8 Effective Home Remedies for Root Canal Pain
There are many things that can cause root canal pain, including poor dental hygiene, damage to a tooth, and when a metal crown shrinks.
You cannot fix this at home, as only a dentist is qualified to do a root canal procedure. In the meantime, you can follow some of these natural remedies to learn how to numb the pain from your root canal. This article also has some tips on how you can avoid needing another root canal procedure.
#1. Dental Hygiene
Keeping your teeth clean is a great natural remedy to avoid needing a root canal procedure in the first place. It can also help to reduce pain while you have one. If your tooth hurts, use sensitive toothpaste at least twice a day. Using mouthwash can help to kill bacteria. Flossing can help to remove bits of food in your mouth that could cause cavities and other toothache problems.
#2. Avoid Injury
Injury to your teeth can also cause you to need a root canal later. If you already need a root canal, then you should avoid anything dangerous. Sports are something to be especially wary of. If you do get a tooth injury, see your dentist as soon as you can.
#3. Avoid Sugary Food
Sugary foods and drinks can cause problems even when you don’t need a root canal. Especially avoid eating candy and sugary gum. Drinking soda is a poor idea as well. If you are going to eat sugary foods or drink soda, make sure to brush your teeth shortly after so that the sugar doesn’t have much time to hurt your teeth.
#4. Diet
Along with avoiding sugary foods, you may want to change up your diet while you are waiting for a root canal procedure. One home remedy to do this is to eat foods that are easier to chew; for example, don’t eat tough meats. Chew on the opposite side of your mouth from where your abscessed tooth is. You can also try an all-liquid diet for a few days as well. Also, don’t eat foods that are too hot or cold, as they can hurt your teeth.
#5. Cold Compress
Even if eating cold food is a bad idea, using a cold compress is a natural remedy that can still help. With this, you don’t need to put it into your mouth. Actually, you shouldn’t chew on ice at all. Wrap an ice pack in a towel or other cloth and hold it on the outside of your mouth where your tooth is. The cold can help to numb the pain around your tooth, at least temporarily.
#6. Salt Water Rinse
Salt water rinse is a natural home remedy that can also help to lessen tooth pain. The salt in the water, but in a low concentration, can help to numb the pain from your tooth. This also helps with other kinds of tooth pain as well. Mix a tablespoon of salt in a full glass of warm water. Take small sips and gargle each one for about thirty seconds and then spit it out. Do this until the glass is gone. You can do this as often as you like.
#7. Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil can be used in much of the same way as a salt water rinse can. Fill a glass with warm water and add in a drop or two of tea tree oil. On its own, tea tree oil is very powerful and would probably hurt your tooth more, but it small amounts it can be useful. Now, just like the salt water rinse, gargle and spit out the tea tree water until the water is all gone. Try not to swallow this water. Do this as often as needed.
#8. Olive Oil
Olive oil is used a little differently from tea tree oil, but it can still be extremely useful in numbing your tooth’s pain. Dip a cotton ball in olive oil and then simply hold the cotton ball on your tooth. Keep the cotton ball on your tooth for at least five minutes to get proper results. When you are done, rinse out your mouth with lukewarm water. You can do this as often as you can.
Hopefully, these natural remedies can help you with your root canal pain.
