How to Stop Tooth Pain Fast — 8 Methods for Getting Rid of the Pain

Dealing with tooth pain is a nuisance. Luckily, there are ways in which you can relieve or even completely eliminate toothache on your own.

However, you should keep in mind that even if the at-home treatment works (the pain goes away), it’s important to visit your dentist as soon as possible.

How To Stop Tooth Pain Fast — OTC Products

Toothache usually appears out of nowhere and ranges from simple annoyance to unbearable pain shooting through your head. While most tooth pains occur due to bacteria penetrating the tooth, gum problems, cracks, and grinding can also be some of the reasons.

It’s not always possible to see a dentist immediately, and putting up with pain can be debilitating. Luckily, over-the-counter goods (which can help with anything from persistent, fever-inducing flu to various skin conditions) can quickly relieve toothache:

Anti-Inflammatory Medicines

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or naproxen can help with swelling and pain management.

They block the production of prostaglandin, a substance that contributes to inflammatory processes, swelling, and pain, thereby providing quick tooth pain relief.

Though it’s not an anti-inflammatory drug, acetaminophen can also help relieve (minor) pain but likely won’t do much for swelling or inflammation.

Make sure to read the instructions carefully before taking any of these medications, as they all come in a wide variety of strengths and aren’t suitable for everyone.

If you have any health conditions (liver or kidney issues) that could make taking either of these medications risky, get in touch with your doctor and ask them for alternatives.

Hydrogen Peroxide

You can also reduce inflammation that causes toothache by rinsing your mouth with hydrogen peroxide. While this common disinfectant won’t cure gum disease, it might reduce bacteria count, speed up healing, and provide quick pain relief for a tooth infection.

To make the rinsing solution, mix equal amounts of hydrogen peroxide and water. Rinse your mouth with the solution and then spit it out.

Numbing Gels

Using an over-the-counter numbing gel might be the fastest way to temporarily relieve pain. Toothache gels typically contain a topical anesthetic (e.g., benzocaine, lidocaine) and alleviate the pain by numbing the affected area.

Apply a pea-sized dollop of the gel with your fingertip to the affected region and rub it in for two minutes to activate it. The effects should last for about an hour.

If you haven’t used any of these gels before, ask your pharmacist for a recommendation.

How To Stop Tooth Pain Fast Naturally?

If you prefer natural remedies, or you simply don’t have any meds within your reach, there are many other things in your apartment you can use to numb the pain.

Here are some of the most popular and effective ones:

Saltwater

The most popular and maybe simplest way of treating tooth pain only requires only two ingredients everyone has in their kitchen — salt and water.

It’s fairly simple — add one tablespoon of salt to a glass of hot or tepid water and then rinse or gargle. Salt works as an antiseptic and gradually removes the microorganisms from the affected area, thereby reducing pain.

Alcohol

If there’s nothing else within your reach, grab your favorite bottle of alcohol. You can swish whiskey, scotch, vodka, or brandy around your mouth to numb the affected region, kill harmful bacteria, and serve as a tooth pain remedy.

Another effective technique is to soak a cotton ball in alcohol and place it on the affected area. However, be careful and remove it if there’s a strong burning sensation to avoid further irritation of the gums.

Hot/Cold Compresses

To relieve pain, apply a cold compress, an ice pack, or frozen vegetables to your cheek or jaw.

The nerves in the area will temporarily become numb due to the cold and alleviate the pain. The cold will also restrict blood supply to the affected area and reduce swelling.

But how to stop tooth pain fast if you don’t like the cold?

Easy! Use a hot compress. Soak a towel in hot water, and use it as a compress. The warmth will facilitate blood flow and speed up the healing process.

Before applying the frozen/hot pack to your face, always wrap it in a towel to avoid damaging the skin. Use compresses for only 15–20 minutes at a time. Use ice only once every two to three hours.

Clove or Tea Tree Oil

Since clove oil contains eugenol (a natural painkiller with anti-inflammatory and antibacterial qualities), it’s frequently used for emergency toothache relief at home.

Besides being commonly used in the beauty industry, tea tree oil is also an excellent pain reliever. It can penetrate your gums and get to the nerves, lessening the discomfort.

Tea tree oil also contains terpinen-4-ol and similar compounds known for combating bacteria, which are a common cause of tooth pain.

This is how to use oils for toothache:

• Apply a few drops of oil to a cotton ball.
• Place the cotton ball on the affected area. 
• Swish the mixture around your mouth for about two minutes.
• Spit out.

Peppermint Tea Bag

Peppermint tea doesn’t only provide relief from stress, which affects our day-to-day life. It has another unexpected use. Using peppermint tea bags is a fast way to stop tooth pain at home.

Start by preparing a cup of peppermint tea for the treatment. After a few minutes, remove the tea bag and apply it to the sore spot while still warm.

You can also put peppermint tea bags in the freezer for a little while before applying them to the affected area to get a pleasant cooling effect too.

Wrapping Up

We’ve reached the end of today’s insight into some of the most popular home remedies for relieving tooth pain. They’re simple, effective, and take only a couple of minutes to do wonders for the pain.

But you should bear in mind that these are only short-term solutions. So, you shouldn’t forget to visit your dentist as soon as possible, even if the pain goes away. You can never be too cautious!

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About the Author

Jovana Kentic

A literary aficionado and an aspiring erudite, Jovana chose content writing as a way of sharing new ideas and interesting nuances of everyday life with the world. With an academic background in English language and literature, and command of five more languages, doing research and creating engaging content has never been boring. In her free time, she likes to travel and spend countless hours trying to learn Finnish.

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