Dental Hygiene in the Wild Woods

[Rick]

We've talked quite a bit lately about dental problems that could impact you in a survival situation. I don't think anyone would debate that good dental hygiene pays dividends. Not only does it remove the acids and sugars deposited on our teeth from the foods we eat but it also dislodges bacteria and plaque build up that can, if left unchecked, lead to arterial inflammation and heart disease. I always carry a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss with me into the woods and I'm wondering how many others do as well. Might shed some light into those "how do I pull my tooth" questions.

[crashdive123]

Yep, I carry dental hygiene stuff as well. Unless I brush my teeth before turning in for the night or when I first wake up, it just don't feel right. Besides, if you come face to face with that bear we were talking about I wouldn't want to offend him..........hope he don't get a wiff of my shorts.

[Alpine_Sapper]

Man after being in the army I still shave in the woods, ya know? Some habits are hard to break. If I dont brush my teeth and splash some cold water on my face in the morning, and at LEAST sponge off before I got to bed the bear is going to be the least of your worries. I start to get really surly when I'm feeling like a bum with two or three days worth of growth and my pits are starting to make ME gag...

[Ken]

I brush about four times a day no matter where I am. I don't floss all that often, but I use my Waterpik two or three times a day as well - does that count? I usually carry a travel brush with the paste stored in the handle - you just squeeze it forward onto the brush. It's a bit larger than a pen.

[Alpine_Sapper]

They just came out with "throw away tooth brushes", already loaded with toothpaste. Ah...throw away generation.

I wonder how primitive people take/took care of their teeth. I know i have chewed on clover before when i had tooth aches.
You know...no toothbrush or toothpaste.
Any info on that ?

I'm not sure a 30 year life span lends itself to much worry over tooth decay.

I know with dogs bones are given to clean the teeth. While we don't chew on bones (well, some of us do, depending on your eating habits..) don't things like apples and other raw fruites and veggies have a similar affect on our teeth?

[tennecedar]

I asked a friend of mine that was studying anthropology at the time the same question. He told me that from what his texts said there was little tooth decay before processed foods became available. Teeth would wear down from grinding hard grains without rotting. He said Inuit people still experienced this wearing down without cavities occurring. Their's was attributed to chewing tough meats.

[trax]

You can chew pine and/or spruce gum and it will help clean your teeth.

[mountain mama]

All I know is that I don't want to be in any kind of survival situation and be dealing with the pain of a dental issue. Tooth pain will bring me to my knees faster than childbirth would.

[Rick]

I've read Tennecedar's comment several times. Apparently, it's the sugars and acids in today's processed foods that eat away at the teeth and allow bacteria to flourish. But it's not all rosy. One bacteria in particular, Streptococcus Mutans, which can only be passed from mother to child, is know to cause tooth decay and has been around for tens of thousands of years.

[tennecedar]

Here's something from the British Journal of Dental Science


http://books.google.com/books?id=Au8...esult&resnum=1

[tsitenha]

Take a small dia willow twig/branch, broom one end, voila a brush

[Rick]

I remember reading (but can not find it now) that indigenous Americans had few dental problems until they began to grow corn. The sugars in the corn help promote tooth decay.

[Rick]

Here's another thread that talks a little about dental hygiene.

http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ght=urine+camp

[crashdive123]

Keep Your Teeth Clean
Thoroughly clean your mouth and teeth with a toothbrush at least once each day. If you don't have a toothbrush, make a chewing stick. Find a twig about 20 centimeters long and 1 centimeter wide. Chew one end of the stick to separate the fibers. Now brush your teeth thoroughly. Another way is to wrap a clean strip of cloth around your fingers and rub your teeth with it to wipe away food particles. You can also brush your teeth with small amounts of sand, baking soda, salt, or soap. Then rinse your mouth with water, salt water, or willow bark tea. Also, flossing your teeth with string or fiber helps oral hygiene.
If you have cavities, you can make temporary fillings by placing candle wax, tobacco, aspirin, hot pepper, tooth paste or powder, or portions of a ginger root into the cavity. Make sure you clean the cavity by rinsing or picking the particles out of the cavity before placing a filling in the cavity.

Taken from http://www.wilderness-survival.net/medicine-1.php

[trax]

You all know that the forest is full of toothpicks right? Remy, the white powdery stuff that forms on aspens and poplars would be rubbed on babies gums back in the old days too, helped ease the kid's discomfort and of course the kid would probably start gnawing on the applying finger.

[trax]

Good to gnaw...

Sad, really, that your humor has sunk to the depths of a Rick or Crash. Sadder still that I still get a laugh out of it.

[RBB]

We've talked quite a bit lately about dental problems that could impact you in a survival situation. I don't think anyone would debate that good dental hygiene pays dividends. Not only does it remove the acids and sugars deposited on our teeth from the foods we eat but it also dislodges bacteria and plaque build up that can, if left unchecked, lead to arterial inflammation and heart disease. I always carry a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss with me into the woods and I'm wondering how many others do as well. Might shed some light into those "how do I pull my tooth" questions.

Depends on the type of camping. If we are at a campground, I bring tooth paste, a brush and floss. If I'm traveling light, I take the poll of a hatchet and pound the end of a green twig into a splintery end and use wood ash for abrasive and cleanser. A lightweight fish line will work as floss.

[trax]

Well...you know what they say...join them or...or else.

yep,there's another thread here where they're talking about using batons to whack on people. It keeps me laughing at their jokes