Today, I have a toothache. Or maybe an earache. Maybe it’s my sinuses. At any rate—IT HURTS! Fortunately, warm compresses help a bit; so do cool ones. And Advil, of course.
I do have a bad tooth, but I’m a dental coward and so kind of tend to, um, ignore it. I also have a tendency toward earaches and have stupid sinuses.
Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
You’d think the damn nerve would have died by now, but no. Days like this make me want to find the nearest dentist and throw myself in the chair and tell him to have at it—but I doubt I will. Again, I’m a chicken.
I can’t help wondering, though, what if SHTF was here and there were no dentists to be found?
This is why I stock up on Advil and research home remedies and am mostly willing to try something at least twice—twice, because I may have done it wrong or missed something the first time—as long as the cure isn’t worse than the cause.
By the way: Advil generally expires within two years. Like most OTC drugs, however, an expiration has more to do with effectiveness than safety. Don’t quote me on that; check your drug choice on your own. I’ve also been told that one can safely take double to recommended dosage, but again—check for yourself. I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. Only in my own home.
Back to SHTF:
Most people, although not generally those of us who prep, call the doc or the dentist at the first sign of pain or injury. What if you couldn’t? What if you didn’t personally know a doc or dentist who may have survived or is surviving? What if you couldn’t reach him?
(Whew! The Advil just kicked in!)
Now, most people with a brain (loaded statement) know to clean a wound and bandage it, and watch for signs of infection. Most people will take some sort of pain meds when something hurts. These are things you should be ready for, all the time—and most people have the supplies around their homes.
But do you have extras? Do you have a kit or a box—not really a prepackaged kind, because it seems like those have some weird things that no one ever uses and they’re woefully short on the necessities. Be sure to supplement your kit, just like with food, with the stuff YOU use and like and may need.
And, as an aside, this is why I frequently mention “getting healthy.” All those blood pressure meds that it seems everyone takes now and diabetic supplies, and heartburn meds—those are going to be in short supply. Check the dates, and keep a supply at hand, and maybe start looking for natural drugs.
Just over a year ago, I weaned myself off blood pressure meds. My pressures never went up, initially—in fact, they dropped a bit. Weight loss, quitting smoking, and exercise help with this too, for most people. To be honest, I haven’t checked mine in a while and I’m sure it’s gone up in light of recent events. I’ve had a few issues, two in the last month or so, with ocular migraines. Weird stuff, you bet, but no pain. So I started with daily the baby aspirin. Cheap, and effective. Stock up on that, too, especially if you are “of a certain age.”
Now, we’ve all seen TV shows and movies where characters clean deep wounds, perform surgeries, stitch up their own injuries, and pull teeth right? Could you do those things? Of course, you have to have the tools, and you have to have the knowledge, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend the DIY route if you have access to a doctor, but still . . . something to think about . . .
Robin Writes 
Interestingly, Robin, it might be a good idea to be brave sooner and get rid of the tooth. A recurring bad tooth and toothache can REALLY infect the sinuses too, and exacerbate bad headaches. Might not hurt (no pun intended) to get it out, especially if it’s had big amalgam fillings in it, or even adjacent to it. That problem tooth can also cause severe earache AND severe hearing loss if you also happen to have a lot of large amalgam fillings that have turned black. Hm…be brave…ouch.
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NO NO NO NO NO! lol
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It is good to learn how to identify wild mullein, a sort of weed, in the wild. It can help with many problems – even toothache
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Excellent!
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Yes yes yes yes yes ! You can do it! LOL– oh, and by the way, garlic reduces blood pressure naturally “:) We’re attempting to seed garlic in the wild to acclimatize and produce natural annual regrowth. “:)
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Nice! I love garlic, use it every day. (notice I’m skipping the other part!)
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I think raw garlic is most effective. btw, Cloves and clove oil are good for toothache too. Also, coconut oil (swishing mouth with coconut oil for 20 minutes a day) helps reduce tooth/gum problems such as gingivitis, whitens teeth and improves tooth health. Abscessed teeth can cause blood poisoning, which is even scarier than dental work. “:)
Be brave….”:)
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I don’t think it’s an abcess. No swelling or fever or anything. Just holey, lol, and painful. Probably the nerve.
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That’s a perfect candidate for mushed up clove and/or clove oil with cotton batting…soak it, Pack it. “:) It’s supposed to work well for toothache.
If it’s that deep, it’s probably time for a root canal, which takes out the root, and believe it or not, it doesn’t hurt, no more pain. “:)
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Nope, not for this girl! Besides, it’s not exactly a whole tooth…and that damn root should be dead by now. And, there’s the cost – Idk about Canada, but here it’d cost around $1500 and THAT is not gonna happen!
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In Canada a root canal would be about the same, $1500 then with temporary, and restorative fillings, close to $2000.00 now. Funny, the price of dental work skyrocketed when dental insurance came into being. Yikes. Gouging by the industry at it’s finest. Oral gel and clove oil it is.
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Raymond, I had a root canal done on a molar without the use of anesthetic and while the dentist thought I was nuts, it REALLY wasn’t all that bad. I was used to drilling without being numbed so the root pull was a tiny tinge of pain for about 1 second. The dental assistant watched in horror and I asked her “Have you ever had a root canal done without novocaine?” She said “No”, so I added: “Then how would you know if it’s painful or not?” She agreed. And, instantly, NO MORE PAIN!
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I actually believe (er, would like to at least) that my giving birth at home not once, but FIVE times without the use of pain meds and my occasional visits to the dentist without the use of drugs (fillings, root canal) has built up my pain threshold. I’ll still whine when I get a nasty headache, although I do try to find natural ways to cure it rather than reach for the Advil. Almonds do help rid a headache, as do some other remedies. Tequila has a medical purpose as well as a few plants that can grow easily and just about anywhere if they aren’t found by officials 😉 I agree it is best to think about these things now, before the SHTF and even try to build up your own pain threshold, although I don’t suggest going and getting pregnant and delivering at home unless you really do want to go through 18 years worth of labor 😉 LOL
~Alison
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When I think SHTF, I think apocalypse and not too many people left.
There are a number of analgesics that are relatively easy to extract from plants. Willow bark provides the base ingredient for aspirin, and we all know about that pretty flower with the little black seeds.
Anyone who took high school chemistry could manage these extractions. There are also antibiotics, heart medicine (digitalis), blood pressure medicines, and a lot more.
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Unless, perhaps, high school was thirty or so years ago, lol!
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Thirty five years to be exact. You just had to remind me LOL.
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I was trying to be flexible, lol!
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