How To Do Dental Repairs at Home
Whether due to the high cost of dental work or fear of dentists, many people have elected to work on their own teeth at home. While some repairs can be harmless and beneficial, others are dangerous and should be viewed as temporary measures only for use in emergencies.
Extractions
- Baby teeth begin to fall out at six years of age. Their roots are dissolved by the upward pressure of the permanent teeth below causing them to loosen. To remove a loose baby tooth, grasp it with your fingers. Twist it gently and lift.
- Perhaps the most tried and true method of extracting a loose tooth is the slamming door procedure. Make a loop in a piece of dental floss or string and slip it around the tooth. Tie the other end securely to the knob of a door that closes in the direction away from you. Remove any slack in the line, and slam the door.
- Using needle nosed pliers for small teeth and standard ones for larger teeth, grasp the tooth firmly, enclosing as much of it as possible. Give it a good pull. This method is not recommended because it can cause serious infections in the jawbone and damage to the nerve.
Filling Cavities
- After rinsing thoroughly with warm water, fill the hollow of a cavity with a piece of sugarless gum.
- Dental compounds are also available commercially for temporarily filling cavities to ease the pain of a toothache. Rinse the mouth and keep it moist since the ingredients in the compound are specifically designed to harden with water. Roll a ball of the compound or scoop a portion out and pack it tightly into the cavity.
Dentures are easier to repair since they can be worked on outside the mouth and the mending process is painless. While some people are determined to fix broken plates or missing teeth with super glue, the practice is not recommended. Glue toxins can cause allergic reactions and even get into the bloodstream resulting in serious illness. Commercial repair kits can be purchased that use dental grade materials which are both durable and safe.