By The Ready Store

In the film “Cast Away,” Tom Hanks’ character is stranded on an island after his airplane crashes. On top of all the problems he has – learning to make a fire, finding food, water, shelter – he has  a toothache!

This scared me half-to-death when I saw the film. I wondered, in an emergency, would I be able to take care of a simple toothache?

With the help of the Special Operations Forces Medical Handbook, we have highlighted some things that you can do to treat cavities, fractures, extracted teeth and more, in an emergency. These techniques should only be used in an emergency and are not a replacement for a qualified dental professional.

The handbook recommends that you have cotton balls, anesthetic, an explorer, a spoon excavator and a mixing tools. You will need some of these in order to take care of the problems we have listed below.

Anatomy of a tooth
The first thing you’ll need to know about emergency dentistry is the anatomy of a tooth.

A tooth has two major parts – the crown and roots. The crown is the (hopefully) white part that is visible. The roots are embedded in your gums.

The crown has five surfaces: the occlusal (biting) surface, the lingual (tongue side) surface, the facial (cheek side) surface and two contact surfaces that touch the adjacent teeth.

Cavities
Symptoms. If you have a cavity, you’ll feel dull pain in the area. Heat, cold, sweet, or salty foods may enhance the pain. You’ll want to determine on which surface the cavity is located.

Treatment. Cavities can be very tricky to treat because of anesthesia.

The first thing you’ll do is apply an anesthetic agent. Be sure that you are trained on where the injection should be placed – which is near the top of the tooth’s root – in a mucobuccal fold. Do not inject into a blood vessel.

The Medical Handbook recommends the following anesthesia:

• 2% lidocaine with 1/100,000 epinephrine (Xylocaine)
• 0.5% bupivacaine with 1/200,000 epinephrine (Marcaine)
• 3% mepivacaine without epinephrine (Polocaine or Carbocaine)

After the anesthesia has been injected properly, begin to remove the soft decayed area with a spoon-shaped instrument. If they are properly anesthetized, they shouldn’t feel any pain.

After you remove the decayed content, wash out the cavity with warm water. Combine zinc oxide (IRM) powder with two or three drops of water – mix until it’s a putty texture. Then place the putty in the hole. If the cavity was on the occlusal surface, have the patient bite a few times to form the putty.

If IRM is not available, you can fill the hole with a cotton pellet impregnated with eugenol.

This is a temporary procedure. Only a dentist can provide definitive care.

Crown fractures
Your front teeth are more susceptible to fractures than your back teeth. A crown fracture will be a break in your tooth.

Symptoms. Usually someone with a crown fracture will have sensitivity to heat and cold. They might find tooth fragments in their mouth or feel jagged tooth edges.

Treatment. If the fracture is small, you can smooth the rough edges with an emery board or small flat file.

If the fracture is extensive wash the tooth with warm saline. Then, isolate the tooth with cotton gauze. After you’ve isolated the area, cover the fracture with Zinc Oxide-Eugenol paste (IRM). This will hold for about 6 weeks.

Dislocated tooth
Symptoms. You’ll probably notice that your tooth has moved or is wiggling.

Treatment. You can place local anesthetic on the tooth to relieve pain. After you’ve applied the anesthetic, manually reposition the tooth to its normal position. You can then use wire or heavy fishing line to bind the tooth the the teeth next to it. Splint the tooth in place.

Tooth out of its socket
Symptoms. You may have your tooth in your hand.

Treatment. If the tooth has been saved, do not let it dry out. Do not try and scrape anything off the tooth. Instead, place the tooth in a clean liquid like saline or milk.

Next, administer some local anesthetic to the socket. If there are blood clots in the socket, clean it out with saline solution. Replace the tooth in the socket. Then splint the tooth to the surrounding teeth with wire or heavy fishing line. Be sure to administer some type of pain reliever after replacing the tooth.

Tooth extraction
If you end up having to extract a tooth, after the extraction, compress the sides of the empty socket and place a folded sponge over the socket. Apply light pressure for 60 minutes. Do not rinse your mouth for 12 hours since this may disturb the clot.

By The Ready Store

Earthquakes have the ability to knock out electricity, water, and other utilities. So, what would you do if you had to use the bathroom after the earthquake had knocked out your plumbing?

