I love finding natural remedies to sooth things like sore muscles, upset stomachs, acne, and now too add to the list, dental issues! I’ve found that many times we can heal minor aches and pains with natural products and ingredients, reducing our chronic use of medications.

For those experiencing the pain of a toothache, and willing to experiment, Healing Teeth Naturally recommends trying a combination of swishing sea salt water (just mix sea salt with water at home and swish in mouth) and also organic tea tree oil. The tea tree oil is applied topically to the tooth area in between swishing the sea salt water. (My guess is swishing with sea salt water after breakfast, lunch, dinner and then applying the tea tree oil after).

If the remedy above doesn’t do it for you, Healing Teeth Naturally also provides toothache recipes involving herbs and plants. The onion, green onion, and onion flowers recipe has great reviews for pain relief. Instructions say to slice a raw fresh onion and place it directly on the area in the mouth that hurts. You can also try the white part of a green onion, directions say to bite down and suck out the onion juices. It might sting a little at first, but relief should be experienced soon after. If this sounds a little too much, try dicing raw onion into a thin cloth or handkerchief and place on the cheek where the tooth hurts. Another option is to crush raw onion to get an onion juice and soak up with a cotton ball. Place this on the hurting tooth and surrounding area.

If you don’t like onions, ginger root might be a better alternative. Raw ginger can be found in the produce section of local grocery stores. Shave the skin and place a piece of raw ginger on the affected area in your mouth. Bite down to release juices.

Have a cold potato in the fridge? Peel and slice the potato into a bite-sized chunk to fit next to your hurting tooth. A cold, wet tea bag is also mentioned to help ease toothache pain.

These recipes and tons more can be found at healingteethnaturally.com. They have lists of herbal oils, extracts, powders and juices that naturally benefit the health of your teeth and gums. Enjoy!

Claire is a twenty-three year old nursing student at Arizona State University. She currently lives in Tempe, AZ with her dog Bella.