At-Home Toothache Remedies

Have you ever had a toothache at the completely wrong time (not that there is ever a good time for a toothache), one in which you can’t zip over to your dentist for a quick fix?

If for whatever reason you can’t visit Giesy Dental right away, check your cupboard at home to make a remedy for temporary toothache relief until Dr. Giesy, our best dentist in Tacoma, can give you the professional help you need. You may be surprised, but there are several items in your kitchen that can help you withstand the pain until your emergency dentistry appointment.

CLOVES

If you have any form of clove in your kitchen, try this first! As the best home remedy method for toothache relief, cloves have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anesthetic properties. Here are three methods you can try at home:

  1. Using a whole clove put it directly onto the tooth causing pain. With your mouth closed, hold it between your upper and lower teeth.
  2. Make a paste out of ground cloves and add a few drops of olive oil. Apply this paste directly onto the tooth.
  3. If you have clove oil, this is the simplest method. Put a few drops of oil (not too much!) on a cotton ball and place it against the tooth or sore area.

With any of these methods, the cloves properties will help to alleviate your pain and sooth your mouth.

ONIONS

Onions also have antibacterial properties and can alleviate your tooth pain by killing the germs causing the infection. Either place a piece of raw onion on the troublesome tooth or, if it doesn’t hurt too much, chew the onion for a few minutes, which further helps to release the juices. Be sure to use only a raw onion that is freshly cut for the best effect.

GARLIC

Like cloves and onions, garlic also has antibacterial properties, as well as other medicinal purposes. If you don’t mind the bad breath associated with garlic, this remedy will definitely be worth it! Chew on one or two cloves of garlic to again release the juices that will ultimately help to ease your pain. If chewing isn’t an option due to the tooth pain, you can make paste instead and apply it directly to the aching tooth. Crush a few cloves and add some salt until you have a paste consistency. Leave the paste on the affected area for a while. The garlic will slow down the bacterial effect that causes the pain.

OTHER REMEDIES

Don’t worry if your kitchen is out of cloves, onions, and garlic all at once! Try chewing on or making mouth rinses or pastes out of some of these other kitchen finds:

  • Combine salt and warm water to create a rinse
  • Mix ground black pepper and water (or salt) to create a paste
  • Put baking soda on a cotton swab and apply to the affected area
  • Put the warm teabag from a freshly-made cup of tea in your mouth (don’t tear the bag!)
  • Chew on ginger root
  • Bite a lime wedge

Though several of these remedies might not leave you with the freshest of breath, the toothache relief will likely outweigh the distance your friends and family keep from you. And remember, just because the pain is gone does not mean the problem is too. Always let Dr. Giesy know about pain or troublesome teeth so that  he can determine and diagnose the actual cause.

Do you have any other toothache remedies that we haven’t mentioned? Share them with us!