Understandably, maintaining your dental health when SHTF can be very low on your list of priorities. There will be so much else to worry about — such as keeping your head safe from a leopard that may jump at it from a treetop or escaping from Mars aliens armed to the eyes (or teeth?) — paying little attention to teeth hygiene is therefore expected. Plus, hardly do survival cinemas place any emphasis on cleaning your teeth. It’s as if everyone wears a filter to keep out the odor of dirty teeth.
However, sorry to burst your bubble, dirty-teeth apologist, failure to care for your teeth can knock you out of the game, notwithstanding how prepared you are with food, water & other essentials. It’s very easy to ignore that your tooth may decay, break or suffer an injury, isn’t it?
You should fulfill a dentist appointment one of these days. Have a first-hand experience of the pain suffered by people with teeth problems. It is very common to see a person who can’t even eat due to toothache, and you think you’ll be able to climb mountains & fight fierce lions or treacherous snakes if this pain paid you an aching visit?
A simple, common tooth problem may result in death eventually.
Needless to say, caring for your teeth is a must!
However, how do you do this when there’s no store to go to for your toothpaste, nor is there a way to have a dozen toothbrushes delivered to your doorstep? How do you treat a toothache when your dentist has bugged out to Antarctica & you’d rather a snakebite than Antarctica’s cold?
So many questions that we answer in this article.
Begin With a Healthy Mouth
When things go south, I assure you that you want to keep your mouth healthy. If there’s any way to get to a dentist, get your cavities looked at & your troubled tooth untroubled. You don’t have to wait until SHTF to see your dentist, though — just saying. Everyone at home has to maintain mouth cleanliness, too; you don’t want to squeeze your nose when your husband wants a quick kiss in the middle of a dragon fight.
If dental care is too costly for you, you should go to a low-cost clinic. The keynote here is that you want your mouth to be in good condition (health-wise) when disaster strikes. Keep those pearls white!
Keeping Healthy Teeth when SHTF
If you’re like most Americans, you floss once & brush your teeth two times a day — it’s the common routine, no?
However, this strategy relies on different commercial items: toothpaste, a toothbrush & your dental floss. It is unfortunate that you’ll lack access to all these when SHTF, regardless of how much you stockpile them now. You’ll eventually run out of them. Let’s not forget your need for water too.
So, what now?
Of course, you’re not expecting me to say, “forget about dental care & stop talking to everyone, so no one notices your decaying teeth,” are you? But in the same vein, I can’t provide you with these modern products when the grid collapses.
It is, therefore, time to check out some effective alternatives.
Alternatives to Toothbrush
Toothbrushes, in their modern form, only became available in 1938, so how did your grandpa clean his teeth before then?
We’ll see below.
Chewing Sticks
Chewing sticks have been in use for millennia. Even Cleopatra used these slim cleaners, the same as the mummies of Egypt.
To make a chewing stick, select a twig from a good tree. If you have a knife or any trimming tool, you can use it to make a straight, fashionable stick out of the twig. And if you don’t, you don’t forget that your teeth are a piece of sharpening equipment. So, what you need to do is chew on one end until it splits & becomes fray. You have to keep the other end solid so it can serve as a toothpick when necessary.
Note that some trees will do better as chewing sticks than others. You may want to choose a tree that’s rich in tannins, as these are compounds with natural astringent & antibacterial qualities. Some of these trees are apple, bamboo, fig, gumtree, licorice root, mango, oak, olive, sassafras & walnut.
You should plant these trees now in preparation, as they have other benefits in an SHTF scenario. Some of them have fruits that you can eat; some are solid enough to make weapons & others can be medicinal.
Rags
You can use clean rags to clean your teeth too. To do so, you’ll have to add some water to the rag & apply some toothpaste (or its alternatives) & then use as you would a toothbrush, although you’ll have to be more thorough. Wash your rag when you’re done brushing your teeth to prevent likely re-infections & mouth sores.
Alternatives to Toothpaste
There are various substitutes for your traditional toothpaste. The commonest ones include common salt, coconut oil, charcoal powder, Castile soap, hydrogen peroxide & plain water.
The oil alternatives can be directly added to your toothbrush. As for the powdered substitutes, you’ll have to wet the toothbrush using a little water & then dip it in. You may choose to just sprinkle it on your damp brush too. The latter is preferable if you’re sharing the paste with a lot of people.
The liquid alternatives can also be swished around in your mouth without a brush, although you’d need to be extra dedicated while at it.
Note that certain substitutes can be abrasive, for example, baking soda. Use such items with care.
Solving Your Teeth Problems at Home
The first thing to know about homemade solutions is that they are best done using books written by experts on the subject. Below are two options you should check out:
When There Is No Dentist — Murray Dickson
Emergency Dentistry Handbook — Met Clark
Now, you will have to learn how to identify an abscessed tooth & figure out other dental problems. You should know all common ailments, so you don’t have a hard time finding a homemade remedy when it matters.
I recommend that you buy some dental tools & supplies now, some of which are:
- A dental mirror;
- Set of dental surgery tools;
- Gauze pads;
- Oral pain relievers;
- Cavity filler;
- Antibiotics; and
- Pain relievers.
Conclusion on Maintaining Your Dental Health When SHTF
Maintaining your dental health when SHTF is fortunately easy to do. You don’t have to go about with the fear of suffocating anyone with a smelly mouth, even when you’re without your conventional teeth care tools. Remember to start preparing now. Toothaches can be honestly devastating.