4 Simple Home Remedies for Toothache Relief

Is that toothache driving you crazy? Let’s face it, and pain can hamper your daily functions – to say the least. Not only it can be disabling – to an extent to prevent you from eating your favorite food – it can also hinder your facial and jaw movement.

The excruciating pain arises from the deepest part of a tooth which is the pulp region. This part has living connective tissues and sensitive nerve endings and may get infected or swollen for various reasons, sending out pain signals from the center. Dr. Anju Sood, a Bangalore-based Nutritionist and Wellness Expert say, “Healthy teeth are essential for proper digestion and quick metabolism as they are the first body parts to come into contact with the food.” She advocates a limited consumption of foods with high sugar content as they can lead to bacterial attacks causing cavities and tooth decay.

There are a lot of causes that can lead to a toothache, ranging from tooth decay (let’s pick up our brushes twice daily, people!) to more serious ones like a gum disease, an infection, tooth trauma and bruxism or compulsive grinding of teeth. It is imperative to visit a dentist as soon as you notice some pain in your teeth, accompanied by swelling around the tooth area, pain on biting or chewing and a foul-tasting discharge from the tooth. Today, you’ve run into some luck – here are some common home remedies for a toothache to keep you calm before you reach your dentist.

 

1. The Traditional Clove

Eugenol, the primary chemical compound found in clove, is a mild anesthetic. Cloves help to numb the nerves in the tooth and thus alleviate pain. This spice can be used in more than one way for a toothache. Use the whole clove or powdered clove by placing it on the tooth and chewing it a bit to release its oil, or you can just apply some clove oil. However, one must be careful while using pure and concentrated clove oil; applying it directly to the infected region may worsen the pain if it flows onto the tongue or stings sensitive or exposed gum areas. A cotton ball, doused with a couple of drops of this oil, placed between the teeth should work.

 

2. Salt-Water Swishing

Hot water with salt dissolved in it works as a natural antiseptic mouthwash. Swishing it around the mouth for at least thirty seconds before spitting it out, helps to remove debris that may be stuck in crevices around the infected tooth, preventing further infection. This natural treatment can be repeated many times and has no side effects. Dr. Anju Sood explains that the use of salt water increases the salt concentration in the immediate environment of the tooth and attacks the microbes that have been causing pain.

via: ndtv.com