Citation: Karimi M. Grandma remedies and herbal medicines for relieving toothache. J Dental Sci 2016, 1(1): 000106.
*Corresponding author: Mohammad Karimi, Dentist Supervisor Internal auditor, Apple Dental Clinic, Shahid Rezaei St. in front of Hejab pool, Shiraz, Iran, Tel: 00987132340707, 00987132340808; Email: drmokarimi@yahoo.com
Traditional medicine and herbal medicine seems to become popular in the world. Sometimes, application of old remedies can help to control dental pain before visiting a dentist. Some people prefer to apply traditional medicine due to side effects of most of the analgesics and pain relievers. In this paper I gathered the most valuable information about the old remedies and herbal medicine in the case of emergency use to relief toothache before going to a dental office.
Keywords: Old remedies; Herbal medicine; Toothache; Pain reliever
Tooth pain is a common pain that all of us have experienced at least once. Usually, when people suffer from toothache, they most often apply a local anesthesia on that site or intake strong pain relievers such as NSIDs and Paracetamol, and so on. Many of these analgesics might have different side effects such as allergic reactions. These non-prescription medicines can be easily bought from the superstores. Currently, traditional medicine and herbal medicine has become more popular in the west countries, as a large percentage of people in Germany use homeopathic and herbal medicines. In UK, more than a century, the royal family is treated by homeopathic physicians. In addition, the use of herbal medicine in countries such as USA and France has been increasing day by day [1]. Sometimes due to special circumstances, neither have access to a dentist nor visiting a dentist is possible, and one might has been experiencing severe toothache. What could be done at this time? Being familiar with the application of traditional medicines and Granma old remedies, one can hope to control his dental pain as much as possible before referring for dental treatment. In this paper, I tried to study the effects of herbal medicine and my old grandma remedies on my patients who were experiencing dental pains. After prescribing the herbal medicine and old remedies and following the patients, I came to the conclusion of partially effectiveness and pain reduction by application of both grandma remedies and herbal medicines. Of course, do not forget that treatment of dental abscesses would be granted with emergency visit of the dentist. These remedies are recommended as adjunct therapy to reduce the pain resulted by dental abscesses and dental infections.
In the following, I gathered a numbers of gold grandmother remedies and traditional medicines from my grammas note books which can be referred in emergency cases of reliving of toothache.
Clove oilClove is undoubtedly the most common natural material for pain relief. The smell of clove, reminds us a dental office environment. In fact, in a solution of Euogenol, clove oil is used. Euogenol fights bacteria, reduces tooth sensitivity, and reduces the pain. It contains a natural analgesic that if used correctly, helps to decrease the patient's pain. For immediate effect of clove, soak a cotton pellet in one drop of clove oil and then put it gently in the tooth cavity. It ts not wise to leave the cotton pellet in the tooth more than two minutes because it causes inflammation and chemical burns of the gum
Garden SageThis herb is a natural and immediate paregoric that is useful to reduce toothache. Its antibiotic and antiinflammatory features can help to soothe the pain. It is also effective on reduction of gingivitis, bleeding gum and oral ulcers. Mix a teaspoon dried and crushed sage with a teaspoon of salt in a glass of water, gargles for 5 minutes and discards it. This treatment should be repeated 2 to 3 times a day until the pain subsides. Sage cannot handle the virus known as herpes by itself; but as herbal antivirus herpes acts effectively to deal with this problem. Mix a few drops of tea tree oil or lavender oil with a few drops of sage oil and dilute this mixture in a few drops of olive oil. Apply the diluted mixture on herpetic lesion, you'll see a lot sooner than what you imagine; the lesion would improve.
Aloe VeraPure Aloe Vera juice and mouthwashes have a similar effect in reducing of dental plaques. This is how Aloe Vera functions. It destroys the plaque formation by bacteria called Streptococcus and prevents from fermentation of oral fungi [2]. Application of Aloe Vera gel not only accelerates the improvement of mouth sores (oral herpes) but also relieves the pain of ulcers.
