I hear you on the temp kits—mine lasted about as long as a cheap umbrella in a windstorm. I tried saving a few bucks by patching up a chipped tooth with one, but it popped out the first time I tried eating something that wasn’t soup. After that, it was all soft foods and paranoid saltwater rinses for me. Dental bills scare me more than the dentist, but honestly, sometimes you just gotta tough it out till you can get in the chair.
I totally get the temptation to use those temp kits—been there, done that, and it honestly just made me more anxious. The one time I tried patching up a broken molar, it lasted maybe two days before coming loose during breakfast. After that, I started worrying about infection more than the actual pain. In my experience, saltwater rinses help a bit, but I’ve learned the hard way that leaving things too long can make the dental bill even scarier. Sometimes biting the bullet (not literally, obviously) and getting seen sooner is actually cheaper in the long run.
I get the urge to wait it out, but honestly, I’ve seen a lot of folks manage with temp kits for longer than just a day or two. Did you try using dental wax or was it one of those putty things? Sometimes it comes down to how well you dry the tooth first—moisture can mess up the seal. I’m not saying it’s a fix, but if you’re stuck waiting a week for an appointment, that extra bit of protection can keep things from getting worse. Anyone else actually had luck with temp stuff holding up?
Sometimes it comes down to how well you dry the tooth first—moisture can mess up the seal.
This is exactly what I worry about, honestly. My kid chipped a molar last month and I was a nervous wreck trying to figure out if I should even touch it. I did grab one of those temp filling kits from the drugstore (the putty kind, not wax), but I kept second-guessing if I was doing it right. How dry is “dry enough”? Like, are we talking hair dryer levels or just a paper towel? And then every time she took a drink, I was convinced the whole thing would pop out and she’d swallow it.
Did anyone else’s kid complain about the taste? The stuff we used tasted like chalky glue. It did hold for about three days, though, which was longer than I expected. Still, I was checking her mouth every hour and worrying about infection. I guess I’m just super paranoid about making things worse before the dentist can see her... Anyone else feel like these kits are more nerve-wracking than helpful?
How dry is “dry enough”? Like, are we talking hair dryer levels or just a paper towel? And then every time she took a drink, I was convinced the whole thing would pop out and she’d swallow it.
This is basically my internal monologue every time something dental happens at home. I tried one of those temp kits on myself last year (cracked filling, of course over a holiday weekend...), and the whole drying thing made me so anxious. I used a paper towel and tried to keep my mouth open for ages, but then I started wondering if my breath was making it humid again. Hair dryer seemed overkill, but honestly, I thought about it.
The taste was awful for me too—like gritty glue mixed with chalk. I can only imagine what kids think. My son kept saying it felt “weird” and he didn’t want to eat on that side at all. It did stay put for maybe two days, but then it came loose while he was eating cereal and I panicked thinking he’d swallow a chunk of it. The instructions always make it sound so simple, but in real life? Not so much.
I get what you mean about being paranoid about infection. I was checking his gums every few hours like some kind of detective, convinced I’d see swelling or something gross. Honestly, these kits stress me out more than they help, but at the same time, leaving the tooth exposed feels worse.
One thing that helped me chill out (a little) was having him rinse with salt water a few times a day while we waited for the dentist appointment. Don’t know if it actually does anything, but it made me feel like I was doing something helpful.
I wish there were better instructions or at least some reassurance that you’re not totally messing things up. Waiting those couple days for the dentist always feels like an eternity when you’re worried about your kid’s tooth...
