Toothache Home Remedies, Causes, Symptoms, Treatments, and Prevention

1. Overview

Some pains have the intensity to affect your whole body. This is the thing with toothaches. It can make you a cripple in a matter of minutes. The pain is sometimes so intense and severe that a person loses control over himself completely. Oral microbial flora promotes the growth of microorganisms at a higher pace. The chances of infection and inflammation are increased by a hundred folds. So oral and dental are as much important as the care of the other parts of the body. Brushing twice a day might not be enough to cleanse the teeth of plaque and germs. Having a regular dental check-up is highly recommended since you never know what is going on inside your mouth. Toothaches are a nightmare. The causes and symptoms vary from person to person but one thing is sure that it hurts a lot.

2. What is a toothache?

Any pain in the dental cavity is termed as a toothache. The pain in the teeth, gums, and jaws come under the heading of a toothache. It may be due to a dental disease or any anomaly associated with the dental are. The severity of the pain varies from person to person. It is the main orofacial pain and is a medical emergency condition since it hinders you from sleeping, eating and even talking in some cases. The pain may be due to a broken tooth, tooth abscesses, tooth fracture, filling failure, infected gums and enamel of teeth, and grinding of teeth. The teeth have a covering named as enamel. Once it is damaged, the teeth are exposed to the external environment. Any hot or cold thing will have a severe effect on them since the sensitive nerve endings are exposed. You will get a very little shock whenever you take any hot or cold foodstuff. The nerve endings might cause a lot of pain as well. Any broken or fractured teeth can lead to pus formation in the gums, which is a very serious condition, and needs emergency dental care.

A Toothache is a combination of a lot of tooth diseases and pains. If the pain in the teeth persists for 1-2 days, consult a doctor on an emergency basis.

3. Causes of a toothache

The causes of a toothache depend upon the disease that is occurring and the extent to which it has damaged the gums and teeth. Here is a list of the causes that initiate a toothache:

Tooth decay:

The major cause of a toothache is the tooth decay. The innermost layer of the tooth, named as dentin, is damaged and leads to the decay of the teeth. As soon as the decay starts, sensitivity and stabbing pains also start in the teeth.

Tooth abscess:

The root of the tooth is affected in the abscess leading to a stabbing pain in the jaws and the tooth.

Tooth fracture:

Tooth fracture can happen due to any injury during playing sports, any fall or while biting or chewing any hard thing. The chipped tooth might start causing the problems with the passage of time. Immediate dental care is required in such cases.

Disease of the gums:

Gums might get swollen, painful and full of pus due to poor hygiene. This can lead to a throbbing pain along with bleeding.

Teeth sensitivity:

Having worn out enamel will result in a sharp and shooting pain in your teeth whenever you eat anything hot or cold. This happens due to the nerve endings in the teeth that respond actively to the hot and cold sensations, causing pain and discomfort.


Filling failures:

Dental filling might go wrong at some points. The fillings cover the broken and the fractured areas of the teeth. If the filling is disturbed, food particles might get stuck in the open area causing pain and pus, leading to a severe toothache.

Grinding habits:

Some people have this unusual habit of grinding their teeth and sliding them with each other. An irritable sound is produced by such efforts. It deeply affects the teeth by disrupting the enamel and exposing the teeth to the hot and cold, hence resulting in teeth sensitivity.

Brushing style issues:

Improper brushing styles are also one of the causes of a toothache. The pressure that people apply on the teeth damages the enamel and the gums leading to bleeding and pain in the teeth.

Misaligned teeth:

Misaligned teeth push the other teeth, imposing unwanted pressure that results in pain and discomfort. The wisdom tooth is the leading cause of such troubles since many individuals are still having them and they affect the alignment of the teeth, disturbing the gums. Consult the dentist if you have any symptoms such as those. Braces or a surgery are the most probable solutions to this problem.

Dental alignments:

Many people around the globe need dental alignments for a perfect smile and pretty teeth, Retainers, braces, and fillings sometimes turn against you. As soon as you get them, you might feel a little tightening of the teeth along with the pain and discomfort. The pain starts right from the beginning. It is advisable to consult the dentist about treating the alignments before any pus or inflammation occurs.

