10 Natural Home Remedies for Your Mouth That Just Might Work

Tooth Pain

Tooth pain can creep up on you overnight or can be a lingering chronic problem. At Innovation Dental in Vaughan we see patients with tooth pain every day.  There are many reasons for the pain, and often a thorough exam is required to diagnose properly. But, temporary relief is often needed until the permanent treatment can be done. Patients are often looking for natural home remedies to help with the pain or sensitivity. Here are some things to try.

#1. Clove Oil or Ground Cloves

Use finger pressure or a dry tooth brush and rub the oil or a paste made with ground cloves and water onto the affected tooth. Leave to dry. Do not rinse out. Reapply 2-3 times a day.

#2. Garlic or Onions

Although this will not do any wonders for your breath, studies have shown that garlic and onions have properties that can help with tooth sensitivity. Slice the garlic in half and rub on the sensitive area (normally along the root surface right at the gum line) continuously for about 5 minutes. Repeat 2x a day.  You may want to rinse or us some mouth wash after……just saying! 

#3. Hard Liquor (ie. Whiskey or Vodka)

This is an age-old remedy that has been used long before analgesic medications.  As with the above remedies this is a temporary solution and will not be a cure for a serious tooth problem. Liquor has been known to provide some tooth numbing which in turn gives some pain relief.  It is not recommended that you swallow the liquor, just rub on the affected tooth with a soaked cotton ball, avoiding the gum area as you can get a chemical burn on the gums.

#4. Acupressure Points

There are many pressure points on the body that have been shown to give some tooth pain relief. These are not recommended for pregnant patients. Refer to the link below. http://www.modernreflexology.com/acupressure-points-to-relieve-toothache/

#5. Tea Bag

The tannic acids found in regular tea bags can help with clotting when the gums or bone are bleeding after a surgical extraction by constricting the blood vessels.  Wet the tea bag and squeeze out excess water. Place over the affected area and bite down applying pressure on the site.

Overall Mouth Health

Daily routine care at home including brushing and flossing has always been and still remains the gold standard of oral health care. It is also equally as important to see your dentist for routine check ups and cleaning.

#6. Salt Water Rinses

Warm salt water rinses are often recommended after invasive dental procedures such as surgery, extractions and deep cleaning.  Salt water rinses, included in your daily routine has been shown to be antiseptic and can reduce the amount of bacteria living in your mouth.

#7. Oil Pulling

Oil pulling means swishing oil back and forth in your mouth which in turns pulls bacteria from on and in between your teeth into the oil so that it can be spit out. This has been shown to vastly reduce the cavity causing and plaque bacteria. Use 1 tbsp of coconut or other oil and swish back and forth in mouth vigorously for 20 minutes. Then spit into a disposable cup and throw out. It is not recommended to spit into the sink and the oil can solidify at room temperature and block the drains.

#8.  Snacking on Sesame Seeds

This can act as a natural dental scrub. Chew for a few minutes without swallowing and follow with brushing  the seed against the teeth with a soft brush.  This is good for stain, plaque and tarter.

#9. Fruit and Fruit peels

Rub the teeth with the inside (the white side) of an orange, citrus or banana peel or with crushed strawberries and then brush as usual.  The peels contain d-limonene that is often found in commercial whiteners. You do need to be cautious as they can also be acidic and cause some enamel erosion. Thus, it is not recommended to do this too often. Studies have show that this is more effective towards fresh stains than old stain and better for smoke stains rather than tea.

#10. Activated Charcoal

You can remove stubborn stains, plaque and get your whole mouth clean by brushing with powdered activated charcoal. Dip your wet tooth brush in the powder and brush for 3 minutes as usual. Rinse out a few times as your tongue will look black as well.