GarlicEating garlic not only strengthens the immune system but also due to its special properties fights against most kinds of the illness. In addition, it is also counted as a good analgesic for toothache. Garlic has anti- inflammatory properties, and it is a normal antibiotic that is likely effective in adjunct therapy of dental abscesses. It also helps to relieve pain and prevents the spread of infection. For the best result of the treatment course, follow these recommendations: Place a clove of garlic on the teeth and chew on it. After a few minutes of chewing the garlic, toothache would become milder. If this method was useless, try the second method: mix mashed garlic with a little salt and small amount of peanut butter, and then press it into the tooth. Leave it the mixture at least for 30 minutes inside the tooth cavity. Repeat this 3 times a day. To eliminate the residual odor of garlic, just add a few drops of clove oil to warm water, and then rinse your mouth with it.
Ginger and red pepper dressingGinger and pepper both are natural analgesics. Each of these two spices can be used separately. Because of the analgesic effect, they send relief pain massages to the brain. To get a better result, a mixture of these spices can be prepared as follow: Equal amounts of ginger and red pepper are mixed with water to make a paste, then prepare a small ball of cotton and immerse it into the paste. After that, let it slowly inside the tooth cavity. Be sure do not contact with the gums. Its function is such that ginger stimulates blood stand to the side which leads to inflammation reduction. Pepper also has the same function.
Oregano oilThis oil has antibacterial and antioxidant properties which are used as a proper herbal medicine to treat dental abscesses. Avicenna wrote in his book “The Canon of Medicine" that oregano is a drug of choice for oral ulcers. Chewing oregano is effective in eliminating bad breath [3]. If oregano oil is mixed with a small amount of olive oil and is left on a painful tooth, it would help to reduce the toothache. Prepare a mouthwash by mixing 3 to 5 drops of oregano oil in 1/4 cup of warm water, swish for 10 minutes and discard it. Application of this oil will sub side dental pain after a while.
AsafetidaDental problems such as toothache and bleeding gums can be managed at home by using this herbal medicine until they visit a dentist as soon as possible. Mix half teaspoon of Asafoetida seeds powder with two tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, and then heat the mixture slowly. Using a cotton ball, apply this mixture on the painful area. It will have a rapid effect on relieving toothache. Another alternative grandma method is to fry a teaspoon of asafetida powder in the butter and leave it on the decayed tooth to relieve the pain quickly.
Sesame SeedFor more than 1600 years, sesame is used to relieve toothache in China [4]. Sesame contains compounds which improve the pain. Its properties are similar to Aspirin that acts as an anodyne agent. By making a balm in the following way, a good analgesic can be prepared: First, heat up a pan water to boil. Second, put the sesame into boiled water. For each of sesame, doubling the amount of water is required. In order to have a better analgesic effect, waiting for evaporating of half of the water is necessary. After cooling the paste, it can be formed to a small pellet and placed into the cavity.
Salt waterSalt is a strong antiseptic; so if toothache is caused by infection, salt can soothe the pain faster than any other way. Salt water disinfects around the tooth and removes the liquid that causes inflammation. The following procedure would reduce the dental pain: Solve a teaspoon of salt in a cup of boiled water to make an extraordinary solution. Turn around a small amount of the solution in the mouth for 30 seconds and then discard it.
Mint herbal tea and peppermint oil dropMint has the anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties, and for pain relief is another grandma choice. Mint herbal tea has a good flavor and also can be used as an anesthetic. To get a better result, do the following procedure: Put one teaspoon of dried mint in a cup of boiled water and then wait to brew for 20 minutes. After cooling, turn around some of it in the mouth and then discard it. Another method would be dissolving one drop of peppermint oil in 1/4 of glass of water. This homemade mouthwash can be used for 30 seconds, 3 times a day. If looking for a fast and reliable solution to get rid of Aphtus ulcer , use the peppermint. This herb, in addition to healing the ulcer, relieves pain and numbness which is caused by aphtus ulcer. There is an excellent prescription from grandma remedies book. Mix a combination of one teaspoon of ground clove's stick, one teaspoon of peppermint leaves and one teaspoon of thyme in a cup of boiled water. Then, take a small cotton ball, soak into this solution and rub gently on the ulcer surface a few times a day. This procedure is not recommended for children, especially under age of 5.
