What is TOOTHACHE | Preventative Measures to Take for TOOTHACHE | Tooth Powders and Pastes for TOOTHACHE
‘I told you so’ is not the thing to say to a victim of toothache for they will already have perceived the point of oral hygiene and regular visits to the dentist and all they will wish is for the pain to be removed. Toothache appears to occur most frequently at night or during the holiday period, making the need for an instant panacea of paramount importance.
Sweets, sugary foods and fizzy drinks are appallingly detrimental to the care of teeth and gums. The acid and sugar combine to make the noxious plaque in which bacteria can fester and cause gum disease and tooth decay. A good diet from birth with the correct balance of vitamins and minerals is necessary for the development of strong teeth but even with the best possible advantages regular cleaning of the teeth after each meal. Contrary to popular belief an apple is no substitute for this routine, so if you cannot, clean your teeth after meals buy one of the special chewing gums which dentists recommend as being better than nothing. Use dental floss and toothpicks (and use them gently) to remove small particles of food from them between the teeth – this will do much to ensure healthy gums.
At one time toothbrushes and toothpaste were unheard of and bark or twigs of shrubs were used with painstaking care to keep the teeth free of detritus. The end of the stick was chewed and softened until frayed and carefully infiltrated into every crevice in the mouth. Elder wood twigs were most commonly used in the British Isles but most countries throughout the world had their own favourities.
Considering that years ago the victim of toothache probably had to live with it until the tooth rotted in his head (the alternatives being too awful to contemplate), a great deal of though was given to the best ways of preventing this happening. Appealing to Divine intervention was obviously thought the best method for the most powerful talisman one could carry around was the double jaw bone of a very ancient haddock- proving no doubt that you were a good Christian, knew of the haddock’s Biblical connections and had no right to suffer the purgatory of toothache.
Another merry thought was a religious script proclaiming one’s desire to lead a good, toothache-free life, and this was carried around the neck for double indemnity. Rabbit’s or sheep’s teeth were also carried in a small leather bag near the throat of failing either of these amulets a hedgehog’s skull or double hazelnut – which does not look unlike a large double tooth- were guarantee that should toothache strike the pain would be transferred to the charm. Another ancient rhyme suggests that one should chew the first fresh fern of the year as insurance against toothache and of this one would be guaranteed as it would have probably caused death instead.
It is interesting to note that although the majority of hare-brained superstitions were practised by the wealthy as well as the lowly it was the country folk who were the ones to employ sensible practices to keep their mouths healthy.
They used elder toothpicks and elder vinegar as a mouthwash, they strengthened their gums by rubbing them with blackthorn or sage leaf and they made a variety of kitchen powders using soot, salt, charcoal, burnt bread or rye meal and herbs to cleanse and whiten the teeth at the same time as they stimulated the gums and disinfected the mouth.
Preventative Measures to Take Today for TOOTHACHE
Garlic: Take garlic perles daily. Rub the gums with garlic or pound a clove of garlic in vinegar and water and use as a mouthwash. All these are recommended to prevent gum disease and disorders but I would advocate following this treatment with a strong, clove-flavoured rinse to render you less antisocial.
Alfalfa tablets: These will strengthen the gums.
Vitamin E oil: Massaging the gums with vitamin E oil will both soothe and heal any soreness and keep the gums free from disease.
Eucalyptus oil: Massaging the gums with this is a very sensible method of keeping the hums strong and free from disease. An excellent mouthwash which will soothe sore gums can b e made by bringing 15g(½oz) of eucalyptus leaves slowly to the boil in 1 litre(1¾ pints) of water. Simmer for five minutes, cover tightly and cool. Strain and add 2 drops each of oil of cloves and tincture of myrrh. Bottle, seal and keep refrigerated.
Blackthorn leaves: Infused in boiling water these make a gum-strengthening rinse. The juice from blackthorn leaves was reputed to harden the teeth in their sockets.
