post-oral-surgery-300x199Dealing with any type of dental pain doesn’t have to slow you down or cause you a great deal of anxiety. The most important thing to realize when you experience pain in your tooth or gums is that it’s your body’s way of trying to indicate a serious problem has arisen. That means you should make an appointment with your dentist as soon as possible.

In the meantime, here are some basic home remedies that can help you feel better and not have to think about the pain in your mouth until you get your dentist.

Basic pain medication.

Aspirin or other over-the-counter pain relief medication can help deaden at least a bit of the pain you feel in your mouth. Depending on the problem with your oral health, it may not be as effective as you would like.

Suck on a cough drop.

Most cough drops or lozenges contain some level of anesthetic. It is usually menthol but can sometimes be benzocaine. This can be effective at helping alleviate minor tooth pain. Significant tooth pain will not be subdued by a basic cough drop, though.

Try clove oil.

This is an age old remedy that may work for you. There is a chemical called eugenol contained within clove oil that has anesthetic properties. It also has some antibacterial properties. In order to use it for basic tooth pain, mix two or three drops of clove oil with ¼ teaspoon of olive oil. Dab a cotton ball with this mixture and place it in your mouth near the root of the problem.

If the pain goes away, don’t take that as a sign you should avoid actually going to the dentist. The cause of the pain is still there and it will only come back in time.