Where There Is No Dentist 2012 167
6. Stop the bleeding. Squeeze the sides of the socket (the hole that is left
after you take out the tooth) back into place. Then cover the socket with
cotton gauze and ask the person to bite firmly against it for 30 minutes. A
child should bite firmly on the gauze for 2 hours. See page 142.
Whenever the gums are loose, join them together. To stop the bleeding
and heal the wound, you must hold the gums tightly against the bone
under them.
HOW TO PLACE A SUTURE
When you remove 2 or more teeth in a row, it is a good idea to join
the gums with a suture (needle and thread). If you need more than
one suture, place the first one nearest the front of the mouth and
work toward the back.
The needle and thread you use must be sterile.
Boil both for 30 minutes. See page 88.
You will need an instrument to hold the needle firmly (hemostat) and
scissors to cut the thread.
a) Pass the needle through the loose gum—the one you can move
most easily. Then pass it through the more firmly attached gum.
If the looser gum is on the outside,
you will bring the needle toward the
tongue. Protect the tongue with a
tongue blade or your dental mirror.
You must suture both the upper and
the lower gums in this way.
After this you must tie 2 knots and cut
the thread. See the next page.