Do you suffer from toothache? If the answer is yes, you certainly know the pain you feel in these situations and how many additional problems it brings with it: difficulty speaking, concentration problems, back pain, insomnia, moodiness, digestive problems and so on.
Causes of Toothache
Tooth pain can be linked to multiple factors: presence of caries, dental abscesses, periodontitis, pulpitis, etc.
Caries is one of the most frequent causes of toothache and also the most “subtle”. Because? Initially it does not cause pain, which instead becomes increasingly strong as the caries reaches the area located under the enamel (the dentin), until it becomes unbearable when the infection affects the pulp.
Pulpitis, i.e. inflammation of the dental pulp and that of the supporting tissues of the tooth (periodontitis), can also cause toothache.
Wisdom teeth, if badly positioned, can cause inflammation of the gums. Most of the time, in the beginning, the first symptoms are difficult to interpret, but as the infection takes hold the pains tend to spread throughout the mouth and in many cases can prevent you from concentrating properly, alter your mood up to cause you serious damage to your social and working life. Obviously if the pain continues over time, we recommend that you contact a dentist. In the meantime, you can quickly relieve your toothache effectively to try to immediately improve your quality of life.
How to Relieve Toothache
1) Pay attention to the power supply
Nutrition is the basis of everything, it is no coincidence that the Latins said “Mens sana in corpore sano”, but also “prima digestio fit in ore”, to make people understand how important good chewing is for proper digestion. The first enemy of teeth at the table? Obviously sugar, often the main cause of cavities that could cause toothache. That’s why you should drastically reduce the consumption of chocolate, pastries, sugary fruit juices, sodas, sweetened coffee and tea and junk foods in general, and you should drink more water. Also avoid acidic foods and juices such as cola, wine and grapefruit.
2) Act Immediately Against Toothache
Someone says that haste is a bad advisor, but when you have a toothache, you need to act quickly. How? With a nice DIY teeth cleaning. Take a toothbrush and floss (gently work on both dental arches) to remove any possible food residue stuck between your teeth, as this could be the cause of your pain.
Once you have finished cleaning your teeth, rinse your mouth carefully with warm water and gargle to remove any food residues present inside the oral cavity and obviously spit it all out at the end.
3) Attention to Chewing
If you have pain in one or more teeth, avoid chewing on that side of your mouth until you find an effective remedy to counter it.
4) Temporary Solutions to Toothache
A temporary solution to ease the pain of your teeth, in case of breakage, could be to cover them with an orthodontic wax or chewing gum, until you have found a definitive remedy.
You can buy temporary dental fillers at any pharmacy for about 10 euros. Generally these are kits composed of zinc oxide and similar materials, which allow to decrease the pressure and consequently the pain. You can keep them up to 15 days.
5) Take painkillers
Buy non-prescription medicines at the pharmacy, which will allow you to relieve pain, such as ibuprofen and paracetamol (their cost is around 20 euros). Obviously, when taking it you will have to follow the leaflet that you will find inside the package.
All pain relievers generally need to be taken every 4-6 hours and the dosage will vary depending on the medication being taken. One thing you absolutely must not do is apply painkillers directly to the gum tissue, as you could end up severely damaging it.
If this is your intention, you could rely on topical painkillers, that is, which can be applied directly to the area to be treated, in your case in the area where you feel pain.
By doing this, you will be able to reduce the sensitivity of the area surrounding the tooth. If you are struggling with a cavity, you could insert them directly into the latter. Obviously, even in this case you will have to follow the information on the package leaflet.
6) Apply Cold Packs
Another effective way that will help reduce toothache is to apply a cold compress. The cold will decrease the sensitivity of the painful area, because the cold temperatures decrease the blood circulation in the area and when it slows down the pain subsides.
Take a towel or plastic bag and wrap an ice cube in it and then place it on your jaw near the painful part for about 15 minutes. After that, take a break for about 10 minutes.
Before repeating the application, make sure that the skin has returned to normal temperature, as otherwise you could cause serious damage to nearby tissues. Repeat the application until you get the desired result.
7) Natural Remedies Against Toothache
Luckily “Mother Nature” offers you many natural remedies against toothache. Let’s find out together the most effective ones and how to best use them.
Cloves
This spice is particularly effective against toothache because it is able to desensitize the area affected by pain and destroy bacteria. How to use them to fight toothache? You can use whole cloves, ground cloves or prepare or buy oil.
Application of whole cloves: Take 2-3 whole cloves and insert them gently in the mouth near the area to be treated. When they soften with saliva, start chewing them slowly, to enjoy the beneficial effect of the oil that will be released.
Application of ground cloves: if you want to use the ground ones instead, put a pinch between the cheek and the sore gum. When the saliva wets the spice, the sensitivity of the surrounding tissue will begin to decrease slowly and consequently the toothache will be less and less intense.
Application of clove oil drops: finally you can apply clove oil drops together with half a teaspoon of extra virgin olive oil, wetting a sterile cotton ball and then placing it on the sore area.
Rinse with salt water
The preparation of a saline solution is ideal for destroying bacteria and fighting tooth pain, because salt is able to defeat the action of bacteria and “dry” the inflamed gum, remove moisture and, consequently , relieve toothache.
Take 1 teaspoon of salt and add it to 250ml of hot water, waiting for it to dissolve.
Now use the solution to rinse your mouth like mouthwash for about 30 seconds, then spit it out. Repeat the rinse if you deem it necessary.
After rinsing with salt water, clean your mouth with fresh water, again for 30 seconds.
Tea-bag
Place a slightly damp tea bag on the area where your teeth hurt. Thanks to the astringent tannins contained in black tea, you will be able to reduce inflammation.
Or place a tea bag in the microwave on top of a saucer of water. Heat it for 25 seconds and then squeeze out the excess water. Then press the sachet where you feel pain and bite it slowly, you will see that the pain will tend to subside a little at a time.
8) Go to a Dentist
If despite adequate nutrition, temporary solutions, cold compresses, antibiotics and natural remedies you have not been able to get rid of your toothache, all you have to do is contact a dentist to make an appointment.
If the tooth pain persists or even worsens, perhaps accompanied by fever, swelling or pus, there may be more serious underlying problems (caries, enamel damage, infection, dental cavity problems, etc.) that are impossible to treat with solutions that we have indicated to you previously.
Once your situation has been examined, our specialists will plan the most appropriate treatment for solving the problem (filling, root canal treatment, extraction and subsequent implant surgery, etc.)
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