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The Doctors Book of Home Remedies: Toothache

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Toothache

13 Tips for Pain Relief

A toothache hurts a lot. It hurts when you smile or frown or eat or drink, when you clench or unclench your jaw, when you move your head in any direction. Sometimes it even hurts when you breathe because cold air rushes into your mouth, over the tender tooth—and ouch!

A toothache, says Philip D. Corn, D.D.S., a private practitioner in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and director of the Pennsylvania Academy of General Dentistry, may be a symptom of several things. The pulp of your tooth or the gums around your throbbing cuspid could be infected. There could be decay in a molar. You may have a cracked bicuspid. Or you might have been smacked in the mouth. But the ache could simply be an irritation from a piece of food caught between two teeth, adds Jerry F. Taintor, D.D.S., chairman of endodontics at the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry. Or it could be a backlash from a sinus problem.

Only your dentist can say for sure. Until you can see him, though, you'll want to stop the pain now. Here's how.

Rinse your toothache away. Take a mouthful of water (at body temperature) and rinse vigorously, says Dr. Taintor. If your toothache is caused by trapped food, a thorough rinse may dislodge the problem.

Floss gently. If swishing doesn't work, you can try to pry the popcorn hulls or tiny bits of meat out from between your teeth by flossing, says Dr. Taintor. Be gentle! Your gums are likely to be sore.

Take a "shot" to numb the pain. Hold a swig of whiskey over the painful tooth, says Dr. Corn. Your gums will absorb some of the alcohol and that will numb the pain. Spit out the rest.

Rinse with salty water. After each meal and at bedtime, stir 1 teaspoon of salt into an 8-ounce glass of water (again, at body temperature), says Dr. Corn. Hold each mouthful, roll it around your mouth. Spit.

Try a hand massage. When you have an achy tooth, this can ease the pain by 50 percent. Rub an ice cube into the V-shaped area where the bones of the thumb and forefinger meet. Gently push the ice over the area for 5 to 7 minutes.

In a study, Ronald Melzack, Ph.D., a Canadian researcher and past president of the International Association for the Study of Pain, found ice massage eased toothaches in 60 to 90 percent of the people who tried it. His research shows this procedure works by sending rubbing impulses along the nerve pathways that the toothache pain would normally travel on. Since the pathways can carry only one signal at a time, rubbing outweighs the pain.

Oil up with oil of cloves. People have been using this over-the-counter remedy for many years, says Richard Shepard, D.D.S., a retired dentist in Durango, Colorado. Most drugstores carry tiny bottles of the oil. Drop a little directly onto the tooth, or dab a little on a cotton ball and pack the elixir next to the ache.

Be Sensitive to Your Teeth

"If you can't even touch the tooth, that's an ache," says Roger P. Levin, D.D.S. "But if the tooth is merely reacting to heat or cold, then it's a problem with sensitivity."

More than 40 million Americans have "dentinal hypersensitivity," and it begins when the dentin underneath the tooth enamel becomes exposed—usually at the gumline.

Age, receding gums, surgery, and overzealous brushing with harsh pastes and hard brushes can expose dentin. Sometimes plaque eats the tooth enamel and exposes the dentin.

Philip D. Corn, D.D.S., recommends an over-the-counter toothpaste made especially for people with sensitive teeth, applied with a soft nylon-bristle brush. Such toothpastes include Sensodyne, Promise, Protect, Thermodent, and Denquel.

And if you're noticing sensitivity for the first time, it makes good sense to see your dentist to make sure you have no other problem.

Don't bite. If the toothache is caused by a blow to the tooth, try not to use that area when you eat, says Dr. Corn. If nothing is damaged, rest for the tooth may restore its vitality.

Suck on some ice. Treat the problem like any good bruise. Use ice, says Dr. Corn. Put ice on the aching tooth or the nearest cheek for 15-minute intervals at least three or four times a day.

Keep your mouth shut. If cold air moving past the tooth is a problem, just shut off the flow, says Roger P. Levin, D.D.S., president of the Baltimore Academy of General Dentistry and a guest lecturer for the University of Maryland.

Or keep your mouth open. Some toothaches happen when a person's bite isn't quite right. In that case, says Dr. Levin, avoid shutting your mouth as much as possible until the dentist can take a look.

Swallow your aspirin. Don't believe that old-time remedy calling for placing an aspirin directly on the aching gum. This can cause an aspirin burn, says Dr. Taintor. For pain relief, take an aspirin every 4 to 6 hours as required.

Stay cool. Keep heat away from your aching cheek even if it makes the toothache feel better, warns Dr. Corn. "If it is an infection, the heat will draw the infection to the outside of the jaw and make the infection worse."

PANEL OF ADVISERS

Philip D. Corn, D.D.S., has a private practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is a director of the Pennsylvania Academy of General Dentistry.

Roger P. Levin, D.D.S., is president of the Baltimore Academy of General Dentistry and a guest lecturer for the University of Maryland in Baltimore.

Richard Shepard, D.D.S., is a retired dentist in Durango, Colorado. He edits the newsletter for the Holistic Dental Association.

Jerry F. Taintor, D.D.S., is chairman of endodontics at the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in Memphis. He is author of The Oral Report: The Consumer's Common Sense Guide to Better Dental Care.

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