You wake up in the middle of the night to a throbbing sensation in your tooth. Tooth decay or an abscess usually causes this kind of pain. You will need to see a dentist as soon as possible to resolve the issue. But if you experience signs of a true dental emergency, contact your dentist right away.

Until you can get an appointment, you can try some of these home remedies to help ease some discomfort:

• Apply an over-the-counter oral analgesic ointment to temporarily numb the area.
• Look to see if food could be trapped between teeth and causing pressure. If so, dental floss can remove the irritant and you can rinse the area with warm water.
• Mix bay berry bark with vinegar and apply the paste to the aching tooth.
• Place a wet, black tea bag on your gums to relieve soreness; this may also help stop any bleeding.
• Crush a piece of garlic clove and place it on the affected tooth.  Garlic is a natural antiseptic and pain reliever.
• For pain in your gums, try applying an ice pack against the side of the face. Switch to heat if cold doesn’t help. Apply a hot compress and gargle with warm salt water.
• Take an over-the-counter pain reliever such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen, but don’t choose aspirin. If you need to have a dental procedure done, aspirin can increase bleeding.
• Use cotton swab to put oil of cloves on the aching tooth every 20 minutes.

If you live in the Toronto area contact us today