4. Symptoms of a toothache

Toothache relief is only possible if you are sensible enough to look out for the symptoms of a toothache. The symptoms vary from person to person but some symptoms are quite common. Here is a list of these symptoms:

  • Throbbing on in the gum and teeth. Pain is felt more severely if pressure is applied on the teeth
  • Pus drainage from the tooth giving an unpleasant taste in the mouth
  • Bad odor coming from the mouth
  • Swelling and inflammation of the gums and area around the teeth
  • Bleeding of the gums
  • Pain in the jaws and head
  • Earache is also present in such cases
  • Fever occurs as soon as these aches are happening
  • These pains are triggered more when you take anything hot or cold. Biting or chewing any hard thing will make the pain to raise by many folds due to the pressure that is applied on the teeth.

The symptoms are quite sufficient to consult a dentist and look out for his consultation and help. Most of the people ignore these symptoms by taking them as normal toothaches but any small pain can cause a big problem and might even lead to a tooth surgery. It is better to consult a dentist as soon as possible.

5. Prevention of a toothache

Toothache remedies are very tiring since they take a lot time and effort and money as well. You have to get toothache relief by using some prevention measures:

  1. Use a fluoride toothpaste to relieve a toothache
  2. Make oral hygiene your top priority. Brush regularly. Stop Taking high starchy
  3. Seek for a regular dental check up every month.


Home remedies for a toothache

Home remedies for a toothache

6. Home remedies for a toothache

Although a variety of toothache remedies are available in the market including the surgery and the medicines but one cannot deny the importance of home remedies for a toothache which is quite successful and that too without any side effect and adverse effect. Toothache home remedies include a lot of ingredients that are from your kitchen so you don’t have to pay extra money to buy them. These are as follows:

Salt rinsing

You can easily start helping yourself with a toothache at home by using salt rinsing. It is a pain killing mouthwash that washes off and carries away all the plaque, debris and other pain causing agents along with it. Keep it in your mouth for 30 seconds and then spit it. Repeat the process 5-10 times.

Clove oil

Eugenol present in the clove oil acts as an excellent antiseptic and analgesic and removes the pain within minutes. A Toothache is reduced by applying the oil with a finger or soaked in cotton.

Peppermint tea bags

The numbing property of the peppermint makes the teabags a good choice to be used while you are having severe toothaches. The teabags are soaked in water and are then placed on the affected gum or tooth. It reduces the pain and inflammation.


Onion has antiseptic and antimicrobial properties, which make it a good candidate to be used in toothache remedy. It reduces the inflammation and swelling and relieves the pain within minutes. You can chew onion for 5-10 minute and you will get the cure.

Hydrogen peroxide treatment

You can also opt for hydrogen peroxide solution if you have the problem of fever and a foul smell coming out from your mouth. Take a mouthful of 3% hydrogen peroxide and swish it. Repeat the process multiple times. Do not swallow the solution. It is dangerous for health. Rinsing is possible since it kills all the bacteria present in the mouth.

A Cotton ball soaked in bourbon

Bourbon has a numbing property due to the alcohol content in it. It is useful to treat the pain temporally. You can soak cotton in it and then apply the cotton on the affected tooth but the pain will only be gone for a short time. As soon as the alcohol evaporates, the pain will come back.


Garlic has antibiotic and anti-inflammatory properties, which make it a useful remedy for a toothache. Use it by chewing three to four times a day regularly. You can also use it by making a paste with salt and applying the paste on the affected tooth.

Vanilla extract

Alcohol in the vanilla extract acts as a pain-relieving agent. You can either rub it with your finger and then put the finger on the tooth or soak a ball of cotton in vanilla extract and place it on your tooth for immediate remedy.

Ginger-cayenne paste

This paste of the two spices is a potent painkiller. Capsaicin is the main painkilling ingredient present in them. Take the two spices, make a paste with water, roll it over into a small ball of cotton and place it on the tooth avoiding the tongue and gums since it causes burning sensations. Pain will fade away in 10 minutes.

Usage of black pepper and vinegar

One of a toothache home remedies that is widely used is the use of a brown paper soaked in vinegar with black pepper rolled inside it. Press it against your teeth but keep it away from your gums since it produces a warming sensation.

Cold compressions

If you are having a swollen gum leading to a swollen face, you can apply ice packs on it. The cold compression will reduce the inflammation leading to a reduction in swelling and pain as well. It is one of the immediate home remedies for a toothache.

Whatever method you choose to treat a toothache, make sure it has no side effects. Take oral hygiene as a top priority as well.

Toothache Home Remedies, Causes, Symptoms, Treatments, and Prevention
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