CorianderThis herb has existed since an ancient time and has also been used by the Egyptians [5]. Coriander has many effective properties in oral health. The first application of this herb is used as an appropriate mouthwash which is effective in eliminating bad breath. Put one teaspoon of coriander seeds powder in a glass of boiled water, and let it to infuse for 5 minutes. The gargle mouth and throat 4 times a day. The second application goes back to its analgesic properties. It can be used as a good dental pain reliever. Boil 10 grams of coriander seeds in 4 liters of water till reach to the volume of 1 liter. Let it cool down a little bit and then taste and swish in the mouth for one minute. This will relieve dental pain. It should be noted that to a large extent, chewing of coriander seeds, would reduce toothache. Grandma recommends those patients, who suffer from bad breath, they are better off to use coriander soup to resolve this problem.
Black teaBlack tea also has anti-inflammatory properties which help to reduce pain. Wet a tea bag and then leave it on the painful area. This would help pain reduction after a while. Another way that grandma suggests to prepare an acrid black tea. Let it cool down, and then gargle the solution a few times a day.
Tea tree oilApplication of this oil has a significant effect on removing of oral bacteria and relieving dental pain. Just rub some fo this oil with finger tip on the teeth and then massage the area for one minute. After that, rinse mouth with warm water. Repeat this twice a day to get ride of the bacteria and have a healthy and clean teeth.
Acemella OleraceaAt the University of Cambridge, the researchers claimed they have discovered a new anesthetic jell from a plant deep in Amazon Jungle in Peru which may replace dental injections. This can be good news for those patients who have dental phobia and fear from dental procedures. Peru’s indigenous tribes were able to identify the interesting analgesic feature of Acemella Olerecea. They used the yellow flower part of this plant for treatment of dental pain, ulcers, abscesses and dental cleaning. Acemella Oleracea, as a toothache plant, was transferred to South Asia by the sailors [6-8]. It seems this plant blocks the nerve ending and functions as an effective anesthesia in the mouth which lasts more than an hour. This herbal remedy can be applied in root canal therapy, after dental implant surgery, as well as, pain reduction after tooth extractions in the children.
TurmericThis spice is reach in antibiotics. It also has antiinflammatory and antiseptic properties which may help to reduce pain and inflammations caused by dental abscesses. Turmeric also can help to strengthen oral health.
Mix a teaspoon of turmeric powder with a little amount of water until it forms to a paste mood. After brushing teeth, place this paste directly on the affected area for 20 to 25 minutes. Then, rinse mouth with warm water. This could help pain reduction. Another way could be used is to solve 1 spoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of turmeric powder in a glass of lukewarm water and use it as a mouthwash twice a day. Another option is to prepare a mixture of 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a small amount of mustard oil. Then, rub gently this mixture on the affected area. Leave it on the place for 20 minutes and then rinse mouth with warm water. Each of these treatments can be repeated several times a day.
IceWhether you are frustrated from toothache or suffer from back pain; ice has always been a good temporary pain reliever. If you want to have temporary relief before you get to the dentist, try the method below: Put some ice cube in a plastic bag. wrap a thin cloth around the bag. To numb your teeth, hold the bag for 15 minutes on that part of the face where the painful is bothering you. Then, go to your dentist for treatment. In the past, people believed if do ice massage, dental pain goes away. They claimed, when somebody put ice between his thumb and index finger, the nerve ending in his finger sends a cold message to his brain, therefore, the relief toothache message reaches to his brain and pain fades away.
MyrrhMyrrh gum sap can help to reduce the dental pain. This herbal remedy can be found in herbal pharmacies. This gum sap reduces inflammation and help to destroy bacteria. Pour a teaspoon of powdered myrrh in two cups of water and boil for 30 minutes. Let the solution to cool. Pour one teaspoon of this prepared solution in a cup of water and gargle 5 to 6 times a day to get the desired result.
Lavender SpikeThis aromatic plant can be particularlly used to relieve toothache: allievate the gum problems, and even diinfect the mouth. To calm the toothache, place a few drops of levander oil on the painful area.
