Dead Tooth Pain Relief: What Works & What Hurts

A dead tooth can also be referred to as a necrotic pulp, pulpless or non vital tooth. Naturally, a healthy tooth has three layers which are the enamel, dentin, and pulp. In order to stay alive, the tooth must have a continuous blood supply to the pulp. The pulp being the innermost part of the tooth contains nerves and blood vessels. However, a tooth is considered to be dead if the nerves and blood vessels that it contains dies as a result of not getting access to blood flow.

A dead tooth can cause toothache relief and change color due to dental pulp damage. If your tooth is dying, you may notice discolorations, starting from white to yellow, then gray, and finally black. This change in color occurs as the nerves and blood vessels within the tooth deteriorate.

What Causes Dead Tooth Pain?

In most cases, dead tooth are not painful but if it’s left untreated, it will likely become infected, possibly abscessed, and will eventually lead to pain. Maybe you have been wondering why you are experience pain from your dead tooth even though the nerves are dead. Well, the pain is not actually coming from inside the tooth but from extremely sensitive nerve endings. These nerves are called the periodontal membrane, they are found around the tooth. (1)

Since the dying tooth is dead, lots of bacteria, dead nerve remnants and pus tends to accumulate in the pulp cavity. The accumulation of these things inside the tooth canal puts pressure on the periodontal membrane, which results in extreme pain and discomforts. As time goes on, the toothache, discoloration, and pain will increase over time if the dead tooth goes untreated by a dentist.

Luckily, there are available treatments for dead tooth. If you suspect that your tooth is dead it’s advisable to see a dentist for proper evaluation and treatment plans. Moreover, when it comes to dead tooth pain relief, early treatment is vital. Well, for the meantime these home remedies can give you short-term relief from dead tooth pain.

Remedies for dead tooth pain relief

1. Apply Ice Pack 

Using an ice pack is an effective remedy for reducing toothache and swelling. Most patients with a dead tooth experience severe toothache and swelling, typically in the surrounding gums and cheek. Swelling is common in cases of abscess, which is a sac of pus and gunk deep in the roots of the teeth. To alleviate the pain and reduce swelling, place an ice pack wrapped in a small towel directly on the face above the dead tooth. This simple remedy can provide relief.

2. OTC Pain Relievers

There are suitable medications that you can take in order to relieve the pain. Over-the-counter medicines such as acetaminophen is very effective for relieving death tooth pain in children, while ibuprofen is recommended for adults. Alternatively, you can apply pain-relieving gels and liquids directly to the sore tooth and nearby gums. (2)

3. Warm SaltWater Rinse 

Rinsing your mouth with salt water can help to clean tooth infections as well as provide quick temporary relief for toothaches. To prepare a saltwater mouthwash, mix 1/2 teaspoon of salt with a glass of warm water. Rinse your teeth several times daily with the solution. Ensure to floss around the sore tooth and also allow the solution to stay in your mouth for at least 3 minutes on each rinse to alleviate pain in the tooth’s pulp.

4. Tea Bags

Most people are unaware that tea bags have mild numbing properties that can help ease toothache for a short time. Get a tea bag and make a tea, please don’t add milk or any other thing. Put the tea along with the tea bag inside the freezer for some few minutes. Once the tea bag is cool enough, bring it out and place it directly on your toothache. Allow the tea bag to sit on your tooth until the pain stops. The tea bag should provide relief and help alleviate the discomfort within few minutes. According to studies, Echinacea tea, Goldenseal tea, Black tea, Sage tea and Green tea are effective for relieving toothache.

5. Chew Garlic or Ginger 

Although, am not so sure that this particular remedy will work, but it’s still safe to try. It’s believed that chewing a piece of ginger and garlic or by placing chopped bits on your dead tooth can relieve the pain. You can try this remedy by placing small piece of garlic, or ginger directly on your painful tooth. Alternatively, if the pain is too intense to chew, you can crush your ginger or garlic and extract the juice. You can rub the juice directly on your dead tooth and the surrounding gums.

Final Thoughts

A dead tooth can cause lots of pain and discomfort if it’s left untreated. These remedies that I mentioned in this article may help you to reduce the pain and discomfort from your dead tooth. For more lasting solutions and treatment plans, it always advisable that you should see a dental professional. A dead tooth can result to more serious health problems if it’s not giving the proper treatment and attention.

Richard Smith

Richard Smith

Richard Smith is a Registered Nutritionist and also a Health Speaker. Richard Smith graduated from The City University of New York. You can learn more about him by Visiting His LinkedIn Page or Follow him on Twitter.

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