Nothing feels and looks amazing like healthy and robust natural teeth. Regular cleaning of your teeth, along with six-month check-ups from our dentist in South Houston, can help you keep your teeth for a lifetime.
However, your teeth may have an infection or disease and need additional care. When possible, you should always gravitate towards options that save your teeth, such as root canal treatment in Houston.
Tooth infections result in pus accumulation and toothaches. If you don’t get treatment, the infection could affect the gums and jawbone and eventually spread to the rest of your body.
That’s why we recommend that our dentist treat a tooth infection to clear the infection. However, you can use some home remedies that could help you relieve the pain and discomfort caused by the infection.
You could try out the following remedies:
- Baking Soda
Baking soda is another effective, safe, and inexpensive way to reduce bacteria and relieve pain in your gums and mouth. It is something that you could easily get and store in your pantry.
So, if you have baking soda, you can try making a paste of equal parts water and baking soda, then apply the paste to your gums. The method is quite effective when you have an abscess on your gums and the side of your tooth.
If the infection is on top or inside of your tooth, then combine a half tablespoon of baking soda, a pinch of salt, and half a cup. You can swish the rinse in your mouth for a few minutes, spit and repeat until the rinse is over.
- Saltwater Rinse
The saltwater rinse is another potent remedy since salt is a natural antiseptic. That’s why it always comes in handy when treating a tooth infection. All you need to do is to add one teaspoon or more of table salt into a glass of warm water.
Slat helps reduce the bacterial load in the infected tooth. Moreover, rinsing your mouth with warm salty water will break up the pus around your tooth, remove the debris from your mouth, and ensure proper wound healing.
You can swish the saltwater rinse for two or three minutes, spit, and repeat if necessary.
- Garlic
Garlic is known to enhance the taste of food. But that’s not all it can do. It is also used to deal with infections since it has germ-fighting properties and is considered a natural antibiotic. Garlic has a component known as allicin, which kills bacteria. Fresh garlic can also soothe the pain from a tooth infection.
Eating foods with garlic is not enough. You might need to crush a clove of garlic to create a paste and apply it to the infected area a few times per day.
- Fenugreek Tea
Another remedy that can help when you have a tooth infection is the fenugreek herb. It is an excellent home remedy since it has antibacterial properties. You can go to your local store and get fenugreek tea bags, which you can drink.
However, if you are looking for a more potent treatment, you can make a solution that you can apply directly to the infected tooth.
- Oil Pulling
Oil pulling is another remedy to help remove bacteria from the infected tooth. You can take coconut oil, olive oil, or oregano oil, swish it in your mouth, and then spit it.
- Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is widely known for its teeth whitening properties. However, it is also an excellent disinfectant and can help relieve bacterial infections in your gums.
You can take equal parts of 3% hydrogen with water. Then, you can swish the hydrogen peroxide in your mouth for about a minute, be careful not to swallow it. Spit and repeat if necessary.
Be careful when using hydrogen peroxide since it can harm your teeth. So, don’t use 35% concentration or food-grade hydrogen peroxide.
- Essential Oils
Many people use essential oils to relieve everyday pains and aches. Other essential oils have medicinal purposes because they have antibacterial properties and can be used to help with a tooth infection. Some essential oils you can use are frankincense oil, thyme oil, clove oil, oregano oil, etc.
You can dab a cotton swab in a carrier oil such as coconut oil, then use a couple of drops of essential oils.
We Are Here for You
The remedies listed above are not meant to be used as alternatives to root canal treatment near you. However, they are best used as complementary treatments to the one our dentist prescribed. If you don’t get a root canal, your tooth will have to be extracted to remove the infection.
In any case, contact us at Cabrera Dental Associates to receive root canal treatment.