Oil garglingIn ancient medicine, this is a therepeutic method. This procedure can be used to treat dental abcesses and painful gum.It causes the reductoin of a group of bacteria known as Streptococcus Cutaneous in the mouth; helps to remove toxins from the mouth so that improves the overall oral health. Cocunt oil helps to removal of dental plaques from the teeth after each gargling. Turn around one tablespoon of extract virgin coconut oil in the mouthfor 15 minutes and then discard it.After that, wash mouth with lukewarm water. After rinsing mouth, gently brush teeth as usual. The best time to gargle is in the morning before breakfast and teeth brushing. The best result can be reached if this process would be repeated twice a day for a month.
OnionChewing raw onions is another home remedies for toothache relief. Because of its anti microbial and antiseptic properties, onions can eliminate the oral bacteria and decrease pain. Onions contain a potent antioxidant agent called Flavonoids Quercetin which helps to relieve a toothache [9]. Due to presence of Vitamin C, onions strengthen and firm the gums. If one is not able to chew it, place a small piece of onion on the painful tooth or gum.
Guava LeavesGuava fresh leaves also due to its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and pain reduction properties can relieve toothache. Simply, chew one or two tender leaves of Guava to the extent that water comes out and covers the painful surfaces. Another way is to put 4 to 5 fresh leaves of this plant into some water to boil. Let the solutions cools down. Then, add some salt to the solution and use as a mouthwash several times a day.
Mountain honeyGreeks, the ancient Egyptians, Hindus and Chinese had used honey for medical purposes in traditional medicine [10-12]. Tate and gargling honey syrup is very useful to relieve swollen throat and heal mouth ulcers. For treatment of halitosis, Granma recommends to mix 1 teaspoon of mountain honey with half a cup of warm water and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and then gargle three times a day. The solution can be swallowed to help the reduction of mouth and throat soreness. To relieve tooth pain, she suggests combination of one teaspoon of mountain honey with one teaspoon of cinnamon powder to form a paste, and then place it in the tooth cavity 3 times a day.
Wheat grass juiceWheat prevents the growth of bacteria in the mouth with its antimicrobial properties. Wheat juice consumption, in addition to destroy the bacteria in the mouth, soothes the pain of tooth decay as well. With drinking of this juice, one might experience prevention of bleeding gums and pyorrhea. In some cases, this drink is used as an oral mouthwash. Beyond that, if somebody chews wheat grass so that juice covers inside the mouth and over the tooth surface area, that person would feel his pain starts fading away.
Apple Cider VinegarDid you know that apple cider vinegar will help in removing the stains on the teeth? Apply apple cider vinegar directly on the teeth and rinse after a few minutes. To whiten teeth, gargling of this solution is recommended in the morning. It can remove teeth stains and oral bacteria from the surface area. Granma believes it can whiten the teeth and has a significant effect in reducing toothache.
Vanilla ExtractVanilla eextract is reach in aantioxidant properties that helps to anesthetize the area. It seems to have an important role in preventing tooth decay. In addition, it also has anodyne effect. Rub a few drops of vanilla extract on the painful area by a cotton swab. Repeat this several times a day to observe the improvement of pain reduction. Although vanilla does not eliminate dental infection, but provides the opportunity to control toothache.
ConclusionDue to complications and side effects of some analgesics and pain relievers, I suggest that traditional medicines and herbal medicines are the best choices with less side effects, and also do not neglect the old grandma remedies. It should be noted these grandma remedies do not apply as a curative procedures. These recommendations are merely suggested to reduce the pain associated with dental abscesses and dental infections until the patient refers to the dentist as soon as possible.
Figure1: Percentage of inhibition verses conc in log (μg/ml) of different extracts and Ascorbic Acid.
Note: “+” present; “-” absent
Table1: Classes of phytochemicals present in Caragana jubata.
Note: (-) absent. ± Standard Deviation (SD), n = 3.aWell size was 6mm, Inhibition zone diameter (mm)
Table 2: Zones of growth inhibition (mm) by the extracts against six bacteria.
Note: ± SD (n = 3).
Table 3: Brine shrimp mortality of extracts
Note ±: SD, n = 3.
Table 4: DPPH scavenging free radical of extracts.