How to Treat Tooth Infections
A tooth infection can also be referred to as a tooth abscess. Some symptoms of a tooth infection include pain when chewing, a swollen jaw, fever, bad breath, and sensitive teeth. If you think that you may have an infected tooth, you should treat it right away. Leaving your infection untreated can cause enough damage to require your tooth to be extracted. So if you want to save your tooth, and prevent further complications, you should see a dentist right away.
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Instructions
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Place 4 ounces of warm water in a cup and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Mix and use to gargle with. Bacteria need moisture to grow. The salt will dry out the area, which takes away the conditions the bacteria need to survive. The bacteria will begin to die off. The salt water will also help ease the pain of the infection. This is something you can do immediately while waiting for your dentist appointment. Just gargle with the salt water solution once every two hours.
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Take an over-the-counter pain reliever. This will help take away the pain so that you can relax and begin to get better. You can use acetaminophen, which is the same as Tylenol, or you can use ibuprofen, which is the same as Advil or Motrin. The proper dose for an adult is two acetaminophens every four to six hours, and one ibuprofen every six to eight hours.
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Hold a heating pad over your jaw where the tooth infection is. This does two things. First, it helps to relieve the pain. Second, it increases blood flow to the area where your infection is. This will allow your body to better fight off the infection. Hold the heating pad over the area for 15 minutes at a time as often as you need to.
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See your dentist and get an antibiotic. This is very important. The antibiotic is needed to kill the bacteria that is causing the infection. It will work much faster than any other form of treatment. You should begin to feel relief in 24 to 48 hours. It is also important that you take a probiotic or eat a small container of yogurt each day, because the antibiotic will kill both the good bacteria and the bad. The probiotic or the yogurt will replace the good bacteria that is killed off.
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Take two 1200 mg echinacea capsules each day with breakfast. Echinacea is a natural herb that will strengthen your immune system as well as work to get rid of the bacteria in your mouth that is causing the tooth infection. The cost is between $7 and $12 and you can buy echinacea at any pharmacy or health store. You can also order it from an online store such as Vitacost (see the Resources section).
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Tips & Warnings
You can make a pain reliever at home by combining 2 teaspoons of charcoal powder with 2 teaspoons of water. Apply it to a gauze pad and place it on your tooth. Clench your teeth together and hold it there for at least ten seconds.
If your infection is severe, your dentist may want to drain some fluid. Do not rub aspirin in your mouth. It can cause further irritation instead of working to relieve the pain.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit CJ Sorg
