Proper preventative care, like brushing and flossing your teeth twice daily, keeps your teeth and gums healthy to resist potential problems like cavities or gum disease. Although this helps keep your mouth healthy, there’s no guarantee that you won’t develop a sudden or persistent toothache anyway.
Many patients have this dental emergency at night or on weekends when their dentist’s office is closed, so they can’t get a same-day appointment for relief. Thankfully, there are several at-home remedies that can provide a well-deserved reprieve while you wait. Continue reading to learn about four of them!
Method #1: Apply Ice
If your tooth is throbbing incessantly, you can wrap a cold compress or ice pack in a cloth and press it to the sore side of your face for about 15 minutes. This creates a temporary numbing sensation so that you get a break from the ache.
You can also try holding ice water in your mouth for several seconds at a time for a more direct impact. However, don’t bite into ice cubes because you could chip, crack, or injure your sore tooth.
Method #2: Elevate Your Head
Getting a solid night’s sleep can be difficult when coping with discomfort, but rest is essential if you hope to heal. Unfortunately, laying down in bed might worsen the ache as the changed position increases blood pressure in your head, which increases the pressure on your teeth.
You can prevent this by propping your head up on a pile of pillows. This elevated position keeps the blood from pooling painfully so you can drift off more peacefully.
Method #3: Rinse with Salt Water
Did you know that salt water acts as a natural disinfectant and anti-inflammatory? You can use it as a mouthwash to swish away any unhealthy bacteria, debris, or stuck objects from your teeth and gums. You can create your own solution by mixing ½ teaspoon of normal kitchen salt into a glass of warm water, then sip it and swirl it around your mouth. Spit it out, then repeat until your cup is empty.
Method #4: Take Over-the-Counter Medications
Some patients prefer more natural remedies and try to avoid commercial products, while others are perfectly comfortable with over-the-counter medications. It’s usually safe to take options like Tylenol or ibuprofen (or alternate taking one then the other) to address toothaches.
You can also find oral gels that contain numbing agents at your local store or pharmacy. Applying some directly to your tooth can give you a much-needed reprieve from the pain.
These easy at-home remedies can help you feel better until you can contact your dentist for an appointment!
About the Practice
At Hanford Family Dental Center, you benefit from a team of experts who work together to conveniently provide a full array of high-quality services under one roof. With 20+ years of combined experience, they can help patients of all ages build and maintain happy, healthy smiles. They combine a compassionate approach with state-of-the-art technology to create and implement fully individualized treatments with accurate results. If you have a toothache and need help, you can request an emergency appointment on the website or call (559) 530-8080.