Toothaches are a harsh reality to have to deal with. Whether you’re stuck out camping or waiting at home or work for your dentist appointment to finally come ’round, it can really be a true benefit to be able to do away with the pain of a toothache until your dental problem is fixed.
Toothaches come about for a multitude of reasons: you could have an exposed nerve, have sensitive teeth that are acting up because of something you ate or drank, you could have a cavity that needs filling, be in need of a root canal, have a broken or chipped tooth that’s in pain… the list is a mighty long one.
And while every person is different, there are quite a large number of home remedies on this list that many swear by. It’s unlikely that each and every home remedy will work out for you (especially since some home remedies work better for specific kinds of toothaches; some work better for sensitive teeth, for example, while others work best for broken or chipped teeth), but I’m hoping that with a list as long as this one, you’ll find at least one or two tricks that’ll help you get through the pain until you have a more permanent dental solution.
Be sure to let me know in the comments section if you do actually try one of these techniques out, or if you have in the past tried a home remedy and it has or has not worked for you. If you know of any good ones that aren’t on this list, let us know as well. It’d be great information to pass on to anyone else who stumbled on this article in an attempt to get rid of a bad toothache themselves.
Also, while of course, if you have tooth pain, you should feel free to use these techniques as temporary measures for relieving a toothache, we urge you to seek advice from a licensed dentist if you do have a toothache: especially if it is severe. Dental emergencies should be tended to as any other medical emergency would be – don’t think you can skip out on the dentist just because you can take the tooth pain away temporarily with one of these home remedies, as obviously, the home remedies do nothing toward resolving the source of the problem, which could really be quite serious.
Toothache Home Remedies Intended for Immediate Relief
The following are traditional methods of home remedies for DIY toothache relief. They are intended to work immediately, though how long their effects will last is different based on the remedy. Most of these are advisable to do 2-3 times a day, so long as you have the toothache and the first attempt using the home remedy worked out in reducing tooth pain for you.
1. Warm Salt Water Take half a spoon of salt, mix it in warm/hot water, and gargle.2. Salt & Pepper Paste Mix 50% salt and 50% pepper into a bit of water to create a paste. Once you’ve made the paste, apply it to where you feel tooth pain and let it sit for some time.3. Garlic Powder & Salt Take garlic powder, mix with salt, and apply to where you feel the tooth pain.4. Crushed Garlic Clove & Salt After crushing garlic cloves, mix with salt and apply the cloves onto the tooth that’s aching.5. Whole Garlic Clove Chew on garlic cloves in the area of your mouth afflicted by the pain.6. Clove & Oil Grind cloves, mix with olive or vegetable oil, and apply to tooth that has pain. 7. Clove Oil 8. Clove Oil & Water 9. Whole Clove 10. Onion 11. Asafetida Powder & Lemon Juice 12. Asafetida & Butter 13. Guava Leaves 14. Guava Leaf & Salt Tea 15. Raw Spinach Leaves 16. Ginger & Cayenne Paste 17. Vanilla Extract 18. Wheatgrass Juice 19. Pepper, Salt, Garlic Powder & Vinegar Paste 20. Coconut Oil |
21. Ice Put ice into a thin cotton cloth and place on the outside of your cheek over the tooth that aches for a few minutes. Be careful with this technique, as if you have an exposed nerve, it can cause more pain.22. Peppermint Tea Swish peppermint tea around your mouth to reduce tooth pain.23. Black Tea Drink black tea and gargle it around your mouth to reduce tooth pain.24. 3% Hydrogen Peroxide Solution Get a hold of 3% hydrogen peroxide solution and use it to rinse out your mouth. Also try holding the solution over your toothache for a few minutes, or if you’d prefer, using a cotton ball to apply the hydrogen peroxide solution to the toothache. Do not swallow the hydrogen peroxide solution. After you’re done gargling with the solution, rinse out your mouth with some water 2-3 times.25. Myrrh Tincture Get a hold of myrrh tincture and use it to gargle with. This should help reduce tooth pain and will also help kill bacteria.26. Sunflower Oil Swish sunflower oil around your mouth to relieve tooth pain. 27. Sesame Oil 28. Turmeric Paste 29. Turmeric & Honey Paste 30. Turmeric & Cayenne Paste 31. Nutmeg Oil 32. Tea Bag 33. Bourbon 34. Heating Pad 35. Chamomile Tea 36. Malunggay Root 37. Chewing Gum 38. English Mustard 39. Sensitive Teeth Toothpaste 40. Everclear |
Distraction Methods for Getting Rid of Toothache Pain
The following are distraction methods that work because of the way the body deals with pain. You can distract your body from a toothache, which will in turn have you feel a lot less of the pain coming from the aching tooth.
