Tips on Tooth Pain Relief

There are a lot of things you can do for tooth pain relief that are natural and do not involve taking pills. These, however, are just stop gap solutions. They may ease the pain temporarily but the tooth pain will return unless you have it checked by a dentist. This is because tooth pain is not an imagined pain, it is not a psycho-somatic illness, it is always caused by something concrete. In other words, for permanent tooth relief, the cause of the pain has to be treated.

Causes

Before applying something for tooth pain relief one should know the main cause. Sometimes the problem is just basic hygiene. If you do not brush your teeth properly and floss, this can cause cavities and gum problems. Cavities are decayed parts of the teeth and you get cavities because of poor hygiene. Puffy and swollen gums, or gingivitis is also caused by poor hygiene and they give tooth pain as well. Sometimes it is a combination of both.

Sugar is the main culprit that causes tooth decay which causes toothaches. Sugar, as people know comes from eating candies, sweets, pastries, even fruits. But what most may not know is that sugar also comes from starchy food because starch becomes sugar. So it is not only sweets you should avoid when you have a toothache but also starchy food so you can finally have tooth pain relief.

A poor diet means you have poor investment on your teeth. This means if you lack calcium, your teeth become brittle as calcium plays a primary role in building healthy teeth and gums. Calcium comes from milk, canned fish like sardines that you eat the bones of, and dark green leafy vegetables. In order to absorb calcium, you need vitamin D which you also get from milk. If your teeth are strong and healthy to begin with, you will not need tooth pain relief.

First Aid

Granted that the tooth pain is already there, know what you have to do. If brushing and flossing gently does not help, then gargle with warm salt water solution. This is most effective if the pain originates from the gums, but it only gives temporary relief and the pain can return after about 30 minutes. An oral antiseptic mouthwash can also be used instead of salt water. Sometimes the pain is just caused by food that is lodge between the teeth.

Another thing you can do for tooth pain relief is to numb the area where the pain emanates from. You can do this by using an ice pack on your cheek. This will actually numb that side of your face. You must be warned that the ice pack should be placed on your cheek, not on the ailing tooth itself. A drop of vanilla extract, tea tree oil or peppermint extract on cotton that you place on the tooth will also numb the area.
Your kitchen provides so many pain relief options. Items you use for cooking everyday like garlic oil, or a slice of ginger root can be used. From the garden you can pound guava leaves, plantain leaves, or yarrow leaves and apply the poultice on your tooth. All these have antiseptic qualities that offer temporary tooth pain relief.