Do you feel a sudden pain in your tooth at night? And this intense sudden pain does not seem to subside even if you brush? What you really need right now is emergency toothache relief.
Whenever you have a toothache, chewing, swallowing and biting food can become difficult.
Moreover, the pain is strong enough to distract you from everything else.
While some of the causes behind a toothache are serious such as injury or gum disease, you can probably not rush to the dentist immediately.
Then what is your instant cure so that you can at least have a good night’s rest? We will discuss that here, keep reading below!
Emergency Toothache Relief Home Remedies
Peppermint Tea
The minty flavor in peppermint tea is due to menthol.
This compound has antibacterial properties hence it kills the bacteria that causes you pain and tooth decay.
What’s more, it can numb the area that causes pain.
All you need to do is simply boil a cup of water and add peppermint tea leaves or teabag inside for 20 minutes till all contents seep out.
Strain the leaves and remove the teabag to gargle and rinse your mouth with the tea.
You can also hold the damp and warm tea bag on the site that hurts to numb the pain slowly.
Other than that, applying peppermint oil on a cotton ball and placing it on the painful area for a while may also reduce the pain.
Clove Oil
If you have ever had a toothache before, the elders in your family must have recommended clove oil or placing cloves in your mouth.
This is a traditional remedy for toothache that is also backed by science because of one of its ingredients.
Clove contains eugenol. This compound has a numbing effect on the skin. It is a natural anesthetic along with being anti-inflammatory.
Therefore, you may not feel any pain even if there is an infection in the tooth if you use a clove.
Take some clove oil and add a few drops to a cotton ball.
Since the oil is very strong, you can also mix a few drops with a teaspoon of olive oil. Soak the cotton ball in the oil and place it on the pain site for 5 to 10 minutes.
Moreover, you can use dried cloves. Chew on it for a while so that it releases oil and hold it in the pain area.
Or make paste by grounding cloves, olive oil and water.
Other Home Remedies to Relieve Pain
Garlic
Whenever you crush, chew and chop garlic cloves, it releases an organosulfur compound, allicin.
It is not only antibacterial but also antimicrobial. Hence, it can get rid of the bacteria that cause toothache.
Though since it releases only under certain conditions and for a small amount, you will have to consume it immediately and need fresh garlic.
Simply chew on a garlic clove or crush it using the back of the spoon and apply it right away to the tooth that hurts using your fingers or a cotton swab.
You may also mix it with salt for an added effect. This brings us to…
Saltwater Rinse
Saltwater rinse can help to reduce inflammation as salt is an antiseptic.
Whenever you feel a sudden surge of pain use, swish and gargle with a saltwater rinse.
It improves the healing of sores and results in healthy gums.
Besides reducing inflammation, it will also loosen up the particles stuck between your teeth or in a cavity that is causing pain.
Take a glass of lukewarm water and mix in half a teaspoon of salt.
Rinse and swish your mouth thoroughly with the mixture for 30 seconds and then spit it out.
Aloe Vera
If gum disease or any other irritation is behind your toothache, then aloe vera gel reduces inflammation as it has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
Aloe vera mouth rinse and gel can bring improvements in symptoms of gum disease.
Hence, it can help counter the pain one may feel because of periodontitis.
Either apply the aloe vera gel directly to the affected tooth or use mouthwash and rinse your mouth using it.
Do that twice a day to see a reduction in other symptoms including pain.
Coping with Pain
Using Ice Packs or Cold Compress
Cold Therapy using ice constricts blood vessels, as a result, there is less blood flow to the painful area.
Thus, there is less inflammation in that area. So this method is especially effective if the pain arises from swollen gums or an injury.
Add some ice to a plastic bag or wrap it in a towel. Hold this cold compress against the area that hurts from the outside.
Keep applying it at 15 minutes intervals, however, do not chew the ice or put it inside your mouth.
