Tooth pain at night can stop you from getting a good night’s sleep. Lucky for you there are many different ways to help you manage the pain. But it’s important to note that you may not be able to totally eliminate pain, only your dentist can do that. Visit this dental website to know how dentists treat tooth pain.
Home Remedies For Tooth Pain At Night
If you have been experiencing tooth pain at night and your dental appointment is still a few days ahead, you might want to try to consider the following home remedies to help you ease the pain.
Over the counter medication
One of the best ways to alleviate pain is by taking anti-inflammatory medicines. Medications like ibuprofen and acetaminophen will do just the trick for a few hours or a day. Just remember to not overuse these medicines as they may cause unpleasant side effects. If you are uncertain, ask your dentist about it.
Elevating Head
You can reduce the pain that you are feeling due to toothache by putting an extra pillow under your head. When we lay flat, the pooled blood in our head may trigger added pain and inflammation. Manage these signs by elevating your head at night by using more pillows.
Cold compress
Cold compress has a lot of many uses. But it is mainly used by people to alleviate pain in certain areas of the body. And this works for toothaches as well. Just place the cold compress in the painful area and let it do its job. Do this every after 15 minutes or a few minutes before you lie down in bed for a better quality of sleep.
Ointments
Some ointments can be easily applied to the painful area. These products can be bought from local drugstores and do not need prescriptions. But beware as some of them are not safe for children. You may ask the pharmacist what’s okay for kids to use.
Cloves
One of the main components of clove is eugenol. Eugenol is a chemical compound that can reduce tooth pain. In fact, a lot of patients who have undergone tooth surgeries and extractions experience less pain after the procedure because of cloves. Additionally, eugenol has a numbing effect that will be very helpful if you can’t sleep at night due to toothache.
How does it work? Soak the cloves in water for a few minutes to make a paste and directly apply the paste to the painful teeth. However, this remedy is not suitable for children.
Hydrogen peroxide
Oral care is important to prevent gum diseases such as periodontitis. When a person gets the disease, their mouth will become sore, gums will bleed, and their teeth might get lose. This could also cause pain that could keep you up at night. Dental experts suggest the use of hydrogen peroxide rinse because it can help in reducing plaque and gum disease symptoms. Just simply mix a half cup of water and half cup of hydrogen peroxide together, gargle thoroughly and spit. Hydrogen peroxide rinse is not suitable for children as they might swallow the solution.
Peppermint tea bags
Peppermint tea bags are effective in alleviating tooth pain. All you have to do is bite the warm tea bag with the infected teeth. According to studies, peppermint has strong antibacterial and antioxidant compounds that make it a safe and natural home remedy for toothache.
Saltwater rinse
Saltwater rinse is a traditional method of aiding tooth pain. It has been used for many centuries and it is still highly recommended by dentists nowadays. This is because salt is a natural antibacterial component, making it extra helpful in reducing inflammation and bacterial infections. Moreover, if you run out of mouthwash, you can use salt water as a temporary replacement as it can wash away the food particles and debris left between the teeth.
Garlic
The use and benefits of garlic do not end in the kitchen. It is used by many people for other purposes apart from cooking. It’s not uncommon for some to use garlic to reduce tooth pain because it has been proven that it has compounds that can fight bacteria. In fact, garlic helps in preventing cavities and tooth decay.
The taste may not be appealing to you but chewing garlic and letting it sit in the tooth where pain emerges will significantly lessen the pain and discomfort.
What Causes Tooth Pain
There are several reasons why a person gets tooth pain during the night or any time of the day. Lifestyle, diet, and overall health all play a vital role in dental health. One of the main causes of tooth pain is poor oral health, not cleaning your teeth and gums regularly could result in bacterial infection which leads to cavities.
Listed below are the common reasons why tooth pain occurs:
- Teeth grinding. Teeth grinding is medically known as bruxism. It’s when a person unconsciously grinds or clench their teeth, particularly during sleep.
- Sinus infection. Due to the close location of the sinus to the teeth, tooth pain could occur if it gets infected.
- Tooth or jaw injury. This could happen for several reasons but mainly due to trauma in the face. Accidents and sports activities are the common cause why facial traumas occur.
- Tooth decay. Tooth decay is the most common culprit why tooth pain happens. A tooth becomes decayed when it’s filled with cavities because of bacteria.
- Tooth infection. This is also called a dental abscess where pus takes place in the tooth.
- Stuck food particles or debris between the teeth. Our oral care routine should include brushing, flossing, and rinsing. This is because brushing alone can’t completely clean in between the teeth. Flossing can take away the food particles and debris that toothbrushes can’t reach.
- Lost or broken filling. If your filling gets lost, there is a tendency for the nerves inside your mouth to be exposed, hence, resulting in tooth pain.
- Emerging or impacted wisdom teeth. Wisdom tooth could cause pain depending on how it’s coming up. It could cause pain if it is pressing other teeth or it’s not erupting properly.
- TMJ disorders. Sadly, TMJ disorders are starting to become more and more common nowadays. TMJ disorders cause significant pain in the jaw that travels to the teeth.
- Gum disease. In most cases, periodontitis is the main crook behind tooth pain. This is the probable result of poor oral care.
When To See the Dentist
Sometimes tooth pain just goes away on its own. But if it gets severe, it’s time to set an appointment with your doctor.
If you are experiencing a high fever, pain that lasts for more than two days, and difficulty eating, don’t hesitate and head on to the dentist right away.
