How Can I Relieve a Toothache?

When it comes to toothache, there is no scarcity of causes – you could be a world champion at clenching and grinding your teeth during sleep, you could have cavities, you could have a broken tooth, you could have sinusitis, or you could have pus build-up in your gums (also known as abscess). It could be anything.Dental problems don’t follow any attack plan. But you must schedule your dental visits planned by your dentist so that he/she can anticipate possible problems and suggest preventive actions to nip them in the bud.

However, we know that dental problems don’t give any prior intimation. A toothache can make you bolt out of your bed in the dead of the night or strike you while you are at your best friend’s wedding on some remote island in Africa (that would be very unfortunate). Such unforeseeable situations necessitate you knowing certain basic remedies so that you can deal with them by yourself till you can get to the dentist.

Given below are a few remedies that will tide you over till you can visit your dentist:

• Wash your mouth with warm, salty water

Take in mouthful of salted warm water and whirl it in your mouth for about half a minute and spit it out. This will help pull out food bits or seeping fluid from swollen gums and alleviate the pain.

• Use toothpaste that is specifically engineered for sensitive teeth

As simple as it sounds. Just like you can’t use a normal hair shampoo to tackle hair fall, you can’t use normal toothpaste and expect toothache to vanish. There are many good dental brands that offer specialized toothpastes for sensitive teeth. Brush your teeth mildly in circular motions with a soft brush. No matter how tempted you feel, avoid vehement scraping at all costs!

• Dab sensitive area with clove/clove oil

Cloves are extremely effective in relieving toothaches. Moisten a cotton swab with 2-3 drops of clove oil (caveat: too much of it can aggravate your pain) or take a whole clove and bite it gently to release its oil and put it on the affected area till the pain abates.

• Use ice pack and move it over the sensitive area

One of the best ways to relieve toothache is numbing it. Wrap the ice pack with a cloth and hold it over the affected area for 10-12 minutes. This will positively numb your sore nerves.

• Stick a tea bag against the sensitive area

One of the fabled tricks to numb your nerves is to rest a warm tea bag on the affected area. Tannins present in the tea is a potent ingredient to relieve toothache.

Lastly, toothache attacks without prior warning. Once it does, it leaves no room for you to ignore it. However, it is important to consult a dentist before settling down on any of these remedies.