41. Acupressure
See that point where your index finger and your thumb meet on your hand? Apply pressure there for two minutes and you will likely stop feeling the pain of your toothache. Why? Doing this help to trigger the release of endorphins, which will make you feel a lot more comfortable.
Preventative Measures for Reducing Toothache Pain
Not every toothache needs a dentist! Though you should absolutely always go see a dentist if you’re having unusual pain or sensitivity, some tooth pain comes about from discomfort brought about by having recurrent sensitive teeth, in which case, you’ll be wanting to try out the remedies in this category. If you have sensitive teeth, using these techniques consistently will help reduce toothache pain in the future by helping your teeth to become less sensitive over time with aid from toothpastes, brushes, and brushing techniques.
42. Sensitive Teeth Toothpaste
Brushing your teeth with sensitive teeth toothpaste like Colgate Sensitive or Sensodyne helps prevent specific kinds of tooth pain. In particular, if your teeth don’t have strong enamel.
43. Soft Bristle Brush
Brushing teeth with a soft bristle brush, instead of with a harder bristle one, will benefit those who have sensitive teeth because of a lack or shortage of strong enamel on their teeth.
44. Brushing Softly
Brushing softly will also help to reduce sensitive teeth brought about by a lack of strong enamel.
More First Aid Resources
When it comes to first aid, you need two important things to help you on your quest to keep yourself and those around you safe & healthy: knowledge and (to a lesser extent) supplies. To tackle the prior, take a look through our list of the top 22 emergency & survival first aid books and grab those that you think will best help you gain the knowledge you’ll need. For the latter, take a look at our Ultimate First Aid Supplies List to see if there’s anything you should be adding to your at-home first aid supplies stockpile, or if there’s something you’ve forgotten to add to one of your first aid kits.
Do you know how to tell if a cut is infected, whether to use Advil, Tylenol, or Aspirin, and how to quickly assess and address emergency situations? Did you know you can superglue cuts and that Imodium is an excellent tool for survival?
Have some time? Check out all the first aid articles published on this blog, in case there’s anything valuable you’ve yet to learn on the topics we’ve written about.
Have any advice to give about toothache home remedies?
Have you tried any of these home remedies personally? Which have worked for you and which have not?
Can you think of any other home remedies for toothaches that haven’t been mentioned on this list and that you’ve tried before? Did those remedies work out or did they not do a good job?
Leave us a comment below to let us know!
I have used nutmeg and it has a numbing affect but do not overdose it. I just put a small amount on the affected area. Consuming it can cause a LSD affect.
But winter’s favorite spice has also made headlines as an unconventional way of getting high — it’s called a nutmeg high. Nutmeg contains myristicin, a natural compound that has mind-altering effects if ingested in large doses. The buzz can last one to two days and can be hallucinogenic, much like LSD.
I’ve never had any ill affects from nutmeg since I’ve never consumed it, so I wouldn’t worry about side affects as long as you are just placing it on your tooth and not eating a bottle of it.
Thank you for the post and hopefully this helps someone
I have a back molar with a huge mercury filling, on top, that has been ‘causing grief’ almost to the point of tears. The filling is around 45 years old, so… revealing my age some! I have tried many things over the years; usually a drop of liquid ibuprofen (handle capsules carefully since it is highly acidic) stops pain but I couldn’t get to this area with it. I remembered a mix of honey with black pepper and vanilla I had tried for flavor; I expected the honey to increase nerve pain but tried it anyway – amazing! I’ve been using this as needed for 2 days now. I mix 2 TABLESPOONS HONEY with about 1/4 TEASPOON EACH BLACK PEPPER AND PURE VANILLA . It works better, quicker and kinder than raw garlic – ask me how I know… Second observation, if my neck ‘is messed up’ more jaw / sinus / head problems occur; logical since all circulation flows through the neck to these areas. Might be useful to also visit a CHIROPRACTOR for an adjustment. Hope this helps others!
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Didn’t see what I use on here, only part of it.
You’ll need:
Cotton balls
Bee’s wax ~ about a tsp
Clove oil ~ about 10 drops
Wooden stick, skewer, or popsicle stick.
Shred cotton ball as fine as you can (think carding wool). Warm bee’s wax in a small, heat proof cup or bowl using double boiler method. Add clove oil. Stir gently with suck until well mixed. Add cotton ball fluff until all the mixture is soaked up. Do not stir, just tramp it down lightly. Remove from heat, allow to cool. Scrape out with stick. Knead gently into a ball. Dry the area to be applied very well.
Broken tooth? Pull off a bit and push into broken part. Numbs and protects. Can also be used for regular toothaches, pull off a piece and cover affected tooth.
Store in a piece of foil or plastic wrap.
Stick,not suck
Thanks for sharing, Cassandra! Hope you didn’t have to try this out on a broken tooth yourself! Outch!