Toothache: Simple Home Remedies

Toothache is a pain experienced around the teeth or jaws. Many a times toothaches are caused by tooth or jaw problems like dental cavity, a cracked tooth, an exposed tooth root, gum disease, disease of the jaw joint (temporal- mandibular joint), or spasms of the muscles used for chewing. The pain could be mild, sharp, excruciating, throbbing, shooting, or constant. The pain may be aggravated by chewing or by cold or heat. A thorough oral examination, which includes dental x-rays, can help determine the cause, whether the toothache is coming from a tooth or jaw problem.

Common dental causes of toothache include dental cavities, dental abscess, and gum disease, irritation of the tooth root, cracked tooth syndrome, temporomandibular disease, impaction, and eruption. The most common cause of a toothache is a dental cavity. The second most common cause of toothache is gum disease

Some of the home remedies:

1. Among the most effective home remedies for toothache is garlic. A clove of garlic with a little rock salt should be placed on the affected tooth. It will relieve the pain and, sometimes, may even cure it.
2. A clove should also be chewed daily in the morning. It will cure teeth making it strong and healthy.
3. Gargles with hot water mixed with salt relieves the toothache .
4. Boil Neem leaves in water gargling with this water gives a relief .
5. Latest research has confirmed the bactericidal properties of onion. If a person consumes one raw onion every day by thorough mastication, he will be protected from host of tooth disorders. Chewing raw onion for three minutes is sufficient to kill all the germs in the mouth. Toothache is often allayed by placing a small piece of onion on the bad tooth or gum.
6. Roast a piece of turmeric and place this powder on the affected tooth.
7. The juice of wheat grass acts as an excellent mouthwash for tooth decay and cures toothaches. Wheat grass can be chewed with beneficial results. It draws out toxins from the gums and thus checks bacterial growth.
8. A piece of Asafoetida should be mixed with lemon juice heat it then soak a cotton swab and place on the tooth.
9. Another home remedy for toothache is in the use of clove, which reduces pain. It also helps decrease infection due to its antiseptic properties. Clove oil, applied to a cavity in a decayed tooth, also relieves toothache.
10. A paste of the bay berry mixed with vinegar. This paste, applied on the affected tooth, will relieve the toothache. It can also be applied beneficially on the gums for strengthening them.
11. A mixture of a pinch of pepper powder and a quarter teaspoon of common salt is an excellent. Its daily use prevents dental cavities, foul breath, bleeding from the gums, painful gums, and toothaches. It cures the increased sensitiveness of the teeth. A pinch of pepper powder mixed with clove oil can be put on the cavities to alleviate the toothache.
12. Putting ground mint leaves with salt on affected tooth will relieve the pain.
13. Apply cold compress to the outside of the cheek just outside the area of pain.
14. Proper cleaning of the teeth is very essential to prevent tooth decay and consequent toothache. There are many theories on how best to clean the teeth. The consensus of dental opinion however seems to back using a circular motion with the brush, so as to ensure that all dental surfaces are cleaned. One should not be afraid to touch the gums with the brush, as this gentle stimulation improves the blood circulation in the gums.
15. Take proper diet.
16. Restrict sugar intake, include raw vegetables in diet.
17. Avoid frequent small snacks and sugar intake.

Sometimes, a toothache may be caused by a problem not originating from a tooth or the jaw. Pain around the teeth and the jaws can be symptoms of diseases of the heart (such as angina or heart attack), ears (such as inner or external ear infections), and sinuses (air passages of the cheek bones). Therefore, evaluations by both dentists and doctors are sometimes necessary to diagnose medical illnesses causing “toothache.”