Various home remedies can help with toothache and inflammation. We will introduce you to nine natural remedies that will relieve your pain in many cases.
On the weekend, on vacation or in the middle of the night: painful teeth often become noticeable when it doesn’t seem right. The causes for this can be very different and only a dental consultation can give you certainty. There are still a number of home remedies that can relieve the pain.
Causes of toothache
Toothache can have a variety of causes. Sometimes the painful tooth is just a little sensitive, for example to heat, cold or sugar. This often goes away on its own, but sometimes there is more serious damage behind it:
- caries
- Periodontitis
- inflamed gums
- Pain when, for example, wisdom teeth break through the gums
- Receding gums and the associated exposed tooth necks
- inflamed tooth roots
- irritated tooth nerves
If your toothache doesn’t go away on its own or gets worse, you should definitely seek medical advice. Two visits to the dentist per year are also recommended for prevention.
9 home remedies for toothache
If a visit to the dentist is not possible immediately, the following home remedies can relieve your toothache a little.
- The classic: ice cream. The cold of the ice causes the blood vessels to contract and less blood flows through the affected area. This causes the pain to subside. Important: Never place the ice pack directly on the skin, otherwise it could be damaged. Instead, wrap it in a kitchen towel.
- All-rounder tea tree oil: The essential oil has proven itself useful for all kinds of inflammation and can also relieve toothache. To do this, simply make a mouthwash from 250 milliliters of water and five drops of tea tree oil and use it. Attention: Highly concentrated tea tree oil is poisonous: Although it is only diluted in the mouthwash, you should still be careful not to swallow anything.
- Some types of tea are said to have anti-inflammatory effects. These include, for example, peppermint, chamomile, sage and black and green tea. Simply pour a sachet, let it cool and press it onto the affected area in your mouth for several minutes or gargle with the infused tea. Repeat the process several times a day.
- Garlic also has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. Peel and halve a toe and press it onto the painful area.
- Onions have a similar effect to garlic. They kill bacteria and reduce inflammation. However, you should use it from the outside: To do this, cut an onion into small pieces, wrap it in a cloth and press it onto the cheek from the outside. If the pain is very severe, you can also chew a piece of the onion raw.
- If you can’t get used to the strong taste of garlic and onion, try making a homemade saline solution. It also works well against the bacteria in the infected tooth.
- Oil pulling is a well-known home remedy for strong teeth and healthy gums. It also helps get rid of bacteria when you have a toothache. And this is how it works: Oil pulling: Effects and correct use of an oil treatment.
- If you have sensitive teeth, you can try clove oil. The essential oil eugenol it contains disinfects the inflamed area and reduces the number of germs in the mouth. To do this, rinse your mouth with the oil for several minutes. Note: Chewing on a clove is also often recommended. However, Jochen Schmidt, dentist at Carree Dental, advises against this. According to his own statements, colleagues and himself have had to remove clove residue from between teeth “several times”. This made the cause of the complaint worse.
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Very important: If you have a toothache, stop smoking if possible and avoid alcohol. If your infected tooth is also sensitive to cold or heat, avoid hot and cold drinks and foods. Extremely sugary foods can further irritate teeth.
Important: When using home remedies, always remember that they are not miracle cures. Not all of the remedies listed will work in your case. Maybe try it out a bit and see a dentist if the pain doesn’t go away.
Prevent toothache
In the best case scenario, you don’t even have to resort to the home remedies presented, but rather prevent toothache right from the start:
- It is very important to have a six-monthly check-up with the dentist. The doctor can treat minor damage such as holes easily and painlessly in the early stages.
- Don’t forget to brush your teeth! You should brush your teeth at least twice a day. Make sure that you catch all of the teeth, including the back molars and the back of the incisors. Tip: You don’t necessarily have to wait to brush your teeth after eating acidic foods. Also read: Brushing your teeth after eating: the 30-minute rule is outdated.
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Oil pulling is not only useful for toothache, but also as a preventative treatment. It ensures an all-round healthy oral flora and prevents inflammation in the entire oral cavity.
- The main cause of tooth decay is sugar. For the sake of your teeth, reduce your sugar consumption and replace your snacks with healthy alternatives, such as these sugar-free snacks.
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Mouthwashes also clean your mouth. You don’t have to buy aggressive solutions from the drugstore; you can easily make solutions yourself. For example, try using the salt solution mentioned above.
With material from dpa.
Revised by Lena Kirchner
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