Wisdom tooth pain can get unbearable. It can be a sign of the wisdom tooth starting to break through the gum, the beginning of infection or cyst in gums, or damage to other adjacent teeth. Whatever the reason, the excruciating wisdom teeth pain at times can’t be ignored. The pain can be throbbing or growing continuously, so you don’t have any choice unless visiting a dentist or find pain relief. It is required to have your teeth checked regularly or at least know whether you have an upcoming impacted tooth that is going to break in.
You may not know the unpredictable pain from a wisdom tooth unless it happens out of nowhere or your dentist has already warned you. While waiting to visit a dentist to get the appropriate treatment, try home remedies to alleviate the pain. Read through the following ways to help relieve the pain of your wisdom tooth.
- Over-the-counter pain medications
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Try over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen to get rid of the pain and discomfort originating from your wisdom tooth. You will get through the painful times before visiting a dentist and the pain tablets or pills have proved useful.
Make sure you stick to the dosage and be careful how long you take the painkiller. Never overuse the over-the-counter painkillers as you will do more harm than good in the long run. Pain medications are just for temporary use and never for long-term use. Pain medications are prescribed as post-operative pain management before the local analgesic effect subsides. This way, your inflammation or pain is reduced after surgical procedures like wisdom tooth removal.
- Salt water rinse
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There is no one doubts how essential salt is in nature. Salt has been used not only for treating pain from a sore throat but also as a natural oral pain reliever because of its antibacterial properties.
By creating an environment that bacteria find hard to live, salt will ease sore and swollen gums caused by infection. Pour a teaspoon of salt into a warm glass of water. Then rinse for 30 seconds. After rinsing, spit it out slowly if you have done oral surgery to prevent damage to the soft tissues which is healing from the wound. Repeat swishing and rinsing several times daily and at night.
Salt water rinse decreases your inflammation and is a great wisdom tooth pain reliever. It is a recommended natural remedy after oral surgeries like wisdom tooth removal.
- Clove oil
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Clove oil is an aromatic and flavoring herb that has various medicinal functions. It is extracted from dried clove buds and the oil has been used in dentistry as a topical analgesic to relieve pains from toothache or complications following dental surgery. Clove oil, therefore, is a natural analgesic, anesthetic, and disinfectant that will decrease the pain of wisdom teeth by numbing and eliminating bacteria.
Since eugenol is the primary chemical agent in clove oil, soft tissue irritation may occur if used in large amounts with direct application in your mouth. Thus, try to soak a piece of clean cloth in the clove oil or in a diluted solution for the application of clove oil on the aching site.
You can also make your mouthwash with a few drops of clove oil in a warm glass of water. Then swish just like the salt water rinse solution.
- Ice pack
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Applying ice on the surgical area after oral surgeries like tooth extraction has been recommended by dentists to soothe your pain. When you are feeling intense wisdom tooth pain, try an ice pack or bags of ice peas as an analgesic.
Ice has a numbing effect and constricts blood vessels, contributing to the elimination of pain in or around the soft tissues like the gums. Ice will settle the pain down and help out in reducing the swollen tissues around your wisdom tooth. To avoid damage to the soft tissues or the feeling of extremely cold temperatures, use ice packs that are wrapped around a towel or a cloth. Apply the ice on and off for around 15 to 20 minutes.
- Tea bag
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Natural vasoconstricting properties in regular tea bags because of tannic acid can alleviate wisdom tooth pain. Put the tea bag on the aching area and try to bite on the tea bag for around one minute. You can replace the tea bag with a newer one to place it on the painful wisdom tooth spot.
A regular tea bag is prescribed to decrease bleeding and inflammation after tooth extraction procedures. It is worth trying since the vessels tend to constrict and you feel numb for a while on your gums of exposed wisdom tooth.
- Guava leaves
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Guava leaves from the guava plant, popular for its fruit, are found in tropical areas and have been a natural remedy for treating diseases. The leaves have antimicrobial, antispasmodic, and anti-inflammatory properties with numerous other medicinal benefits.
You can ease your wisdom tooth pain by applying the guava leaves to the painful site. You can chew the guava leaves until the extracted juice from the leaves takes its effect. To better extract the juice, boil the leaves and use it as a mouthwash when the liquid is cold enough for swishing in your mouth.
- Garlic with salt or ginger
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You may not like the strong smell of garlic, but it is one of the wonders among vegetables that has major health benefits. Garlic can be considered a potent antibacterial agent which releases allicin that will fight bacteria and infection. You may not receive as excellent results as you would expect of garlic to eliminate your wisdom tooth pain, but trying garlic as a natural home remedy can be an option to choose.
You can either chew one clove of raw garlic on your aching part or make a paste of crushed garlic to put it over the pain. To boost the effect of painkilling, you have three other options: mix the garlic with crushed ginger in the paste form, use salt with the garlic, or try olive oil in your crushed garlic paste recipe.
- Topical numbing gels
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Topical anesthetic gel to numb your gums and teeth can help you get rid of the wisdom tooth pain for several hours. Wisdom teeth can be a potential source of headache, earache, and even pain in your eyes in its acute form or when it has been ignored.
Anesthetic gels such as benzocaine can be applied on the gum and painful location in your mouth, which can be a quick-to-do remedy. Anesthetic gels are useful pain relievers on the market and are handy options when you see that most remedies will not work in your case.
A final say
No home remedy works as a long-term solution for toothache or wisdom tooth pain. Home remedies whether it is a pain tablet, a topical gel from your local pharmacy, or a natural and herbal remedy will be a short-term pain relief method.
Visiting a dentist to get to the source of your pain is necessary. Your pain may have resulted due to a dental abscess, cavities, or an underlying wisdom tooth condition. Therefore, the consequences are damaging to soft tissues or teeth nearby if not treated at the right time.