Toothaches are something that comes all of a sudden and manages to spoil the happiest of days in our lives. The incessant pain seems to take over your life momentarily as you cannot help but think about it till your next dentist’s appointment. Though the cause of a toothache can range from anything between bacterial infections to chipped teeth, thankfully, you can find relief from the pain just by going to your kitchen and using the ingredients!
Here are 13 home remedies you might want to try out the next time you encounter a toothache:
Peppermint
Have you ever wondered why there are so many peppermint-flavored pain-relieving gels, creams, and sprays? This is because the peppermint herb is a natural analgesic and has the ability to provide pain relief owing to the presence of menthol which functions as a pain blocker. Freeze a peppermint tea bag in your refrigerator till it is cold enough for your comfort and apply it directly to the affected area. Keep it there until you start to feel your pain subside. If you are cold-sensitive or don’t have access to peppermint tea bags, just pour a few drops of peppermint essential oil on a cotton ball and apply it to your toothache.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Even though toothaches are a symptom of residual remedies, they can also be indicative of tooth or gum infections. If you notice the foul taste and fever accompanying your toothache, you might want to use a hydrogen peroxide solution of about 3% concentration to relive yourself from discomfort and killing the bacteria. Remind yourself never to swallow it. Just rinse your mouth with the hydrogen peroxide solution and spit it out.
Garlic
Turns out that garlic is important for many reasons other than making curries more delicious. Garlic has the chemical compound allicin which makes it a natural antiseptic which has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-biotic and anti-viral properties. Grab hold of your mortar and pestle and grind the garlic in it till a juice is released. Leave it aside for ten minutes so that the allicin is activated. Dip a Q tip in the juice and apply it to the tooth which is giving you the trouble. Rinse out the juice with lukewarm saltwater to remove the burning sensation and the inflammation. If you don’t like the taste of raw garlic juice, you can always add crushed garlic cloves and salt to your yogurt and consume it after your lunch and dinner though it wouldn’t be as effective.
Clove Oil
Cloves have traditionally considered as the remedy for numbing any nerve-related pain. This is due to its anesthetic properties derived from the spice eugenol which is present within it. However, using cloves or clove oil directly to cure the toothache can be quite dangerous as it has chances of harming the gum tissue. You can either chew cloves so as to extract the oil which would then make your pain subside or you might want to pour two or three drops of clove oil on soft cotton balls and keep it placed against the affected area.
Cucumber
You must be used to cucumber slices being used to remove the dark circles that form under your eyes after you have spent a sleepless night working on your thesis. However, what you didn’t know is that cucumber has soothing and hemostatic properties which when applied on your sore tooth helps in lessening the flow of blood to the gum to reduce the pain. Instead of chewing on a cold slice of cucumber, try bringing it to the room temperature, mashing it up with salt and wrap the paste around the affected region.
Make a Myrrh mouthwash
Myrrh has astringent properties which kill bacteria and lessens the inflammation when made into a rinse and used as a mouthwash to cure toothache. Add a tablespoon of myrrh to a glass of water and let it simmer for half an hour. Allow the solution to cool and then strain out the granules. Pour the solution to an airtight container and add a teaspoon of it to your cup of water to rinse your mouth at least six times a day.
Gulp down your Whiskey
Don’t try to use this one as an excuse for getting tipsy with alcohol as applying it topically is more effective in killing the bacteria than drinking it. Soak a ball of cotton in whiskey, squeeze out the excess amount and let it rest for ten minutes or so. Wrap it around the gum of the sore tooth or teeth and discard it when it becomes stale. Repeat as often as needed. We must warn you forthright that there is no scientific proof that this particular home remedy works but since several generations of grandmothers have placed their trust on this one, we decided it warranted a mention.
Rinse with Saltwater
When you are waiting for your dentist’s appointment and need some quick remedy to save yourself from the tooth pain, rinsing your mouth with salt water will be your best bet. Heat a glass of water, take it down from the stove when the water reaches a boiling point and let a teaspoon of salt dissolved in it till the temperature drops to lukewarm. Swish the saltwater around in your mouth for a minute or so, repeat five times to ensure instant pain relief. The salt would absorb fluids and debris causing the pain.
The Cayenne – Ginger Combo
You might be wondering why we included a garlic home remedy for toothache when we had already mentioned it before in the list. This is because though garlic is quite formidable on its own when combined with cayenne pepper which has the infamous chemical substance, capsaicin in it, the end result is unstoppable when it comes to getting rid of your toothache. Make a paste of garlic cloves and cayenne pepper with a little bit of water and let cotton balls soak in the liquid-based mixture overnight. Your taste buds would be overwhelmed by a burning sensation for a while but it would definitely make the pain fade away by stopping the pain indicators from reaching your brain.
Acupressure
Acupressure would help you deal with your tooth pain in the smartest and most scientific way possible, that is, by inducing the production of endorphins which make you feel good. You can either try to apply pressure on the skin tissue present where the index finger and thumb meet, the skin behind the bone on your ankle or the toenail of your second toe. Keep pressing for one or two minutes and you would soon feel your toothache magically subside.
Leaves from the Guava fruit
Due to the anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of guava leaves it is one of the most popular home remedies when it comes to relieving pain due to mouth ulcers, tooth infections or swollen gums. Pick one or two fresh leaves each morning and chew on them until the juice is extracted. Don’t like the taste? Boil the guava leaves in water with salt and use the strained solution as mouthwash whenever you suffer from problems regarding your oral hygiene. Not only toothache relief, you will also find that your breath has been freshened after using guava leaves.
Chewing gum
Did you lose your tooth filling recently or chipped a part of a tooth? Though your first instinct might be to avoid using that tooth to eat or chew anything, you can reduce the pain resulting from that by using chewing gum to fill up the gaps or the area which has been left exposed. Now, this might get nasty so brace yourself for it: You would have to tear off a bit of the gum you have chewed and stick it into the hollow space till the time you arrive at your dentist’s chamber.
Stay equipped with the right Oral hygiene tools
The kind of oral hygiene products you use, starting from your toothbrush to your toothpaste goes a long way into determining whether you would suffer from a toothache in the long run or not. Rather than raiding your kitchen for home remedies, simply changing your toothpaste and toothbrush can make a world of difference. Buy a toothbrush with soft bristles if you have sensitive dentures and make sure your toothpaste is meant to satisfy your specific needs. Floss on a regular basis to ensure that there is no bacterial debris lying around to cause a gum infection.
You will be surprised to know the total percentage of cases where toothache has been caused just because someone forgot to brush her teeth twice regularly. Make sure you maintain your oral hygiene and for the rest, these home remedies would save you by providing pain relief.
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