When the central region of the tooth known as pulp becomes inflamed or irritated, toothache occurs. The tooth’s pulp is highly sensitive and it contains several nerve endings and tissues. Bacterial infection, tooth decay and cavities, tooth injury, or loss of tooth are major causes of a toothache.
A toothache can range from mild to severe throbbing pain in your teeth or jaws and if it last for more than 2 days, it is best to seek immediate help from your dentist. However, if the toothache happens in the middle of the night or if you cannot get an appointment with your dentist right away, you can try several home remedies to cure a toothache. Natural treatments can help to provide temporary relief from a toothache when there is no immediate access or when you have to wait for an appointment with a dentist.
Tooth decay can result to the growth of bacteria which can lead to infection, cavities, and in some severe cases, even death. If you are experiencing tooth pain and have to wait for a dentist’s appointment to get them treated, there are several home remedies that can help you relieve your toothache temporarily and these are:
- Activated charcoal – Mix with just enough water to make a paste and put some of the mixture on a small gauze then put it on the painful tooth, leave it for up to 5 minutes, remove the gauze and rinse your mouth with water.
- Acupressure – Use your thumb to press the point on the back of the other hand where the base of the thumb and index finger meet then apply pressure for 2 minutes. Doing this will release the brain’s feel-good hormones called endorphins.
- Apple Cider vinegar – Place a cotton ball soaked in apple cider vinegar for pain relief of toothache.
- Asefetida – Add a pinch of asetifida powder to warm lemon juice, then use a cotton to apply the solution to the aching tooth.
- Baking Soda – Dip a moist cotton ball in baking soda then apply on the affected tooth. You can also make a mouth wash by dissolving a spoonful of baking soda in a small glass of lukewarm to warm water.
- Bayberry – Mix powder of bayberry bark with vinegar to make a paste and apply on the infected tooth to relieve the pain of a toothache.
- Blackstrap molasses – Contains the minerals magnesium and calcium that help in the repair and regeneration of the teeth. Smear the molasses on the gums or hold in the mouth for a few minutes.
- Cayenne pepper – Mix cayenne pepper with water to form a paste, then place on the painful tooth.
- Coconut oil or virgin coconut oil – Swish the oil in the mouth and through the teeth for a few minutes then spit out (also called oil pulling).
- Colloidal silver – Use this to spray the infected tooth
- Cucumber – Slice a cucumber and hold it over the sore area.
- Echinea and Aloe – Echinea is a cold and flu remedy. Open 2 capsules of it then mix with aloe gel to create a paste, then put on the infected tooth till it dissolves. Enchinea will stop the infection and the aloe will reduce the pain.
- Garlic – Place a clove of garlic mixed with a little rock salt on the affected tooth to relieve the pain. You can also chew a garlic clove to release the oil then hold it against the aching tooth for half an hour. it will provide immediate relief because it acts as an anesthetic.
- Ginger root – Chew on a fresh piece of ginger or cut a piece of the root and put it on the painful tooth.
- Guava leaves – Chew on fresh guava leaves to extract the juice on the affected tooth. Or boil 4-5 guava leaves in water, allow it to cool a bit, add some salt, and then use as a mouthwash to relieve the pain. Spinach leaves can be used as an alternate to guava leaves.
- Hydrogen Peroxide – Swish 3% of hydrogen peroxide solution in your mouth, hold it for a few minutes, spit it out, and then rinse with water.
- Ice – Place a small ice cube in a plastic bag and hold it against the painful tooth for around 15 minutes. The ice will numb the nerves and gums.
- Lime – Cut a slice of lime and bite into it if you as much as you can bear to release some of the juice.
- Magnesium Citrate – Take 1 teaspoon for 3 to 4 days for toothache relief.
- Oil of cloves – Also known as eugenol and considered as one of the age-old home remedies for toothache. It has antimicrobial properties and numbing effect that act as a potent painkiller. Just soak a cotton ball or swab with the oil and dab it directly on the sore tooth. Or you can try mixing a few drops of oil in half glass of water and use it as a mouthwash. Repeat as needed.
- Oil of Oregano – Mix a few drops of oregano oil and olive oil and soak a cotton ball in the solution. Apply to the affected area.
- Onion – Provides relief from pain due to its antimicrobial and antiseptic properties. Chew raw onion to kill the germs that’s causing the infection.
- Over-the-counter medicines or pain relievers – These oral pills do not require a prescription from your dentist or doctor and are often found in your home medicine cabinet and are usually the best treatment for temporary relief of toothaches. You can find many choices with OTC treatments such as antiseptic ointment, anti-inflammatory medicines, ibuprofen or acetaminophen, and aspirin. However, never put the medicine directly to your teeth or gums since it might cause burn.
- Pepper and salt – Mix equal amounts of pepper and salt with water to form a paste, then apply directly on the affected tooth and let it stay for a few minutes.
- Peppermint leaves – Chew on fresh peppermint leaves. Or mix five grams of peppermint and a pinch of salt into one cup of water to a boil. Let it cool then drink the mixture.
- Plantain – Chew a fresh plantain leaf to release the juice then apply on the aching tooth.
- Potato – Cut a fresh piece of potato then hold on the affected area for a few minutes.
- Salt – Mix a half-teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water and rinse for up to 30 minutes before spitting out. Repeat at least twice a day or as needed.
- Tea – Place a black tea on the aching tooth. The tannins will help draw out the toxins from the infected tooth or gum and reduce the swelling and pain.
- Tea Tree oil – Just drop some Tea Tree oil to a cotton swab and put directly on the acing tooth or use as a mouthwash by adding a few drops to a glass of lukewarm water.
- Turmeric powder – Turmeric is an herb known for its anti-bacterial, antiseptic, and is believed to contain fluoride. Put some turmeric on a cotton swab and apply it to the painful tooth.
- Vanilla Extract – Soak a cotton ball in some vanilla extract and put it between your teeth.
- Wheatgrass juice – Contains natural antibacterial properties that can fight tooth decay. Use the extracted juice of the wheatgrass as a mouthwash to relieve the pain. Or you can also chew on the wheatgrass.
If after trying all the above-mentioned remedies still leave you with an aching tooth, it is best to have it taken care of by your dentist as soon as possible. Some of the dental problems concerning gums and teeth are best treated professionally than at home.
Summary:
Toothache is one of the common dental problems and can happen without a warning. Swelling, irritation, and probably infection can cause a toothache which is characterized with pain or soreness of the tooth or around the tooth. If left untreated, it can lead to gum or teeth abscess which will eventually lead to tooth loss. There are home remedies available that can give temporary toothache relief while you wait to see a dentist, but it is important to know that you still have to make an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible to get the proper treatment for what is really causing the toothache.
