Toothache occurs when the very sensitive center of the tooth or pulp becomes inflamed. This can be due to a variety of things: a hole, a blow to the tooth, or an infection in the gums. Read on for information on how to treat a toothache yourself or to find out when you need a dentist's help.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Relieve Pain Quickly (Easy Way)
Step 1. Take pain medication
In most cases of mild toothache, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin and ibuprofen can relieve it quickly and effectively. Toothache can interfere with eating, talking, and sleeping. Toothache can also be more difficult to treat if you're still in pain, so it may be helpful to first relieve it with over-the-counter pain relievers.
- Use according to the dose recommended on the package, or the dose recommended by the doctor.
- Panadol is an over-the-counter pain reliever that is also effective.
Step 2. Apply a cold compress
Fill a food bag with ice, cover it with cheesecloth or tissue, and apply it directly to the tooth or the outer cheek. The cold temperature will help relieve the pain.
Do not apply ice directly to the teeth. This will make it more painful, especially since teeth that are inflamed from toothaches are often sensitive to hot or cold temperatures
Step 3. Use local anesthetic
Purchase a local anesthetic gel to help relieve the pain for a few hours. This gel is applied directly to the affected area, and usually takes a few hours to take effect.
Step 4. Clean your entire mouth
Sometimes, toothaches are caused by food flakes stuck in the teeth, and exacerbates pain from cavities or gingivitis. If so, cleaning your mouth can go a long way in relieving the pain as well as addressing the underlying problem.
- Clean around the teeth with floss. Make sure to clean up to the gums. Pull back and forth between the teeth so that any debris stuck in there can be removed.
- Brush the affected area. If your toothache is caused by gingivitis, brushing your teeth is a powerful way to relieve it. Brush your teeth for a few minutes, focusing on the area that hurts. Continue to brush the area until it no longer feels sensitive.
- Gargle. Finish cleaning your teeth using a mouthwash to remove any loose particles.
- Continue. Do this habit twice a day, every day, continue even if your toothache has healed.
Step 5. Gargle with salt water
Toothache from a blow to the tooth or a minor infection may go away on its own. To help the healing process, make a mouthwash solution of salt water and a spoonful of sea salt. Once the salt has dissolved, use the solution to swish it around in your mouth, making sure that the solution hits the affected area. Repeat several times a day until the toothache subsides.
Method 2 of 3: Medical Treatment
Step 1. Know when to see a doctor
Toothache caused by a severe infection or tooth decay will not go away on its own. You should see a doctor or dentist if you experience any of the following symptoms during a toothache:
- Fever and chills. These symptoms may indicate that the infection is quite serious.
- Discharge of pus. Again, don't let the infection get worse.
- Pain that gets worse and doesn't go away. There may be cavities in your teeth that get worse every time you eat.
- Pain in wisdom molars. Many people have to remove wisdom teeth that grow sideways and push in the mouth.
- You have trouble swallowing or breathing.
Step 2. Fill your teeth
If there is a hole in the tooth that opens the nerve and causes pain, the dentist may fill the tooth to protect the nerve from being overstimulated.
Step 3. Perform root canal treatment
If there is swelling due to infection of the dental pulp, root canal treatment will be performed. The dentist will clean the inside of the tooth to treat infection. Since this procedure causes pain, your mouth will be given a local anesthetic beforehand.
Step 4. Extract your teeth
In some cases, your tooth is beyond repair, and the best option is to have it removed. This step is almost always taken on baby teeth, because they will eventually fall out.
- Dentures are often used to replace extracted adult teeth.
- Tooth extraction is also almost always done on wisdom teeth. Due to their large size, patients are often anesthetized under general anesthesia. The time it takes to recover is about a week.
Method 3 of 3: Using Alternative Treatments
Step 1. Use clove oil
This home treatment is said to be able to cure or at least relieve toothache until it heals by itself. Rub a few drops of clove oil on the aching tooth several times a day until the pain subsides. Clove oil can be purchased at most pharmacies.
Step 2. Try liquor
These home remedies may relieve a toothache, but will not cure it, and the effect will wear off over time. However, you can still use it if the toothache is caused by a blow or a minor infection that will go away on its own after a few days. Pour whiskey or vodka onto a cotton ball and apply it to the aching tooth.
Step 3. Clean with hydrogen peroxide
This action will clean the sore area and relieve the pain. Be sure to rinse your mouth with water and be careful not to swallow the hydrogen peroxide.
- Dip the cotton swab in hydrogen peroxide until saturated.
- Apply a large amount of hydrogen peroxide to the aching tooth.
- Repeat.
Step 4. Try acupressure techniques for quick pain relief
Press the point where the base of the thumb and index finger meet on the back of the hand with the thumb of the other hand. Press for about 2 minutes. This pressure will help release endorphins, the pain-relieving hormones in your brain.
Step 5. Try the oil pulling treatment
Gargle with 1 tablespoon of coconut oil for 15-20 minutes. This treatment is said to reduce the number of harmful bacteria in the mouth. When gargling with oil, bacteria are dissolved in it, and this is what causes bacteria and the plaque it causes to be cleaned. After 15-20 minutes, remove the oil and throw it in the trash. Do not swallow it, or you will swallow the bacteria dissolved in it. You should also not throw oil into drains, as they can harden and cause blockages.
Tips
- Brush your teeth more often to keep your teeth and mouth healthy and prevent toothache.
- Avoid eating hard foods (apples, nuts, etc.) when you have a toothache.
- You may be able to cure a toothache with 100% pure vanilla extract. This extract can really help, you just need to apply it to the teeth and surrounding gums.
- When brushing your teeth, use mouthwash before brushing, not after, as some suggest, to prevent toothache.
- Punch a hole in the Advil soft capsule and scoop the contents onto a cotton ball, then place it into the cavities. This treatment can relieve toothache instantly. It doesn't taste good, but it's 100% better than feeling sick.
- Floss every day to help prevent, not cure, toothache.
- Try ginger, which can relieve, or even cure, a toothache. A cup of ginger tea every few hours can help you.
- Visit the dentist, like it or not. This is your best choice.
- Stick a bag of cold ice to your teeth. Warm compresses are said to be not recommended for toothache relief.
- Gargle with Listerine or other mouthwash for 19 minutes, then apply a compress over the affected area. It can't cure it, but it can relieve toothache.
- Pour some olive oil on a cotton ball and apply it to the aching tooth. This treatment is said to relieve toothache.
- Use clove or clove oil for pain relief.
