Homemade tooth remedies

Home measures can briefly reduce tooth discomfort, but they cannot remove decay, drain an abscess, or repair a damaged tooth.

Tooth pain can arise from exposed dentine, inflamed pulp, a crack, gum infection, or pressure around an erupting tooth. The useful home approach is symptom control while the cause is diagnosed, not placing household substances into a cavity.

Rinse gently with warm water, remove trapped food with careful cleaning, and use a cold pack outside the cheek for swelling. Follow the label of any suitable pain medicine and never place aspirin, alcohol, bleach, or concentrated oils on the gum.

Arrange dental care promptly for pain lasting beyond a short episode, pain that wakes you, sensitivity that lingers, a broken tooth, or a bad taste. Facial swelling, fever, or trouble breathing or swallowing is urgent.

Ask whether the pain comes from decay, pulp inflammation, a crack, the gum, or the bite. Ask which examination and radiograph are needed, whether the tooth can be restored, and what to do until treatment.