Toothache - home remedies on how to deal with it?
Toothache can have various causes, not always associated with the tooth itself. Many of us know how unpleasant is the feeling of excruciating pain and exhausting toothache, which is difficult to deal with. An additional problem is also that pain often limits the possibility of chewing, which means that the opposite side of the sore mouth is forced to work more, which is not a healthy situation for the teeth in the long run.
The problem of toothache affects people of different age and in different situations, so painkillers are not always the best option, especially for children, the elderly or pregnant women. A visit to the dentist’s office is always invaluable, where an experienced doctor will be able to help and indicate the cause of pain. Do not hesitate and if you feel the first symptoms of toothache – immediately consult a specialist.
We have prepared a few tips on how to relieve toothache at home. However, it is well known that prevention is better than cure, so it is worth knowing what cause such an unpleasant feeling in the mouth to be able to eliminate it in advance.
The most common causes of severe toothache are:
- caries
- hypersensitivity, e.g. to warm, cold or acidic foods, caused by exposure of dentin,
- enamel cracks,
- indirect causes such as enlarged lymph nodes,
- disturbances in the correct functioning of the jaw.
It is also worth looking for the sources of toothache outside the mouth, for example in the sinuses
Pain caused by caries
In the early stages, tooth decay manifests itself as a sudden, unpleasant pain reaction to the cold or acid drinks and food mentioned earlier. The exposed pulp is then sensitive to intense stimuli.
In the advanced stage, tooth decay can cause very distressing, continuous pain, because even more exposed tooth pulp is irritated all the time by various types of food or drinks, which leads to its inflammation by faster and faster bacterial growth after each meal. Then it is necessary to visit a dentist, because the treatment will require specialized tools.
In this case, any type of pain relief should only be a help awaiting a specialist appointment. The longer it is postponed in the case of advanced caries, the more likely it is that the root canal treatment or extraction of the affected tooth will be needed.
Can a healthy tooth hurt?
Unfortunately yes. There are often situations in which patients report severe, nagging toothache, and after a detailed diagnosis, it turns out that it is not a tooth that is a problem.
Here are some of the conditions that can cause this:
1. Sinusitis – a strong compression of the nerves that is felt in several teeth. This situation can be recognized by the high sensitivity to cold foods and drinks. Often the pain above the patient’s cheek is also felt, which results from the continuous pulsation of the affected maxillary sinus. In addition, patients often complain of pain when moving their heads and discomfort around the temples and eyes or complain about symptoms of fever.
2. Chickenpox infection – in the first stage of the disease before the appearance of blisters visible on the body, Patients often experience toothache similar to that observed with pulpitis caused by caries. However, in this case, discomfort is associated with nerve disorders.
3. Temporomandibular joint problems – the pain is similar to pulpitis with the difference that it has a dull pain and not easy to locate character. What distinguishes this disease from before mentioned pains is the fact that in this case the teeth are not hypersensitive to stimuli like cold.
How to deal with toothache at home?
There are several solutions that will easily help you relieve exhausting toothache. Many of them are even based on natural, herbal and plant ingredients. However, it should be remembered that these are only ad hoc measures to help the symptoms, not the cause of toothache.
1. Painkillers – when toothache makes eating or speaking difficult, it is worth reaching for basic painkillers containing paracetamol for less pain or ibuprofen for stronger, more painful varieties. However, if you care about natural methods and the pain does not interfere with chewing functions, you should try the method of chewing cloves. However, they have an intense aroma, which for some may increase pain sensations.
2. Rinses can provide relief, e.g. a teaspoon of salt and iodine dissolved in a glass of water. A cold or warm infusion of sage can also help. It is known for its bactericidal properties. Chamomile may also be a good herb for infusion. It is often used to maintain proper oral hygiene in infants. For some types of pain, the best way to do this is to suck on an ice cube prepared from chamomile infusion.
3. Compress can help when toothache is related to one particular location. It is worth checking out a crushed garlic wrapped in gauze or a cotton swab soaked in camphor oil or valerian drops.
What if the toothache does not stop?
If after applying the above methods, the toothache still has not stopped, it means that this problem requires consultation with a specialist.
As in the case of caries, time is of great importance regardless of the type of disease, because the sooner we start treatment, the greater the chance of its success and preservation of the patient’s tooth is.
If you have a toothache and want to deal with it, make an appointment with one of our dentists. We will try to choose the most convenient date for you.
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