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DIY Home Remedies for Toothaches

With the rise of COVID-19 and the closing of businesses across the globe, getting to the dentist isn’t always an option. So, until you can visit your dentist, what can you do when an unexpected toothache hits? Turns out, you can help ease your pain with items you can find in your house already. Here are a few of them.

  1. Hydrogen Peroxide: Swishing a hydrogen peroxide rince around in your mouth can relieve pain and inflammation. Hydrogen peroxide is also helpful in healing bleeding gums and can even reduce plaque and kill harmful bacteria. Do not swallow.
  2. Salt water: This is often the first one that people go to for a quick fix as salt water is a natural disinfectant. Like hydrogen peroxide, it’s also helpful in reducing inflammation and wounds. Do not swallow.
  3. Peppermint Tea Bags: You can use these when they’re either cooled down or when they’re removed from the fridge. Either method can be used to soothe gums and numb any pain you may be having.
  4. Cold Compress: Especially if there has been trauma to the mouth that is causing the toothache, a cold compress can be especially helpful. Wrap a bag of ice in a towel and apply it to the outside of the affected area for no more than 20 minutes. This will reduce inflammation and pain by making the blood vessels in the area constrict.
  5. Clove Oil: Once again used to treat pain and inflammation. Apply a very small amount of clove oil to a cotton ball or pad and apply it to the tooth. You can also add a single drop of clove oil to a glass of water and use it as a mouthwash. Again, do not swallow the mixture.
  6. Thyme: Similar to the clove oil, thyme essential oil can be diluted with water, applied to a cotton ball and pressed on the affected area to effectively treat a toothache. Thyme has been known to have antibacterial properties and is also a powerful antioxidant.
  7. Garlic: To use garlic as a pain reliever, crush a garlic clove and make it into a paste before applying it to the tooth. If you like the taste of garlic, you can also chew on the clove directly.

All of these can be found at your local pharmacy and grocery store if you do not already have them in your pantry. For dental emergencies, contact your dentist as soon as possible.

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Are Silicone Toothbrushes Better Than Traditional Toothbrushes?

They may not be that common, both to find and in their use, but silicone toothbrushes are quickly becoming the preferred tool for oral hygiene. Silicone toothbrushes replace the traditional nylon bristles with silicone which is softer and gentler on both the gums and teeth, but are still expected to perform the same as any traditional toothbrush. They also come in an electric form for those that prefer it.

Because of their recent emergence on the market, it’s difficult to truly say whether these silicone toothbrushes outperform their traditional counterparts, but preliminary testing shows that they do provide benefits that traditional toothbrushes do not, such as being softer on the gums.

In fact, silicone toothbrushes started out by being used by new parents for their infants and children as their gums are more sensitive compared to adults, and the soft massaging of the silicone also helps to lessen the discomfort of teething.

No matter what toothbrush you use, though, always follow the recommended guideline of brushing your teeth twice a day. For more information on what toothbrush best suits your oral hygiene needs, schedule a consultation with us.

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What Causes Gum Recession?

Have you ever noticed that you’re seeing more of your teeth than usual, or that your gums appear higher than they normally are? If you said yes to either of those two questions, you may have gum disease and what you’re experiencing is gum recession as a result.

Before gum disease happens, there needs to be bacteria present. This bacteria forms plaque on the teeth which inflames the gums and begins to erode the tissue away, exposing more of the tooth and giving the gums a recessed look. All of this happens quite slowly and overtime, but if it is not addressed in the early stages, it can have serious consequences in the long run. The best thing that you can do to prevent gum recession is to stick to a daily oral hygiene routine to remove bacteria and food particles so that the formation of plaque is stopped before it even begins.

If you already have a receding gum line, there are treatment options available to you. Most of the treatments will focus on treating the gum diseases as that will fix the gumline as well. For more advanced cases, cosmetic options such as a tissue graft may be necessary in order to get the gums back to their original appearance.

For more information on gum recession or to set up a consultation, give us a call or visit our website to book an appointment.

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