History
The United States has one of the most expansive and efficient plumbing networks in the world. Since the idea of indoor plumbing started in the mid-1800s, Americans have laid down millions of miles of plumbing, allowing people to conduct their business, flush it and forget it!

Indoor plumbing was actually accelerated because of the discovery of viruses and microorganisms. Previously, people hadn’t worried about where they dropped their waste and many times it got back into the water supply causing extreme sickness.

What you’ll need
You can make your own potty disposal kit with a few simple things:

1. Portable Potty Chemicals
2. Portable Potty Lid
3. 6-gallon Bucket
4. Portable Potty Bags
5. Toilet Paper
6. Hand Sanitizer
7. Latex gloves
8. Ventilation Mask (Optional)

You can easily store all these items inside your bucket until you need to use it.

When setting up your potty, make sure that you lay the bag over the rim of the bucket and then place the lid on top. This will allow you to go without having to hold the bag up.

The Ready Store also offers some ready-made kits that you can purchase to save you from having to buy all these products separately. We also have some other types of toilets that you can choose from including a tri-fold collapsible toilet and a flushable toilet.

Disposing of the waste
If a disaster knocks out your plumbing for an extended amount of time, you may need to worry about where to dispose of your waste. If you think that your garbage won’t be emptied for a few days or weeks, you may want to consider burying the waste. However, that decision is up to you! The best way to bury the waste is to create a cathole.

Location. You’ll want to choose a place that is at least 200 feet away from water and places where people might be on a regular basis. Try to find a place with rich, organic soil. A forested area usually works well too. Try to choose a place that has maximum sunlight. South-facing slopes and ridge tops will have more exposure to sun and heat than other areas.

You’ll also want to choose a place that is slightly elevated so that runoff during a storm won’t just wash it into the local water supply.

Digging. Use a small garden trowel to dig a hole that is 6-8 inches deep and 4-6 inches in diameter.

Bury. You’ll want to bury your waste in the hole. Make sure that the waste is covered with the original dirt and disguised with native materials.

Latrine: Extended waste
Although catholes are recommended for most situations, you may want to create a latrine if you have young children or will need a method for more than a few days.

Location. When choosing a site for a latrine, you’ll want to use the same criteria as a cathole. Since there will be more waste in this location, you’ll want to make sure that you choose your location wisely.

Digging. Start by digging a pit that is at least 4 feet deep and 3 ½ feet wide

Bury. You can use the same criteria for burying your waste in a latrine. However, since the larger amount of waste will decompose more slowly, it’s recommended that you throw a handful of dirt in each time you use the latrine to help the process.

Housing. If you feel like you need to build some shelter around the latrine, you can add some walls and a roof to the latrine. Here are some instructions on how to build an outhouse.

Other things to consider
Toilet paper. If you have to use paper, try and use plain, unbleached, non-perfumed types.

Camping and Peeing. We found this helpful video for you that demonstrates how to create a cathole. He also addresses the issue of peeing and how that factors into waste disposal. This is a great lesson for campers to learn.

By The Ready Store

Most people know that there are microscopic organisms in backcountry water that can make you sick. But how prevalent are these organisms?

Many people have tolerances to certain types of organisms in water and thus think that they don’t need to treat any of their water! However, there are many protozoa, bacteria and viruses that can cause severe illness.

Here are a few of the most common and threatening organisms, advised by Ray Brooks.

Protozoa
Protozoa are the most common disease causing organisms in backcountry water. They are also the largest and easiest to remove with microfiltration. However, they are the hardest to kill with chemicals.

Cryptosporidium. Cryptosporidium is a type of protozoa that is found in 97 percent of the rivers and lakes found the in the United States. In 1991, two studies found cryptosporidium present in 65 – 87 percent of U.S. surface water samples.

Giardia. Giardia is just as common as cryptosporidium in backcountry water. It’s estimated that 2- 5 percent of people have giardia at a given time in the U.S. In fact, from 1979 – 1988, an estimated 4,600 people were hospitalized per year as a result of giardia. The CDC reports during 1991 – 2000 show that giardia was a cause of 16.2 percent of reported infectious outbreaks spread through drinking water.

