Where There Is No Dentist 2012 111
Send the person to the hospital as soon as possible. The person must have
wires placed on his teeth within a week of the accident. The wires must
remain there for 4 to 6 weeks. Every week, the person must return to the
hospital to have the wires tightened. During this time he cannot open his
mouth to chew food or brush his teeth.
Caring for a person who cannot eat properly
1. Give Iiquid foods for strength and energy.
Prepare food in two ways: (a) First, a milk-oil drink to build strength and
then (b) a special soup to keep him strong and give him energy.
To build strength: Milk-oil drink
Mix for him each day at your clinic:
• 9 cups of water
• 150 ml of peanut oil or coconut milk
• 3 cups of milk powder • ½ cup of honey or 1 cup of sugar
Leave some near his bed, and keep the rest in a cool place.
To keep strength and give energy: Special vegetable soup
Cut into small pieces and cook together in a pot of water:
• ½ tin of fish or a handful of dried fish
• 4 small spoonfuls of peanut oil or palm oil
• 6 sweet potatoes or small yams
• 1 large handful of green leaves
• 1 small spoonful of salt
Pour the soup into an empty tin with small holes made in the bottom.
Use the back of a spoon to press as much of the cooked food as you can
through the holes. The person can suck the soup between the teeth to
the throat and then swallow it. Clean the tin and set it in boiling water, so
you can use it again the next day.
2. Keep the teeth clean and the gums tough.
The person must learn to clean teeth and gums or the gums can quickly
become infected and the mouth will feel sore. So:
• Scrub both the wires and the teeth with a soft brush after drinking soup.
• Rinse with warm salt water (page 7), 2 cups every day.