Alcohol for Toothache Relief

A toothache is a very common ailment, which refers to pain generated because of an infected tooth. Most of us have suffered from this problem at some point or the other. There are several different factors that could cause you to experience a toothache, some of the common ones being cavities, infections and decay.

While this problem on its own is not really a serious one, it could make chewing your food a real task. Therefore, most of us seek relief from a toothache by using over the counter medication. However, there are a few side effects like drowsiness and acidity associated with these medicines. You could also get some relief from a toothache by using a few simple home remedies such as:

Salt Water: Add a teaspoon of salt to a glass of warm water. Take a sip of the liquid and hold it near the affected tooth for as long as possible. Rinse your mouth thoroughly by gargling with the entire glass of water.
Clove Oil: Clove oil, soaked up in a ball of cotton can be wrapped around the affected tooth. Alternately, you could also chew on a few pieces of clove, if possible.
Garlic: Dip a small clove of raw garlic onto some rock salt, before placing it on the tooth that is aching.
Teabag: Dip an unused teabag (preferably herbal) in some plain water for a minute. Wring out the excessive water and keep the teabag in the refrigerator for a few hours. Place the chilled teabag on the affected tooth for as long as possible.

Some of the other natural remedies for relieving a toothache include hot compresses, cold compresses, onions, limes and oregano oil.

There are several people who recommend alcohol for toothache relief. They claim that taking a sip of concentrated whiskey or rum and swishing it about for a minute or two before spitting it out relieves a toothache. Holding the alcohol near the affected tooth for a while also causes the area to go numb, which reduces the pain. However, this remedy isn’t quite as effective as the ones mentioned above. Moreover, it only provides short-term relief from the ache. Another important thing to bear in mind is that whiskey does not contain any antibacterial properties and therefore, it doesn’t get rid of the pain causing bacteria.

Hydrogen peroxide can be described as a weak acid, which contains bleaching properties. This remedy is commonly used for relieving several minor ailments. However, people are advised to avoid ingesting hydrogen peroxide for toothache relief.

If the pain in your tooth does not get better even after using these remedies, it is best to visit a dentist. The above remedies are generally safe, but consult with your physician if you have an aversion to any of the ingredients used.

References

TOOTHACHE., The Lancet, Volume 143, Issue 3688, 5 May 1894, Page 1150, ISSN 0140-6736, 10.1016/S0140-6736(01)68581-7

answered by A S

Advice on toothache-

1. Yes to some extent alcohol that is ethanol and peroxide may help to get relief from tooth ache.

2. Alcohol can help in sterilizing of the painful part and peroxide can bring down the swelling and thereby both of these can control toothache.

answered by D M K

Can alcohol or peroxide help with toothache