emergency dental kit

Emergency Dental Kit and Remedies

An emergency dental kit. You will be very glad that you have one. That is, if you ever find yourself in a dental pain situation before you are able to see a dentist. Maybe it’s the weekend. Or maybe they can’t fit you in right away. What if you’re on vacation? Or worse yet, maybe there’s not a dentist!

I’ll bet most of you know about dental pain and how bad it can hurt! Do you have an emergency dental kit? You might want to think about it BEFORE you might need it..

[ Editors note: I received an email requesting coverage of this subject. I recalled writing this article, and given that it’s a good preparedness topic (one of countless sub-topics), I decided to republish it. ]

Most of us at one time or another have experienced a dental emergency. And it’s something that’s hard to forget because of the associated discomfort and pain!

Search ‘emergency dental kit‘ on amzn (view all results)

Dental pain can be caused by a variety of emergency conditions ranging from toothaches, a loose crown, a cracked tooth, or a broken or lost filling.

Sudden dental pain can be very intense, and you will do ‘anything’ to stop it – if you could…

While many of us are prepared with emergency First Aid Kits, how many are prepared with a subset (dental emergency kit) that can deal with sudden dental pain?

When there is no dentist (on a trip, vacation, camping, hiking, boating, or post-SHTF), an emergency dental kit may be your best temporary relief alternative until a more permanent solution to the problem can be had.

I purchased this paperback reference book quite awhile ago:

Where There Is No Dentist
(view on amzn)

Emergency Dental Kit For Toothache Relief

First, lets deal with the tooth pain! I did a little research. Looks like this Red Cross Toothache kit is the most popular and well reviewed for pain.

Toothache Medication Drops
(view on amzn)

best emergency dental kit

Here’s a tip from an MSB reader for dental pain relief:

For emergency pain relief from severe mouth injuries (smashed teeth, etc) mix equal portions of liquid Maalox and liquid Benadryl (they still make it for kids) slosh around mouth–then SPIT OUT, DO NOT SWALLOW.

Both ingredients are non prescription and this really works. It deadens the mouth.

One of the kids who grew up in our neighborhood with our kids, got his mouth smashed.

The Emergency Room gave him general pain medicine that did not work.

This equal liquid Maalox and liquid Benadryl mixture, sloshed around the mouth and spit out, worked for him until he saw a Dental surgeon. He was very happy. He said it made it where he didn’t feel anything.

(tip from a MSB reader)

Emergency Dental Kit Items

What are the kind of things that might happen? A lost filling. A loose cap. Crowns. Inlays.

Until you can get to a dentist, this type of kit will temporarily hold things in place.

Some of the items to look for in a kit or include separately:

  • Temporary Cement
  • Temporary Fillings
  • Toothache Drops
  • Dental Wax
  • Dental Mirror
  • Denture Repair Material
  • Cotton Pellets
  • Gauze
  • Dental Floss
  • Gloves
  • Tweezers
  • Sanitizing Wipes

You might also consider acquiring extra refills if you’re building a preparedness inventory.

Again, many of us might not be properly equipped with an emergency dental kit.

Think about WHERE you might want to keep one.

With your regular First Aid Kit at home. Because emergencies always happen on the weekend when your dentist is closed, right?

A kit for in your vehicle (important!). If it’s in your car or truck, then it’s also available to you while at work, or anywhere while out-and-about.

Comment below with your experiences or advice on remedies for tooth / dental pain..

[ Read: 10 Home Remedies For Toothache Relief ]

16 Comments

  1. This is very helpful information for me. My hubby and kids have no cavities or dental issues, but me on the other hand, due to my nasty soda pop drinking habit, have some issues. I have put off dental emergency preparedness, because I just don’t like thinking about painful dental problems, but I really do need to work on this. This is the time to think about it, not during a time when no resources are available.

  2. I have a kit to pull teeth pray I never have to use it (better than using pliers)
    I figured having it would be half the battle and maybe there would be someone with the knowledge but not the tools
    Just the sound a tooth makes when being pulled 😬. I definitely don’t want to pull the wife’s or kids. I could probably pull my own

    1. Blistex makes a product called KANKA soft brush tooth and gum pain gel
      works really well when you can’t get to the dentist for a day or two. But you would have to buy individual ones for each person in your house

  3. ken,
    the liquid Maalox and liquid Benadryl mixture sounds interesting. do you think that it would deaden a persons mouth enough to do an extraction without to much pain if needed ?

  4. Thanks for reminding me! This is something I have forgotten about.
    Cloves/clove oil is an analgesic too. Use oil sparingly.

  5. Good info Ken, thank you. Have pain deadening stuff, but not the items needed for body and fender tooth work, bondo probably would not cut it. Bookmarked to buy a few kits. Just finished a root canal, temp cap then a permanent cap, little over a thousand bucks out of pocket, maxed out the dental coverage. Couldn’t pull it out since it’s the lone ranger in the way back lower right side, or what I call the Mapo area.

  6. When I was a young kid my uncle had a “tooth ache tree”. Chewing the leaf would numb your mouth. Does anyone recognize this description? I think it was a type of ash tree, maybe maybe not, very thorny though if I remember correctly. This would be a useful prep planting!

    1. Deep South,

      Prickly Ash….aka Hercules Club, aka Tickle Tongue….I’ve got several small groves on the mountain

    2. Most likely a prickly ash. We called them “ tickle tounge” in west texas

  7. Don’t forget to stock up on sensitive teeth toothpaste if you have sensitive teeth. I have found that going a few days without and using regular leads to some increased sensitivity. As well the sensitive toothpaste may help with other dental issues.
    The stuff on Ken’s list has come in helpful a number of times but I find it can be hard to get small sized replacements for some items.

  8. FYI, A good intentioned commenter here just posted some information about lidocaine – relating to major tooth pain / extraction of a bad tooth, etc. However in good conscience I cannot allow DIY remedies (those that may be potentially dangerous if done or administered incorrectly), even though I’ve spelled out ‘no liability’ disclaimers in my terms-of-use here.

    With that said, and with regards to a hypothetical time living through SHTF (as it relates to potential dental emergency problems), it is certainly a very good issue to think about and mitigate to the extent that you can.

    My advice?

    > Get yourself some over-the-counter dental emergency kit, including dental-focused pain relief.
    > Get yourself some reference books. One is linked in the article above. Another good medical reference is Dr. Alton’s survival medicine handbook.

    Survival Medicine Handbook, 4th Edition

    > Perhaps find out where your own local dentist (or dentists, hygienists) live. Maybe you know someone who knows a dentist (make a mental note). A dentist will be a highly valued profession even during/after SHTF! And they likely keep their own tools and equipment at home too.
    > Dental pain can be excruciating. It’s something most people don’t think about until it happens.

  9. Old Man’s bridge from his military service finally fell out. He used a dental cement and it lasted about 15 minutes. He used super glue and it is still in 2 weeks later. When we bought the glue we made sure it wasn’t the Chinese type as it was to be used in his mouth. Now I can’t get him in for a dental appt!

  10. I purchase a few simple dental tool kits. The sort of thing the hygienist attacks your mouth with when you come in for a cleaning. Stainless steel so can be sterilized and reused. Figure if things go south, these will be good to have on hand. ( https://amzn.to/43DIqpE )

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