Lavender or rose water or mild infusion of aniseed, thyme, peppermint or marjoram: All of these are healing and refreshing mouthwashes.
Tooth Powders and Pastes for TOOTHACHE
Leaving aside such mixtures as salt, onions, acacia leaves and other unmentionable ingredients which were favourites of Egyptians, making and using your own tooth powders and pastes is safe and sensible.
Bicarbonate of soda: Being slightly abrasive, bicarbonate of soda will remove stains. Mix 2 tablespoons each of dried, finely ground lemon peel, bicarbonate of soda and fine sea salt. Pot and seal tightly.
Strawberries: Strawberry juice has been used to strengthen gums and remove stains. The following procedure seems a trifle long-winded but in reality only takes a few minutes and leavesl the teeth truly clean and white, removes tartar and stains, soothes sore gums and ensure sweet-smelling breath. Pulverize 2 large strawberries and use the pulp on a soft brush to clean the teeth and gums. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in a cup of warm water to which you have added a few drops of tincture of myrrh (this helps strengthen the gums).
Gum myrrh: Five teaspoons mixed with 100g(4oz) of bicarbonate of soda strengthens the gums.
Cinnamon tooth powder for sensitive teeth: Take 2 tablespoons of cinnamon powder and 4 tablespoon of arrowroot. Mix together and store in an airtight container. Mix a small amount to a paste with water when needed. If the teeth are not too sensitive a pinch of salt may be added for extra cleansing power.
Salt: In an emergency salt can be used alone and is very effective. Rinse afterwards with a mild solution of hydrogen peroxide.
Orris root: As well as in cosmetics and talcums this powder has long been used in preparations for cleansing the teeth. The following recipe is very old-fashioned but the ingredients are obtained at herbalists and independent chemists.
Orris Root Tooth Powder
225g(8oz) precipitated chalk
15g(½oz) rice starch
Mix together and store in an airtight container.
Toothache Stopgaps
This is the point at which you have to visit the dentist unless you take the advice of one ancient medic who advocated henbane, in which case you will never visit one again (henbane is a poisonous plant). Another favourite was to throw the seeds of henbane on to a hot dish and inhale the vapours through the open mouth which I suspect was extremely narcotic and would put you out of your misery fairly sharply.
Cloves: The most popular remedy for toothache is to rub oil of cloves on to the gum around the aching tooth or to plug the cavity with cotton wool which has been saturated with the oil. Children with sore gums caused by teeth coming through or loosing their baby teeth will prefer it if the oil is mixed first with a few drops of almond oil. Chewing a clove on the aching tooth will also bring transitory relief – if you can bear the pressure. Oil of marjoram can be used instead of cloves.
Onion or garlic juice: Cotton wool soaked in either of these can be used to plug and disinfect the cavity.
Alcohol: Painting the gum with hot brandy, holding neat whisky or brandy in the mouth or plugging the tooth with cotton wool soaked in the alcohol all work well for adults.
Marsh mallow: A gentle and especially nice way of soothing sore gums and helping small children to cut their teeth is to buy the root (stick) and allow them to mumble on it. At one time the delicate pink flowers of marsh mallow were softened and chewed to ease aching gums and teeth but they are now so rare that this is no longer practical. What a pity that out native streams, where marsh mallow once grew freely, are so polluted by chemicals that we have had to resort to synthetic soothers.
Thyme or sage infusion: Place 1 teaspoon of either herb in 1 cup of boiling water. Cover and allow to infuse for 10 minutes. Hold in the mouth and swill it around well to reduce inflammation and infection when gums as well as teeth hurt.
Comforting warmth: Rather than placing a bag of hot salt on the cavity or poulticing the swollen jaw with tar as prescribed in days gone by, take refuge in applying hot flannels to the painful area or rest your aching face upon a pillow of warm hops which will have the effect of easing pain and making you deliciously drowsy.