Try These Home Remedies To Relieve a Toothache and Get Some Sleep

Picture this: you’ve brushed and flossed your teeth, put on your jammies, and jumped into bed. Then a toothache you didn’t even have starts nagging you back to wakefulness. Sounds terrible, right? If you can’t get to your dentist right away, there are a few household items that may relieve some of your toothache discomfort.

Some have been said to work for some people. Others have different preferences. Our top picks are the OTC pain relievers and numbing gel. Whatever you choose to try, we hope these home remedies for toothache help get you through the night until you can visit the dentist in Berrien Springs.

1. Warm Salt Water Rinse

Mix half a teaspoon of table salt with 8 ounces of warm water and rinse your mouth with the saltwater solution. It can help reduce any gum inflammation that’s causing pain and heal oral wounds. Make sure you spit out all the salt water solution to avoid reinfection.

2. OTC Pain Relievers

A fast, effective way to relieve mild to moderate tooth pain is to take over the counter (OTC) medication like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Take care not to exceed the recommended dosage on the packaging.

3. OTC Numbing Gel

Using OTC oral medicated gels may help ease the pain of a toothache at night. These ointments usually contain benzocaine, a topical anaesthetic that causes temporary numbness on the painful area. Remember, though, these medications aren’t suitable for young children.

4. Cold Compress

Apply a cold compress on the swollen area of your mouth to constrict the blood vessels in that region. Doing this before going to sleep will numb the area and reduce any pain you feel– allowing you to catch some sleep.

5. Guava Leaves

Chewing on a few guava leaves can also be an effective solution for toothache since the leaves contain many anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties. If you don’t have any guava leaves close by, use fresh spinach leaves instead.

6. Wheatgrass

Wheatgrass is rich in chlorophyll—a plant pigment with powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Make a juice out of it and use the solution to rinse your mouth just before you go to sleep. It will reduce the amount of bacteria in your mouth and ease pain from a tooth infection.

7. Thyme Oil

There are several ways you can use this oil to treat a toothache at night. You can dilute the oil with water and use it as a mouthwash or take a cotton swab and apply the oil directly to the painful area in your mouth.

8. Clove Oil

Thanks to eugenol, a chemical found in clove oil with anesthetic and antibacterial properties, this spice is an effective all-natural pain relief strategy for short term management of discomfort. Just soak a cotton ball with the oil, place it over the painful area, and you should have no trouble falling asleep.

9. Hydrogen Peroxide

If the reason for your toothache is gum disease or it’s associated symptoms like soreness, bleeding gums, or loose teeth, using home remedies like hydrogen peroxide can be beneficial. Mix food-grade hydrogen peroxide with an equal amount of water and use the solution as a mouthwash.

10. Peppermint Tea Bag

Peppermint tea is particularly good for tooth aches because it contains menthol—a naturally-occurring numbing agent. Suck on a peppermint tea bag or swish the tea around in your mouth to find relief from your nighttime toothache.

11. Cayenne Pepper

Believe it or not, capsaicin, the ingredient that makes peppers like cayenne spicy, can also help soothe tooth pain and reduce gum inflammation. Add a little water to the pepper to make a paste and use a cotton swab to apply it on the painful area in your mouth. This should provide almost immediate relief.

12. Vanilla Extract

Apart from enhancing the flavor of baked goods, vanilla extract can also numb the pain of an aching tooth. Put two to three drops of the extract on your sore tooth, and you’ll be back to sleep in no time.

13. Cucumber

Cucumbers aren’t just for eliminating puffy eyes, they can also relieve nighttime toothache. Cut a slice of the vegetable and hold it on the painful area in your mouth. It’s homeostatic properties will reduce the flow of blood around the problem tooth, relieving you of some of the pain—particularly if the tooth throbs a lot.

14. Garlic

Garlic is well known for its antibacterial properties. Chewing on a small clove may help kill the bacteria in your mouth that cause cavities and tooth pain. The only downside to this home remedy is the lingering effects of garlic breath.

15. Ice Cube Acupressure

This one is simple: take an ice cube and rub it in the area between your forefinger and thumb. If the pain is on the left side of your mouth, place the ice cube on your left hand. Likewise, if it’s on the right, use your right hand instead. Continue rubbing the ice cube until you find some relief from the pain.

Emergency Dental Care in St. Joseph and Berrien Springs, MI

We hope the above list of home remedies helps soothe your nighttime toothache. If the pain does not subside or becomes too much for you to bear till morning, talk to us about your emergency. We’ll schedule you in for a same-day consultation so that you can get the dental care you need right away.