Where There Is No Dentist 2012 103
2. Clean away the pus, old food, and big pieces of tartar. Then:
• Tell the person to rinse his mouth with warm water.
• Wipe his gums with cotton soaked in a 3% solution of hydrogen
peroxide, iodine, disinfectant mouth wash, or warm salt water. Rinse
with warm water. For a child, use a weaker solution, such as 1 part
hydrogen peroxide mixed with 5 parts water.
• Scrape away the bigger pieces of tartar. Do not try to remove all of it.
You can do that later. Put topical anesthetic on the gums if you have
some (first dry the area with cotton so the topical anesthetic will stay
longer). Rinse away any loose bits of tartar with warm water.
3. Teach the person how to care for the gums at home:
• Rinse at home for 3 days with a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide
(page 8), iodine, disinfectant mouth wash, or warm salt water. Try
to hold the solution in the mouth for several minutes. The longer the
solution touches the gums, the better it is for the gums. Rinse once
every hour. After 3 days, change to salt water, 4 cups a day.
• Clean the teeth with a soft brush. Parents can clean children’s teeth.
Show them how (page 18), and ask them to do it even if the gums bleed.
For a young child who is not able to
rinse, Mother or Father can wipe his
gums with the weak solution 4 times a
day.
Show parents how to do this. Give
them some cotton gauze and hydrogen
peroxide, iodine, or disinfectant mouth
wash to take home.
4. Cook food that is soft (like pounded yam) and not spicy (no pepper). Eat
fresh fruits and vegetables that give strength to the gums (page 102).
If you cannot eat well because of pain, take a multi-vitamin, or at least
vitamin C and zinc.
• Stop smoking and stop chewing betel nut.
One week Iater, scrape away the rest of the tartar from the teeth. Then
with the person’s own brush show him how to do a better job of cleaning
his teeth.