Helpful Home Remedies for Toothaches

When you have pain in your tooth, the situation might be serious. After all, this discomfort is usually a sign of a dental infection. As such, you should see an emergency dentist for it at once; otherwise, you could have serious complications. Thankfully, you can still manage the ache while you’re waiting for treatment. To learn more about the matter, here’s a summary of four home remedies for a toothache in La Porte. 

Swish Salt Water

One remedy for a toothache is using salt water as a mouthwash. You see, salted water is a natural disinfectant that loosens food bits stuck between teeth. For that reason, swishing it can reduce your tooth’s inflammation and heal nearby oral wounds.

When making the salt water, mix one teaspoon (tsp) of salt into a glass of warm water. From there, gargle and rinse as needed.

Rinse with Hydrogen Peroxide

Another way to relieve tooth pain is to rinse with hydrogen peroxide. At the right levels, this chemical can kill harmful bacteria and reduce oral aches. However, it’d only be a stopgap until you get treatment for your infection.

For this approach, make sure to use a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution. After rinsing with it, spit it out and follow up with a plain water rinse.

Use Peppermint Tea Bags

As it turns out, peppermint tea bags can numb your pain and soothe sensitive gums. To use them for a toothache, just apply slightly warm ones to the affected area. The heat and tea leaves will do the rest.

Still, you could also use this method to cool (rather than warm) the area. You’d only need to put a used tea bag in the freezer for a few minutes to chill it. Afterward, place the bag near your tooth.

Apply a Cold Compress

A cold compress is a helpful method for easing all sorts of pain, especially toothaches. It causes blood vessels to constrict when applied, thus making discomfort less severe. Plus, the cold can reduce swelling and inflammation.

If you lack a normal cold compress, a towel-wrapped bag of ice would also work. Either way, hold it near the affected area for 20 minutes at a time.

With proper help from an emergency dentist, your toothache in La Porte can be fixed easily. Until then, though, use the remedies above to manage your pain.

About the Practice

Region Dental is based in La Porte, IN. As led by Drs. Daniel Berquist and Joseph Ornelas, our practice offers comprehensive dental services. To that end, we perform preventive, cosmetic, and restorative dentistry, as well as emergency care procedures. Our office is also a certified provider of dental sedation for anxious patients. For more information or to book a visit, you can reach us on our website or by phone at (219)-362-8980.