5 Tips for Toothache Relief

Brunette man with a full beard and mustache cringes and touches his cheek due to pain from a toothache

If you have a toothache, visit Springs Village Dentistry for an emergency examination! Our expert team can determine its cause and treat your pain. But until you can make it to our office, read on for five tips that might ease your pain:

  1. Salt Water Rinse
  2. With tooth pain, often a simple and effective solution is to rinse the mouth out with warm, salty water. Gently swish a mixture of one cup warm water and about one teaspoon table salt in your mouth, and spit it out afterwards. This process can often flush out food particles and bacteria causing you discomfort.

  3. Ice Pack
  4. A cold compress is a sure way to ease the pain of a toothache. If you don’t have an ice pack on hand, a bag of frozen veggies will work just as well. You can also try rubbing an ice cube on the gums in the affected area.

  5. Drug Store Fixes
  6. There are two items from the drugstore that you’ll want to have on-hand, if you don’t already, in case a toothache strikes. First off, an over-the-counter pain reliever such as ibuprofen can quell the pain while you’re waiting to get the the dentist. An oral anesthetic gel can also prove helpful–just rub the gel on the gums in the affected area and it’ll help to numb the pain.

  7. Natural Remedies
  8. While they aren’t proven to work in the same way that ibuprofen is, some patients swear by garlic and clove oil for tooth pain relief. Try chewing on a crushed garlic clove to see if it works for you. Clove oil is thought to be as effective as benzocaine in numbing the pain. Rub the oil on the affected area for relief. Additionally, the gel of the aloe vera plant (not the skincare product sold in stores) has natural antibacterial properties that may help ease inflammation and pain. Cut open the leaf and rub its juices into the affected area.

  9. Floss
  10. In some case, the pain may be caused by debris stuck between the teeth, such as a stray popcorn kernel. Try flossing to remove any offending particles.

Call Us at 919-825-3131!

We hope these remedies will help ease your pain until you can get to our office. Your toothache could have a variety of causes, such as an untreated cavity, an abscess, a sinus infection, or impacted wisdom teeth that need to be removed. We can diagnose your issue and get you on the path to relief. Contact us today for an emergency appointment!

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