If you become infected with giardia or cryptosporidium symptoms can be very intense. They include watery diarrhea, abdominal cramping, weight loss, fever and vomiting.

The hard part about identifying protozoan infections is that they typically have a long incubation period. It typically takes 5 – 28 days before symptoms appear. Until 2005, people had to let these infections run its course. However, now a drug called Alinia can help.

You can also treat water with Katadyn or MSR microfilters to remove protozoa. Chlorine dioxide is also helpful in killing cryptosporidium.

Bacteria
Bacteria that is found in backcountry water that affects humans, is the same type of bacteria that is found in improperly processed meat. The method of transmission is the same – through traces of feces contamination.

Campylobacter jejuni. This is one one of the most common bacteria in backcountry water. C. jejuni can survive in high-altitudes. It can also survive in surface water for months at a time. C. jejuni can be carried by poultry, horses, cows, waterfowl, rodents, deer, elk and bears.

C. jejuni affects an estimated 1 million people every year. Symptoms include diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and fever. Symptoms usually arrive within 2 – 5 days of ingestion. Illness usually lasts a week.

E. coli. E. coli actually consists of four classes. These four classes cause gastroenteritis in humans. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, low-grade fever, nausea and malaise. E. coli is usually found in the intestines.

Salmonella typhi. People affected by salmonella typhi know it by its common name – Typhoid Fever. There are about 400 cases reported in the U.S. each year and the majority of these cases originated from international travel. Typhoid fever can be life-threatening and it’s recommended that you get an immunization shot or booster before traveling internationally.

Cholera. Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The infection causes severe vomiting, leg cramping, water diarrhea and a rapid loss of body fluids. Without treatment, cholera can cause death within hours.

Bacteria can be removed from water through Katadyn, MSR filters and purification tablets.

Viruses
Viruses in water have only one source – human feces from infected carriers. The majority of outbreaks occur due to cross contamination. Outbreaks have also occurred from well or river water contaminated with raw sewage.

Enteric adenovirus & astroviruses. Enteric adenovirus is the most common virus found in water. It can cause respiratory problems but can also cause illnesses such as gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis, cystitis and rash illness. Enteric adenovirus causes 5 – 20 percent of the gastroenteritis in young children.

Norovirus and the calcivirus group. Noroviruses symptoms include headaches, fever, vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms usually appear within 48 hours. Norovirus can survive in up to 10 ppm chlorine – well above the levels used in public water systems. You can, however, treat norovirus with chlorine dioxide at 1 ppm in 30 minutes.

Rotavirus. One of the hard things about rotavirus is that it has an incubation period of 2 days. Symptoms include vomiting and watery diarrhea for 3 – 8 days. They are usually accompanied by fever and abdominal pain. Children are particularly affected by rotavirus and account for the hospitalization of 55,000 children in the U.S. each year.

Hepatitis A. Hepatitis A can be very prevalent in water outside the U.S.. However, it can be present in backcountry water in our borders. Hepatitis A affects liver functions and can cause long-term problems. It’s recommended that you get an immunizations shot for international travel.

Enteroviruses. This family of viruses includes 62 separate viruses that can infect humans. Most of the viruses cause cold- or flu-like symptoms. However, some of them can cause Polio, aseptic meningitis and more.

To combat viruses in water, you should first use a microfilter, then treat the water for 15 minutes with chlorine dioxide.

Other concerns
Blue-green algae. Also known as Cyanobacteria, this algae can affect water’s color and smell. You should try and avoid cyanobacteria water, however, if you’re forced to use that water, try and filter water where the algae doesn’t seem to be as thick. Be sure to run the water through activated charcoal. Microfilters will remove the majority of the toxins.

Contaminated water. You’ve probably seen pools that have a skull-and-cross-bones sign in front of them. These pools are usually contaminated with metal deposits or chemicals. While activated charcoal will remove many organic chemicals, it probably won’t remove metals, salts, or carbonates.

By The Ready Store

I remember many times going camping and the only way to get clean was to rinse off in a nearby lake or river. Now, in Utah, the snow melting off the mountains in the summer time can cause some pretty cold streams. I didn’t much enjoy that!

