How to Treat a Knocked-Out Tooth in the Wilderness
- 1). Put on latex gloves if you are treating someone other than yourself.
- 2). Stop the bleeding by having the injured person bite on a piece of rolled gauze or a moistened non-herbal tea bag. The tea bag is preferable because the tannic acid in the tea will encourage clotting.
- 3). Administer a pain reliever immediately, such as aspirin or ibuprofen. The pain reliever should be swallowed, not placed against the exposed gum (this can burn the gum).
- 4). Rinse the tooth off gently with disinfected water. Do not scrub the tooth.
- 5). Push the tooth gently back into the hole it came out of.
- 6). Place the tooth in a bottle of water with a pinch of salt, or hold it in the mouth on the tongue or against the cheek if it won't fit back in the hole. Keep the tooth moist at all times.
- 7). Evacuate to a dentist immediately.
- 8). Avoid doing anything that will irritate the wound or damage the tooth during evacuation. Drinking hot fluids, smoking, sucking on the wound, probing it with the tongue, and biting down on the injured side should all be discouraged.
