When it’s not possible to see your dentist right away, you can use these at-home methods to manage a toothache.
A toothache is exceptionally unpleasant, and the first step upon noticing dental pain should be to contact your dentist for an appointment. Even if you’re treating the problem at home, it’s essential to see a professional to determine where the discomfort originates and what treatment is necessary. Without treatment, sometimes the cause of oral pain can result in infections that can spread throughout the body.
It’s not always possible to get in to see your dentist the same day that a toothache starts, and oral pain can be unbearable. These tips can help you manage a toothache once you notice the discomfort until your dentist can resolve the issue.
- Causes of Toothache
You can’t effectively treat a toothache without understanding the cause behind it. Oral pain is your body, sending a signal to the brain that an issue requires attention. There can be many reasons a toothache occurs from a cavity or abscessed tooth to a cracked tooth or deep decay. Visiting your dentist is the only way to identify the cause accurately. - When to Visit a Dentist
Even if you are hoping to use some at-home remedies to relieve the discomfort, it is essential that you contact your dentist and book an appointment as soon as possible. Oral pain isn’t likely to disappear on its own, so even if you can manage it in the short term, professional evaluation of any oral health concerns is a good idea.Booking an appointment with an implant dentist in Greenwich is essential if a prosthetic tooth implanted is the source of pain.
- Ways to Relieve a Toothache
While you still need to get to a dentist as soon as possible for assessment, you can use some natural methods to reduce the oral pain until your appointment. Tea tree oil, ginger, turmeric, raw onions, salt water rinse, and clove oil are the six best choices to manage discomfort naturally.- Tea tree oil is excellent for reducing inflammation in the gums. It’s easy to purchase at your local chemist, and mixing it with water creates an anti-bacterial solution you can use to rinse your mouth.
- Ginger also contains antiseptic properties that can soothe an infected area. Cut a small slice and place it by the gum of an abscessed tooth or where your gums are inflamed. Bite down to release the juice.
- Turmeric has bountiful healing properties and can create a paste for pain relief from oral discomfort. Mixing water and turmeric powder, whip up a thick paste to be applied with a cotton ball to the affected tooth.
- Raw onions also have antiseptic and antimicrobial properties. While it might be an overwhelming and robust taste, placing a raw onion in your mouth at the affected area can kill bacteria in the mouth, lessening the pain.
- A salt water rinse solution is the most effective way to stop pain from a toothache while at home. This solution is easy to create by mixing warm water and salt and can be done three times per day to decrease inflammation and soothe oral pain.
- Clove oil also has antibacterial properties, and cloves have been used throughout history to manage tooth pain because of a numbing agent they contain. Today, clove oil mixed with coconut oil is a popular oral pain relief method that you can swish around the affected area for temporary numbing.
- What to Expect at the Dentist
For your dentist to help you most effectively, you’ll need to be able to answer questions about your discomfort accurately. For this reason, it’s essential to take note of what triggers the pain, which specific areas are affected, and how long this has been going on. You should disclose any other relevant information about the initial incidence of the pain to your dentist so they can determine the best course of action for you.
If the issue isn’t immediately apparent, your dentist may need to perform x-rays to understand better what is going on below the gum line. Depending on the problem’s cause, treatment options can vary from filling a cavity to root canal therapy for an infected nerve. Sometimes you will require antibiotics if you have developed an infection.
- Preventing Tooth Pain
The single most effective way to manage tooth pain is to avoid developing a toothache in the first place. That is why proper oral care is essential to your overall health and should be a crucial part of your daily routine. Brushing your teeth for at least two minutes, twice a day, is necessary, as well as flossing diligently once a day at a minimum.A healthy diet free from sugary or sticky foods can also help the health of your teeth and gums and avoid the development of cavities and other decay that can lead to infection if left unattended.
Maintaining a consistent schedule of dental visits is also vital in keeping up with your oral health. Even if you’re not experiencing any issues, scheduling cleanings regularly address small problems before they escalate.
- Alternative Pain Management Strategies
There are a few other ways you can manage the discomfort of a toothache from home. Use a cold compress on the side of the face, wrapped in a cloth, to reduce swelling for 20 minutes at a time. You may also try chewing garlic to temporarily reduce the pain because it can kill harmful bacteria and act as a pain reliever.Creating a natural mouthwash is another option. Guava is one solution that is known to possess antimicrobial properties and can reduce inflammation. You can either chew the fresh guava leaves or boil them in water to create a mouthwash.
The herb thyme also has potent antioxidants and antibacterial traits, so by adding a few drops of thyme essential oil to the water, you can create another mouthwash that can reduce the discomfort of a toothache temporarily.
These are short-term pain management strategies, and you should always seek the advice of a dentist who can determine the cause of your oral discomfort.
Final Thoughts
An aching tooth is the ultimate discomfort and can make going about your daily life extremely unpleasant. When it’s impossible to visit your dentist immediately to find a permanent solution to the problem, these natural, home techniques for managing oral discomfort allow you to reduce inflammation until the issue is resolved.
This article is a Guest Post.
