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And I agree that pliers should be in every emergency kit (must add one or two to mine). I just had an abscessed tooth pulled last week. Very dangerous to keep them in, so out they must go!
About a year ago I was caught out in the bush on a hunting/fishing excursion. Roughly 3 days into it I developed an AWFUL toothache that really took me by surprise. After a day of trying to numb the pain with JD and attaining zero relief, I was wondering why I didn't get at least a little relief from the alchol. As I eventually found out it was due to a filling that was put in years ago over a cavity that wasn't fully removed.
With only two pair of pliers, one of them being needle nose and both of them previously being used the prior 2 or 3 days on fish, I decided to go the old fashion method. With only a small bush mirror, I decided to extract it myself.
The first thing I did was clean both pair of pliers with alchol the best I could. Then I placed them over an open flame to kill any other bacteria that I thought may still be on them. Especially from the fish. Thats when I started to pull. As I was pulling, my tooth started to make cracking sounds when all of the sudden ,half-way out my tooth shattered. Lots of blood, lots of pain but at that point I just didn't have the option of stopping. So that is when the needle nose came into use. After getting one particular piece out the pain was instantly gone.
I continued to use the needle nose for cleanup of smaller pieces that I could still pull out.
I then had a fear of getting a bad infection, so I rinsed my mouth out with the alcohol and then did the only other thing that I figured would kill any infection. I heated up the needle nose again and singed my gum.
Its been roughly a year since then and I never had any problem other than having smaller pieces work their way out time to time. Not sure if it was luck, skill or a little bit of both. But if anyone is ever in that situation, all I can say is that it worked for me.
I was afraid the tooth would shatter if I ever had to try that and was not in a place or position to get to a dentist. Glad it worked out. I had wondered what might happen if it shattered.
About a year ago I was caught out in the bush on a hunting/fishing excursion. Roughly 3 days into it I developed an AWFUL toothache that really took me by surprise. After a day of trying to numb the pain with JD and attaining zero relief, I was wondering why I didn't get at least a little relief from the alchol. As I eventually found out it was due to a filling that was put in years ago over a cavity that wasn't fully removed.
With only two pair of pliers, one of them being needle nose and both of them previously being used the prior 2 or 3 days on fish, I decided to go the old fashion method. With only a small bush mirror, I decided to extract it myself.
The first thing I did was clean both pair of pliers with alchol the best I could. Then I placed them over an open flame to kill any other bacteria that I thought may still be on them. Especially from the fish. Thats when I started to pull. As I was pulling, my tooth started to make cracking sounds when all of the sudden ,half-way out my tooth shattered. Lots of blood, lots of pain but at that point I just didn't have the option of stopping. So that is when the needle nose came into use. After getting one particular piece out the pain was instantly gone.
I continued to use the needle nose for cleanup of smaller pieces that I could still pull out.
I then had a fear of getting a bad infection, so I rinsed my mouth out with the alcohol and then did the only other thing that I figured would kill any infection. I heated up the needle nose again and singed my gum.
Its been roughly a year since then and I never had any problem other than having smaller pieces work their way out time to time. Not sure if it was luck, skill or a little bit of both. But if anyone is ever in that situation, all I can say is that it worked for me.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChrisC
Son of a *****! Your entire story had me cringing from beginning to end. You sure you didn't just read this in a Stephen King novel? All I can say is that you have a lot more stones that I do...
That's nothing. I bet Mac_Muz has performed an appendectomy on himself. I hope he gets back before the thread goes stale.
Generally have little interest in the subject, and I'm sure an honest discussion of it tends to make people uncomfortable given the social norm taboos often associated with living in cultures that obsesses over cleanliness.... thought I'd throw it out for discussion anyway after I stumbled upon this book while skimming amazon.com:
It's about the history of people taking baths/showers dating back to the Greeks, and how many subsequent cultures throughout the ages viewed cleanliness.... apparently it went through various phases where washed was the norm, to washed being no longer the norm, and then washed being the norm again. Being a history buff, it sounds like a mildly interesting historical book. I have more than enough books at this point, so I'll probably take a pass.... but if anyone is interested, check it out.
How that ties in to the thread is obvious enough, so I'll just pose a hypothetical..... but you can discuss whatever else you feel like discussing that is related, if you feel so inclined. Feel free to talk about your 2 year supply of toilet paper, hand lotion, and shampoo that you got for only $30 while super couponing.... whatever you want to discuss....
