Build a home dental emergency kit: what a dentist would put in it

Why a kit helps

Dental problems like to show up at night, on weekends and on vacation. When they do, the hard part is often finding gauze, wax or an open pharmacy while you’re in pain.

A kit won’t fix a tooth. What it does is cover the first hour: stop bleeding, protect a sharp edge or an open hole, keep a knocked-out tooth alive, and take the edge off pain until a dentist can see you.

Most of what goes in it is ordinary pharmacy stuff. Put it all in one zip bag or small box, and keep it where everyone in the house can find it.

The checklist

Here’s what a dentist would put in it, and why.

1. Temporary filling material. For a lost filling or a crown that came off. It patches the hole or holds the crown until you can get in. See lost a filling. It isn’t made for a broken tooth, or for one that throbs or is swollen.
2. An over-the-counter pain reliever you can take. For adults and teens 12 and up, the American Dental Association’s toothache guideline puts anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen or naproxen first, alone or with acetaminophen. Take it as the label directs. Ask a pharmacist if you take other medicines, are pregnant, or have stomach, kidney or bleeding problems.
3. A reusable cold pack. For swelling and pain after a hit to the mouth or a sore tooth. One shaped to wrap the jaw, like this reusable face cold pack, stays put better than ice in a towel. Keep it in the freezer, not the bag, and put a note in the kit saying where it is.
4. Dental (orthodontic) wax. A small piece pressed over a chipped edge or a broken wire keeps it from cutting your tongue and cheek.
5. Sterile gauze pads. Press one on a bleeding spot for about 10 minutes. Also handy for holding a knocked-out tooth in place once it’s back in the socket.
6. A small container with a tight lid. For saving a broken piece of tooth, or a knocked-out tooth in milk on the way to the dentist. A clean pill bottle or small travel jar works.
7. Floss. Something wedged between two teeth is a common cause of sudden pain, and floss often gets it out.
8. A numbing gel. A benzocaine gel such as Orajel can numb a sore spot for a short while. Use it as the label directs, for short-term relief only. Never use it on children under 2; it can cause a rare but serious blood problem.
9. Your dentist’s number, including after hours. Write it on a card in the kit and save it in your phone. Add the nearest urgent care or emergency room, and your dental insurance or savings-plan card if you have one.

Nice to have: a small mirror, a penlight, cotton swabs, and an emergency tooth preservation kit if your family plays contact sports.

How to use it when something happens

• Lost filling or crown: clean the tooth, then use the temporary filling material as the package directs. Chew on the other side.
• Chipped or broken tooth: save the pieces, rinse with warm water, use the cold pack, and cover sharp edges with wax. Don’t use temporary filling material on a broken tooth. See broken or chipped tooth.
• Toothache: rinse, floss around the tooth, cold pack on the cheek, pain reliever as the label directs. See what to do for a toothache right now.

Knocked-out adult tooth

This is the one where minutes count. The best chance of saving the tooth is getting it back in the socket within about 30 minutes.

1. Pick it up by the top, not the root.
2. If it’s dirty, rinse it briefly with milk or water. No soap, no scrubbing, don’t dry it or wrap it in tissue.
3. Try to put it back in the socket, then bite gently on gauze to hold it.
4. If it won’t go in, put it in the container with milk, or keep it in your mouth next to your cheek. Don’t store it in plain tap water.
5. Get to a dentist or endodontist right away, or an emergency room if you can’t reach one.

What not to do

• Don’t put aspirin on the gum or tooth. It burns the tissue.
• Don’t use super glue on a crown or a broken tooth.
• Don’t take leftover antibiotics. They don’t fix the tooth, and only a dentist or doctor should decide whether you need them.
• Don’t treat the kit as the fix. Everything in it is for a day or two, not a week.

What it costs, and what it doesn’t cover

Most of the kit is cheap, and you may already own half of it. The pieces you’ll likely buy are the temporary filling material, wax, gauze and a cold pack.

The kit buys time; the repair is what costs money. A lost filling may be a short visit, while a broken tooth can mean a crown or a root canal. Ask for a written estimate before work starts, and try the dental cost estimator for a rough idea. If you don’t have insurance, see how a dental savings plan works.

How to keep it ready

• Check the kit twice a year, when you change your smoke detector batteries or book checkups.
• Replace anything past its expiration date, especially the pain reliever and the gel.
• Put the kit back after you use it, and restock what ran out.
• Keep a smaller version in your travel bag, and a copy of the dentist’s number in each family member’s phone.
• Keep it out of reach of small children, since it has medicines in it.

The best kit is the one you never open. Brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, cleaning between your teeth, and regular checkups catch most problems before they turn into a night like this. See the best electric toothbrush.