cold sores, you might consider getting a chicken pox vaccination. Most of the time, the virus must run its course, and medications only help to alleviate the discomfort. Here’s a tip: Don’t laugh, at the beginning of the onset of a cold sore, when you feel the area getting hot or itchy, applying a dab of Prepa- ration H cream. This may prevent the cold sore from becoming full blown. Mouth Ulcers Mouth ulcers can occur for several reasons. Rinsing with warm salt water can help the healing process, and phar- macies have several remedies. Usually they, too, have to run their course. Regardless of the dental issue, your first thought must be to find a dentist as soon as possible. But, being RVers, we sometimes find ourselves in situations where a dentist is not readily available, and we must fend for ourselves. Always remember that self-treatment can be more complicat- ed and dangerous than the emergency, so attempt these suggestions only when absolutely necessary.

“If you’ve lost a crown from a back tooth, you can live with it until the crown can be re-cemented by a dentist. If it is a front tooth, that’s a different story.”

the crown. Then, try to put the crown onto the tooth to make certain it will fit back in place. Bite down gently. Can you close all your teeth together like you used to? Remove the crown and try putting a dab of denture adhesive into the crown and re-insert. Another idea is to insert a small piece of soft chewing gum into the crown and in- serting. The biggest problem is getting something in the crown that will not

Ron Dingee, DMD, MPH, practiced dentistry in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, for al- most 25 years. In 1991, he and his wife, Evelyn, moved to Bangkok, Thailand, to co-manage the Bangkok Christian Guest House for four years. Ron and Evelyn now divide their time between western Pennsylvania and the Jojoba Hills SKP Resort in Southern California. Visit rondingee.com for information on Ron’s two books, Missionary Memories and Nanna (or How to Eat an Elephant) .

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