Wisdom tooth pain, also known as toothaches, can be excruciating. These molars often erupt unexpectedly and cause discomfort when chewing or touching the affected area. Infections and aching gums are common symptoms. It is advisable to undergo extraction of the wisdom teeth to prevent future issues. Regular use of toothpaste can also help maintain oral health.
If you are experiencing wisdom teeth pain, the first step you should take is to make an appointment to see your dentist. Your dentist will have to carry out necessary evaluation on your teeth to determine whether your teeth should be removed or not. If it turns out that your wisdom teeth are damaged or not positioned properly, your dentist can suggest removal. Going for wisdom teeth removal is not easy, it comes with lots of complications. In my previous post, I tried to explain more on complications and recovery from wisdom teeth removal. You can check out the post later.
However, if there is no need for the teeth’s removal, the pain may resolve on its own. There are also certain home remedies that you can try to bring relief from wisdom teeth pain. These available home remedies can relieve the teeth pain as well as the cause.
Remedies To Treat Wisdom Teeth Pain
1. Ice pack
Applying an ice pack on the face directly above the affected tooth is one of the most effective natural home remedies for relieving pain after a tooth extraction. If you are experiencing symptoms such as swelling from the extraction of your last teeth, the coldness from the ice can provide a numbing effect, reducing inflammation and relieving pain.
The application of an ice pack can help with tooth pain. Simply place a peppermint-infused ice pack on your face directly above the swollen area for about 15 minutes. You can reapply this extraction remedy as needed until the pain subsides.
2. Clove Oil
Clove has been recognized as a strong topical pain reliever due to its numbing effect. For centuries, clove oil has been used widely around the world, for the production of traditional medicines for tooth pain. Thanks to clove’s powerful natural anesthetic properties, it’s very effective when it comes to relieving tooth pain. Cloves have additional antibacterial and antiseptic properties which helps to prevent infections and bacteria buildups in the mouth. (1)
If you wish to go for this remedy, then you will need help to get a whole clove or a pure clove oil. You can place a piece of a whole clove over the wisdom tooth that is causing the pain. Hold the clove in place by closing your jaw. You don’t have to chew, just hold the clove in place for some few minutes until the pain stops, spit it out after.
For the clove oil, put some few drops of the oil in a cotton ball and hold the cotton ball in place over the wisdom tooth that is causing the pain. Make sure that the soaked cotton ball touches on your tooth and the surrounding gums. Leave the cotton ball there until the pain subsides, then remove it and rinse your mouth after. If you also have toothache, you can read my post on how to use clove oil for toothache.
3. Salt water rinse
Rinsing your mouth with warm salt water is one of the easiest ways to get rid of wisdom tooth pain. Salt water rinse is very effective if your tooth pain is as a result of gums inflammation caused by bacteria present around the wisdom teeth. Salt water has a strong anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties. A 2010 study showed that using a salt water rinse can help to reduce oral Inflammations and pain such as tooth pain. It also helps to reduce the amount and the activities of harmful bacteria in the mouth.
To help with a painful tooth, you can prepare a salt water solution. Simply mix two teaspoons of salt into a glass of warm water until the salt has completely dissolved. Rinse your mouth with this solution multiple times a day to find relief from the pain. This salt water solution can also assist in treating any infections and reducing discomfort after wisdom tooth surgery or extraction.
4. Tea bags
Placing tea bags over your wisdom teeth, is an excellent remedy to reduce pain. According to a 2016 study, it was proved that tea bags contains healthy tannins. These tannins contained in tea bags have strong antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. If your tooth pain is as a result of gums inflammation or infections, tea bags can help out. Applying tea bags can reduce swelling and fight bacteria that are causing the infections.
The most effective way to use tea bags to relieve wisdom tooth pain is by cooling the tea bags first. Simply make a cup of tea and refrigerate the cup along with the tea bag left inside the cup. You should allow the tea plus the tea bag to cool for some time. Once the tea is cold enough, you can take the tea bag and placed it over the wisdom tooth that is causing the pain.
You can repeat this remedy for at least 2 times, it will help to reduce the swelling and bring pain relief almost instantly. But remember not to add milk, cream or sugar to the tea, it will be more effective without them. (2)
5. Onion
Onion is an effective home remedy to relieve pain and inflammation from toothache and arthritis. It has an excellent anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties which makes it able to reduce swelling and fight bacterial infections. Although, this particular remedy might sound strange but it is very reliable. It contains essential chemical compounds that fights off microorganisms that causes infections. The onion juice can go into the spaces between the gums and the wisdom teeth, it reduces inflammation and bacteria. It can give you a much-needed break from wisdom tooth pain.
According to studies, onions can provide effective pain relief, especially red or yellow onions. Mild onions like sweet onions are also helpful, but less potent. To alleviate tooth and gum pain, gently chew pieces of onions directly on the affected area. You can chew for a few minutes until the pain subsides, then spit out the onions. Alternatively, crush the onions and apply them directly to the painful wisdom tooth if chewing is too difficult.
6. Guava Leaves
Most people are unaware of the pain relieving property of guava leaves. In fact, guava leaves contain powerful pain relief properties. They contain anti-spasm, antibacterial, and disinfecting qualities. The guava leaves contain rich anesthetic properties that will greatly reduce tooth pain. At the same time, they also remove harmful bacteria that cause oral infections. These properties make guava leaves a natural remedy for tooth pain and oral infections, without the need for synthetic oil-based medications.
This remedy can be easily applied by chewing about 5-7 fresh guava leaves in your mouth. You should use the juices to treat your affected tooth and surrounding gums. You should start to feel relieved from the pain after the juices must have stayed in your mouth for some minutes. Alternatively, you can use about 5-7 fresh guava leaves and boil them using a pot with a suitable amount of water for about 5 minutes. After boiling, you can use the liquid as a mouthwash for several times.
7. Medications
There are over-the-counter pain relief medications that can reduce inflammation and pain from wisdom tooth pain. Your dentist or pharmacist can recommend suitable medication that can help relieve the discomfort. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are very effective for wisdom tooth pain management. Ibuprofen being a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory can reduce gums inflammation that usually result due to wisdom teeth formation.
Apart from medications, you can try numbing dental gel that contains active benzocaine. There are many dental gels available, those that contain benzocaine can reduce gums inflammation and tooth pain. Normally, dental gels are applied directly to the problematic gums or tooth. Another option is to use oil-based dental gel with benzocaine for relief.
Wisdom tooth removal
If there is no improvements after applying numerous remedies, your dentist can suggest that you have the tooth removed. Wisdom tooth removal is usually done in the hospital by a surgeon. Although, your dentist can do the extraction surgery or better still he can refer you to a surgeon.
The tooth extraction can take about an hour or more. Before the surgery, the surgeon will numb the affected area with the help of a local anesthetic. For easier removal of the affected tooth, the tooth will be cut into smaller pieces before they are removed. Don’t worry about the pain, because you are not going to feel any pain throughout the surgery.
However, after undergoing a wisdom tooth removal surgery you will face complications depending on how the surgery was carried out. If the surgery was done by an experienced surgeon or dentist, there will be minimal complications. The surgery site will heal completely after a week or two, depending on how you helped in the healing process. You can check my previous post to learn more about recovery and complications from wisdom tooth removal.