Tooth Pain

If one of your teeth begins to ache, this may be a sign of a cavity, gum disease, or other problem. If your pain persists, immediately make an appointment with your dentist.

The sooner you seek dental care, the better. However, if you are experiencing tooth pain you will probably want quick relief. Here are some home remedies to alleviate a bad toothache.

• Ice, ice baby
A cold ice pack applied directly to the tender area is the most conventional way to relieve that nagging tooth pain. You can even place an ice cube directly onto the aching tooth. As long as you don’t keep the ice there for more than 20 minutes at a time, you will be in good shape as ice numbs the pain and prevents swelling.
• Pain killers
For tooth pain, there are many options for nonprescription over-the-counter medications and most of them are probably in your medicine cabinet right now. Any drugs that contain acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve), ketoprofen (Actron), or aspirin will do the trick. People under 20 should be wary of taking aspirin however, due to the risk of Reye’s syndrome.
• Natural relief
If you’d rather seek a natural remedy for your toothache or you are looking for instant relief while you wait on more ordinary pain medications to kick in, you’ll be happy to learn that all sorts of natural and herbal remedies cure tooth pain! Dentists almost always recommend dabbing clove oil onto your teeth and gums. But you can blend up two tablespoons of whole cloves and add in a tablespoon of olive oil to the powder and apply it as a paste directly onto your teeth and gums as well. Chewing a garlic clove every morning can be helpful too.
• The healing touch
Touch is powerful, especially for toothaches. It’s probably best to keep your fingers off of that aching tooth, but if you massage your earlobe or the area between your forefinger and thumb on your hand, you will feel relief from your tooth pain within 10 minutes! This is because massaging pressure points on your body can relieve pain, including that of toothaches. Only massage the earlobe and/or hand on the same side of your toothache. For example, if you feel pain on the right side of your mouth, rub your right earlobe and/or right hand.