Got a Toothache? Try These Home Remedies to Ease the Pain

I've had A LOT of tooth problems in my history. I had my first filling at the age of 12. I've had 6 teeth pulled and another one will be removed next week. And it's not because I don't brush or floss, it's just genetic. My parents both have terrible teeth.

As you can imagine, I have frequent toothaches. And if you've ever had a toothache, you know how hard it is to function. Sometimes toothaches can become so severe, you'll do almost anything to stop it aside from yanking your own tooth out.

The dentist I have now will get me in as soon as I call. In the past, not so lucky. For 15 years, I've been using these remedies to help heed the pain until I can get to the dentist. And so I'm sharing them with you :)

Some of these remedies will not always work. Each toothache is different in it's own way. Some remedies will actually make the pain stop. But in the event none of these work, please call a dentist. The problem might be worse than just a cavity.

*Just a quick disclaimer... I am not a professional doctor, and I don't recommend not going to the dentist. However, some of the stories I have to go along with the remedies might seem to recommend otherwise. These are my personal experiences and opinions.

Apply a Teabag to the area

Tea is so effective in so many ways. I always head to the teabag first. A few years ago, I did not have dental insurance, and all of my dental bills were being paid out of pocket. $700 a month is not fun. So I did not go to the dentist unless I had to.
I had an abscessed tooth. I could feel it in my gums. It was the worse feeling I ever had. I placed the teabag against the side of my tooth and in 30 minutes, the pain was gone. The abscess, unfortunately, does not go away without a root canal and can flare up at anytime. But lucky for me, the pain didn't come back for 2 years. Thank you, tea.

Use a temporary filling

Although this should be used as a last resort and temporary fix, I am guilty of so much more. During my dental insurance-less days, I would clean the cavity out the best I could, and place the temporary filling in. And leave it there... as long as my mouth would allow it. Sometimes this would kill the pain for months (even years in some cases). This is before I knew how deep cavities could get. But at the time, buying a $6 pack of dentemp was a lot better than a $200 bill.

Rinse with warm salt water

I know dentists say to do that, and it seems so silly... doesn't it? I have however found swishing warm salt water around a cavity to be extremely helpful in easing the pain.

Use 100% Vanilla extract

This is a crazy one I found in recent years, but it works! Perhaps it's the alcohol (because as a non-drinker, I don't swish Whisky), who knows? But it does help kick the pain for about a day. Soak a cotton ball with the vanilla, and place it next to the tooth. Ahhhh

Chew on garlic

I stumbled across this remedy a few months ago (when that pesky abscess came back). Nothing I did would stop the pain, not even the faithful teabag. And like I said, when you have a toothache, you'll try anything. I took a clove and peeled it, and placed it on the side of the tooth. Needless to say, it worked so well that I spent the whole day putting garlic in my mouth. It only lasted for about 45 minutes and then the pain shot right back though, so consistency was key. I actually enjoy garlic - so this wasn't a bad remedy ;)

Cloves

Clove oil, whole cloves, cloves in any form. I used clove oil once in the same fashion as the vanilla, and it provided instant relief from a throbbing toothache.


With any toothache, I always take 600mg of Ibuprofen as well. It definitely lessens the pain, but never cures it.

Have you ever had an awful toothache? What was your method of pain relief, or what's the craziest method you've ever heard of?
I remember reading somewhere (during an agonizing pain moment), that someone had put a small piece of cotton into the cavity and then sealed it off with super glue. Nuts! 

Posted in: Home Remedy, Tips and Tricks, toothache

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