Step Two

Try some home remedies.
These home remedies come from different parts of the world, as far apart as Russia and Central America. If one appeals to you, try it: they won't do any harm, and perhaps one particular formulation will work well for you.

• Place a small piece of garlic directly into the cavity of the tooth.

  Variations include:
  

  a) chop up some garlic, place in cheesecloth, and apply to tooth;
  b) crush garlic and apply to the wrist that's on the side opposite of the tooth. By the next morning the pain may have vanished! This remedy works particularly well for infections, since garlic is a potent anti-bacterial agent.
• Place several drops of vanilla extract directly on the tooth. If nothing else, the alcohol in the extract will serve as an antiseptic to an infection.
• Mix a half-teaspoon (about 8 mg) each of salt and alum. To relieve pain and swelling, pack the mixture in the tooth cavity and around it at the gumline.

Tips:
Avoid dental problems! Save yourself the money and pain by brushing twice and flossing once daily, and eating a balanced diet with plenty of dark green vegetables like spinach and broccoli - they're an excellent source of calcium. Sesame seeds, especially in the form of tahini (blended sesame seed) are also very high in calcium, and the calcium is in a form that's easy for your body to digest.

Looks like trouble: If your teeth are sensitive to hot, cold, or sweet foods, or your adult teeth feel loose, or brown spots or small holes are visible on a tooth, be sure to tell your dentist about any and all of these symptoms. Write them down before you visit; sometimes patients forget to mention important symptoms during the visit, and the dentist is then unable to address a potential problem.

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