Let's assume for a moment that you were in a situation where you no longer had to go to work regularly, and so had no real pressure to conform to being super clean and prepped every day to look good. How frequently would you do things such as the following?
Brush your teeth?
Wash up lightly, but not take a full bath/shower?
Take a full bath or shower?
Change your clothes?
Wash your clothes?
How do the above answers deviate from your normal routine where you either do have to go to work regularly, or otherwise engage in social activities where you are around people and so feel the need to keep cleaner than if you were otherwise in a situation where it was just you sitting around/working around the home and didn't feel the need to be primped for social interaction?
Hygiene is WAY more important that what kind of black rifle you've got or how much spam you've got tucked away. You've got to find a way to keep clean in a survival situation...it is in fact, a matter of survival.
You've gotta remember that its probably been a long time since your ancestors shared a hut with their farm animals and bathed once a year at best; you just won't have any immunity built up to combat the diseases and infections that come with a filthy environment. Plus, those people were lucky to make it into their 40s as it was.
You should still brush your teeth and bathe daily. You can do a sponge bath with very little water and your teeth still get clean without toothpaste, though it's fairly easy to get/make substitutes. You can make toothbrushes too, if you want to be really creative. For floss, you can get a roll of artificial sinew (popular with buckskinners and reenactors) and have floss for years, or just keep an extra stockpile of the stuff.
Clothes should be cleaned regularly and you should still keep and put on clean undies/socks daily.
Soap can be made fairly easily too, and/or stockpiled beforehand.
Razors are good to have on hand too; the military does the shaved head thing for a good reason if you're not too fashion conscious.
Your home/camp should be kept clean too, food preparation areas should be kept immaculate to protect you and yours from pests and disease.
Son of a *****! Your entire story had me cringing from beginning to end. You sure you didn't just read this in a Stephen King novel? All I can say is that you have a lot more stones that I do...
It certainly wasn't fun ,but rather an unfortunate necessity. You would really be surprised about what you would do if you were in enough pain.
I'm just sorry that I had to be my first guinea pig.
On a good note. I have been brushing my teeth at least twice a day since then. LOOK >>
About a year ago I was caught out in the bush on a hunting/fishing excursion. Roughly 3 days into it I developed an AWFUL toothache that really took me by surprise. After a day of trying to numb the pain with JD and attaining zero relief, I was wondering why I didn't get at least a little relief from the alchol. As I eventually found out it was due to a filling that was put in years ago over a cavity that wasn't fully removed.
With only two pair of pliers, one of them being needle nose and both of them previously being used the prior 2 or 3 days on fish, I decided to go the old fashion method. With only a small bush mirror, I decided to extract it myself.
The first thing I did was clean both pair of pliers with alchol the best I could. Then I placed them over an open flame to kill any other bacteria that I thought may still be on them. Especially from the fish. Thats when I started to pull. As I was pulling, my tooth started to make cracking sounds when all of the sudden ,half-way out my tooth shattered. Lots of blood, lots of pain but at that point I just didn't have the option of stopping. So that is when the needle nose came into use. After getting one particular piece out the pain was instantly gone.
I continued to use the needle nose for cleanup of smaller pieces that I could still pull out.
I then had a fear of getting a bad infection, so I rinsed my mouth out with the alcohol and then did the only other thing that I figured would kill any infection. I heated up the needle nose again and singed my gum.
Its been roughly a year since then and I never had any problem other than having smaller pieces work their way out time to time. Not sure if it was luck, skill or a little bit of both. But if anyone is ever in that situation, all I can say is that it worked for me.
Any good, simple soap recipes? I've read that you can make it with animal fat or veg oils and lye made from filtering water through wood ash. Melt the fat, whip it all up, taste to see if ready.
Any good, simple soap recipes? I've read that you can make it with animal fat or veg oils and lye made from filtering water through wood ash. Melt the fat, whip it all up, taste to see if ready.
What the heck is it supposed to taste like?!
You mean your mama never washed out your mouth with soap when you were a young'un?
I promise, you never forget that taste. To this day I cannot stand the smell of Dial Gold bar soap.
Personally, when it comes to bar soap, I'd rather stocked up in advance whenever possible. I could go a long time just on a year travel's worth of leftover hotel mini-soaps.
Personally, when it comes to bar soap, I'd rather stocked up in advance whenever possible. I could go a long time just on a year travel's worth of leftover hotel mini-soaps.
Thanks! I don't plan on making soap, but in a SHTF situation, I may have to butcher something and save the fat.......
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Glad it worked out
