HEROES DENTAL: DIY DENTAL FIRST-AID KIT

Summer is officially here and we know that you and your family are ecstatic about those summer vacation trips. But before you hit the road, Heroes Dental only has one question. Do you have a dental first-aid kit prepared?

If the answer is no, then you’re not quite as ready as you might have thought you were. But don’t worry, Heroes Dental is always here to help and provide you tips on how you can create your own dental first-aid kit right at home just in time for those summertime getaways.

With only a few essential items to gather, you can better protect yourself during those spontaneous dental emergencies that tend to occur during the summer.

Getting Prepared

Your first step will be to find a small container where you can keep everything organized, clean, and shielded from bacteria.

The essential items you’ll want to have in your kit are easy to find. You should be able to get a hold of them at any large retail store or local pharmacy, and you might even already have some of these items at home! They include:

• MEDICAL GLOVES: With any dental emergency, whether big or small, it’s important to use medical gloves to protect your oral health from bacteria that you have on your hands. We recommend medical grade exam gloves, and you should keep three to four pairs inside your kit.
• FLASHLIGHT: Believe it or not, a pocket-sized flashlight can come in handy. It should be small enough to fit in your kit and can be very helpful if your dental emergency is of an orthodontic nature; whether you’re treating yourself or a child.
• GAUZE PADS OR COTTON BALLS: Gauze pads and/or cotton balls can help to stop bleeding caused by a dental injury. When it comes to gauze pads and cotton balls, the more the merrier. Heroes Dental recommends that you keep about a handful inside your kit.
• HYDROGEN PEROXIDE: Sometimes a strong impact can cause a dental emergency where blood is involved. It’s even more common to bleed from a dental injury when you have braces, thus hydrogen peroxide is an essential item for disinfecting wounds and cleaning up blood.
• ORAJEL: If you’ve never used Orajel before, we highly recommend you keep it in your emergency kit. Orajel is a numbing medicine and does a really great job when it comes to relieving oral pain from dental injuries (or even teething in your little ones). You can consult with the >pediatric dentists at Heroes Dentalto find out if it’s safe for your child.
• ICE PACK: When you lose a tooth due to a dental injury, swelling is more than likely to occur. We recommend that you keep an ice pack in the freezer, and if you’re going on a road trip or on a vacation, add your ice pack to your kit before leaving home.
• PAINKILLERS: A toothache might not come with any premeditated symptoms and appear spontaneously. They’re painful, and nobody likes them, which is why Heroes Dental recommends you include an over-the-counter painkiller like ibuprofen or acetaminophen in your kit. When taken as directed they can help to relieve oral pain.

These are a few of the essential items that Heroes Dental recommends for your dental first-aid kit and you can always add more things as needed.

Don’t forget to prepare for your amazing summer vacation with a DIY dental first aid kit!

And if you’re going on vacation this summer, we also recommend you come in for a checkup to avoid any dental complications during your fun trip. Request an appointment today at any of our locations in South Texas and the Rio Grande Valley.