Now, when I go camping, no more of that cold bathing! Now, we have the Solar Heating Shower!

This cool shower is self-heating and has a polyethylene exterior. This 5 gallon bladder absorbs the heat of the sun and can get up to 100 degrees! And the cool part is that it heat the water in as little as 2 ½ hours!

That means that you can fill up the bladder, go hiking or any adventure you please, then come back to a warm shower at the end of the day!

The new shower also has a ergonomic handle in order to allow for easy transportation.

You can hang the shower up with the S hook attachment on the end of the bladder. Once it’s hung up, you can use the on/off spigot to turn the shower on and off. According to our testing, the shower will provide a consistent stream for 4-5 minutes.

Our team made a video to show the shower in action. At first we just had someone holding it but realized that 40 lbs of water wasn’t as easy to hold as we had originally thought! However, we rigged up a system and have the demonstration video below! Enjoy!

During periods of emergency or disaster, sanitation levels can deteriorate rapidly and disease can spread and even cause death in a matter of days. Maintaining good hygiene will prevent disease and illness from spreading. You will need a sanitary way to use the restroom, a way to keep your living environment clean, and a way to keep your hands, mouth, and body clean.

Some Hygiene or Sanitation items you should keep in an ‘easy to access’ place in case you find yourself in an emergency situation could include:

1. Waterless Hand Sanitizer
2. Antibiotic ointment
3. Antiseptic cleansing wipes
4. Bar of Soap
5. Tissue Packs
6. Toilet Paper Rolls
7. Latex-Free Gloves
8. Particle Respirator / Dust Mask
9. Toothbrushes
10. CombRazor

Some other less essential, but ideal items could include:

1. Clean Change of Clothes
2. Toothbrushes
3. Comb
4. Razor
5. Port-a-Potty Lid
6. Port-a-Potty Bags
7. Port-a-Potty Chemicals

Also remember to keep a clean, sanitary source of water at all times. You can store it by using any type of water preserver, or you can keep a water filter near by.

Avoid illness during a disaster with good hygiene. When there’s no plumbing available, a portable sanitation hygiene kit will come in very handy. It comes with all of the items you’ll need to take care of the sanitation needs for up to 5 people in one place.

• Includes personal care, sanitation, & hygiene.
• Bucket double as container and Port-a-Potty.
• Trusted quality from The Ready store.

Never underestimate how important good sanitation is during an emergency.  Most people take this for granted, but believe us, you it will be one of the first things you will miss like crazy during an emergency.  Don’t put your family at a huge health risk and forget to be prepared with a good sanitation kit.

Behind Water, and Food, this is probably next in line in your list of things to be prepared for.  You don’t want to have to find a public restroom that may or may not work.  Make sure if you haven’t already that you are ready for any sanitation need you may have.

In addition to good sanitation, you also should store enough water to help keep your body clean.  Make sure you have everything you need to keep your body is clean and healthy.  This includes tooth paste, deodorant, and other toiletries to help you not only physically, but psychologically.

Your health can be maintained during an emergency if you are properly equipped to take care of your families sanitation and hygiene supplies.

During periods of emergency or disaster, sanitation levels can deteriorate rapidly and disease can spread and even cause death in a matter of days. Maintaining good hygiene will prevent disease and illness from spreading. You will need a sanitary way to use the restroom, a way to keep your living environment clean, and a way to keep your hands, mouth, and body clean.

Some Hygiene or Sanitation items you should keep in an ‘easy to access’ place in case you find yourself in an emergency situation could include:

1. Waterless Hand Sanitizer
2. Antibiotic ointment
3. Antiseptic cleansing wipes
4. Bar of Soap
5. Tissue Packs
6. Toilet Paper Rolls
7. Latex-Free Gloves
8. Particle Respirator / Dust Mask
9. Toothbrushes
10. CombRazor

Some other less essential, but ideal items could include:

1. Clean Change of Clothes
2. Toothbrushes
3. Comb
4. Razor
5. Port-a-Potty Lid
6. Port-a-Potty Bags
7. Port-a-Potty Chemicals

Also remember to keep a clean, sanitary source of water at all times. You can store it by using any type of water preserver, or you can keep a water filter near by.