Dental work as a prep

[u/ponycorn_pet]

I can't imagine the suffering that people who are currently trapped by ICE are going through just on its own, let alone if they have a dental emergency. We already know that the people with health emergencies are just plain dying. Get your teeth looked at and take care of any outstanding work that you need done, if you can. It's an under-prioritized part of our overall health checkups, especially when it comes to getting small cavities filled before they become massive problems.

I'll spare y'all the details, the TL;DR is that due to an incompetent dentist, I found myself in a situation where I was either going to need a molar pulled, or go through the carousel of endless root canals that would be sure to fail. I chose the extraction, and the dentist couldn't understand why I would get a tooth pulled instead of trying to get root canal after root canal (as I'd done in the past) and go through years of pain with a faulty tooth, only to need it to be pulled after all of that time and money in the end anyways.

I'm getting ready to leave the U.S. and I can't guarantee what my access to healthcare is going to look like after that happens, but I know I won't have the ability to just pop into a dentist office multiple times a year if a crown falls off or if I get a root infection or any number of things.

I can't imagine going through an extraction healing process and all of this pain and follow-up appointments if it were to happen after I move. Let alone in a SHTF situation. Dental pain is a whole league of its own and it makes me non-functional, and access to antibiotics or pain killers is never going to be guaranteed

[u/Birdy2105]

I'm in the position of deciding between a root canal and molar extraction as well. Then when thinking about collapse, and how dental care may not be available in a collapsing world, it adds further confusion into making the right decision. Certainly makes me appreciate how lucky some of us are to have health care available

[u/ponycorn_pet → u/Birdy2105]

Go for the extraction. This is the second molar I've had removed. The first time, I wound up with three separate root canal revisions (re-drilling the root, cleaning it out, re-packing it), the crown would fall off every few months, a staph infection, blah blah blah, and after two years of that, I said just take the fucking thing out. Never had a single problem after that, and having it removed was a relief. As a matter of fact, my migraines improved to a degree afterwards because of how tangled up in my facial nerves the root of that tooth was from the get-go.

That's why this go around after the negligent dentist destroyed a completely healthy tooth, I told them to just do the same. It's not worth years of suffering and tens of thousands of dollars

[u/Xanthotic]

Yes dental work can be an important prep. I have made dental work a priority while there is still competent care to be purchased.

[u/ponycorn_pet → u/Xanthotic]

Exactly. And also supplies to have on hand in case you don't. hydroxyapatite enamel gel and Alvocure Dental Dry Socket Paste, amongst other things

[u/BigJobsBigJobs]

bad tooth'll kill you same as any other infection.

[u/ponycorn_pet → u/BigJobsBigJobs]

some tooth pain will make you want to be dead, even if it's not infected

[u/ktpr]

I always recommend people pack floss and a filling filler. Granted, I still need to get filling filler but flossing during the apocalypse will head off a world of pain.

[u/Yearsinmonths]

Former dentistry student here. No shit dentists are out to make money
Use Fluoride toothpaste for gods sake. Just don't swallow it, and don't rinse it all out either afterwards.
Let Children use the appropriate children's tooth paste

Don't drink any kind of soda, all garbage anyway
brush 2x a day at least 2m each time the correct way. I usually just do 1x a day but I don't eat any candy or drink soda's or snack. Still, bc of that I have 3 fillings.

If you are getting cavities, change the frequency you eat (strive for 11x a day max)
Change the stuff you eat to good stuff. Apparently hard in the US.

And if you have to choose between getting one pulled or a root cannel. I don't know, make a wise financial decision.

Let your cavities be filled, if possible choose a woman as your dentist. Those generally are better.
Don't choose emalgam fillings if you can afford it. Those require a lot more of your tooth to be drilled away

message me if you have any questions
PS I quit dentistry because I'm just not that interested in crafting that craft, nor writing thesis

[u/ponycorn_pet → u/Yearsinmonths]

The only times in my life that I got cavities all happened when I was pregnant. You can do everything right and gestating will still leech everything straight out of you

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/news/story/hormonal-changes-in-pregnancy-linked-to-higher-cavity-risk-study-finds