Using a Hydrogen Peroxide Rinse
You may not have it readily available at home so it does not count as a home remedy.
However, if you do, simply mix 1 part hydrogen peroxide with 2 parts water.
Then rinse your mouth with the mixture for about 60 seconds twice a day.
Hydrogen peroxide rinse helps to reduce gum inflammation which can thus decrease the pain immensely.
Though spit the solution after rinsing and beware of swallowing it.
Since hydrogen peroxide can reduce bacteria in your mouth it may get rid of the cause.
Raise Your Head While Sleeping
While you are preparing to go to bed, elevate your head using a few pillows.
This helps to reduce the pressure of the blood flow going into your mouth and head.
Hence, there is less swelling.
So raise your head will pillows while you are sleeping.
Keep Good Oral Hygiene
Usually, toothache results from oral health problems such as infection or tooth sensitivity.
Hence, keeping your teeth clean is the first thing to follow and continue even if you are in pain.
Go a little gentle on your teeth while they are in pain but do not miss out on brushing and flossing teeth as well as tongue scraping.
What Medicines Can You Get for Emergency Toothache Relief?
If the remedies do not work, you can always get OTC medicines and toothache drops to get rid of the pain.
These include:
- NSAIDs
- Toothache drops
- Toothache gel
- Acetaminophen
- Temporary fillings
Ibuprofen or naproxen are Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These help to reduce inflammation in return decreasing pain.
Though you should not be taking them regularly as regular use of ibuprofen can result in damage to the liver and kidneys.
Other than that, toothache drops and gels are medicated. They contain benzocaine which acts as an anesthetic and numbs the area hence resulting in no pain.
What’s more, you can take acetaminophen i.e. Tylenol.
This will provide temporary pain relief, however, only take the dosage according to the instructions.
After all, taking too much acetaminophen can damage your liver.
If none of these ways work then you can get an OTC temporary filling.
These can help to soften the edge of a loose cap and repair a lost filling.
It works as an emergency toothache relief as there can be time till you get the dentist’s appointment but unbearable pain to tolerate till then.
Thus these temporary fillings will be able to hold your filling for a while but go to your dentist as soon as possible.
They will replace the temporary filling with a permanent one.
So these are all the things that you can use in order to soothe pain immediately.
Also, keep brushing and flossing to maintain good oral hygiene despite the pain.
While you can use any of these methods to relieve pain, there are also some that you should not do in hopes of soothing the toothache immediately.
Let’s find out more about them below!
What You Should Avoid for Emergency Toothache Relief
When you are already having a toothache, avoid the following to prevent the pain from increasing.
- Keep brushing and flossing but do not do both harshly. When your teeth ache, they are already sensitive. Hence, don’t brush harshly because it can wear the enamel causing harm to your teeth and gums.
- Don’t chew tobacco or smoke. They further result in decay and are bad for your teeth.
- If there are any exposed nerves causing toothache then your teeth are likely sensitive too. Hence, avoid hot or cold foods as your teeth may be more sensitive to that and will cause instant pain. Eating sweet foods will also cause pain.
- Avoid eating crunchy and sticky foods so that they don’t harm your teeth further.
You can temporarily deal with the pain yourself, however, it is best to consult your dentist soon. The cause can be an infection or injury harming your oral health.
Consult your dentist when:
- you have mouth sores that don’t heal and come again
- there is swelling in your face and mouth
- tooth pain
- bleeding gums
- swelling in gums
- broken fillings
- cracked teeth
- sharp pain and sensitivity while eating and drinking something hot, cold or sweet
It can be a medical emergency if such symptoms follow::
- a discharge that is foul tasting
- difficulty swallowing and breathing
- severe tooth pain
- fever
- swelling of the face
Finally,
Having a sudden intense pain can be very uncomfortable.
Get some emergency toothache relief immediately using home remedies or OTC medicines.
However, do not delay your appointment with the dentist to get rid of the cause behind it.
