Why cloves for toothache: how to use them (and when to see a dentist)

Clove owes its toothache reputation to eugenol, a major compound in the bud. A 2020 review of the spice notes reports of analgesic, or pain-relieving, activity of eugenol, and that is the usual reason given for pressing a bud against a sore tooth. Those reports come from laboratory and other studies, not from trials in people with toothache, so any comfort is temporary and local at best. Nothing in the reviews shows a clove stopping decay, clearing an infection, repairing a cracked or loose tooth or replacing a filling. Neither the 2014 nor the 2020 review gives a safe amount to put on a tooth, so keep to one bud, a pinch or a drop, never a mouthful of oil.

1. Pick one whole, plump bud out of the jar.
2. Tuck it between the aching tooth and the cheek, and close the mouth lightly; do not bite down hard.
3. Hold it there for a few minutes, until the bud softens.
4. Take the bud out and rinse the mouth with plain water.
5. If the pain returns the moment the bud is gone, stop: a clove is not fixing whatever is underneath, and the next stop is a dentist.

Ground clove works the same way, pressed where the pain is.

1. Mix a pinch of ground clove with one or two drops of warm water into a thick paste.
2. Press the paste onto the aching tooth and the gum beside it with a clean fingertip, and keep the mouth closed over it.
3. After a few minutes, rinse the mouth with plain water and spit it out.
4. Use it only until you can see a dentist; the paste does not repair anything.

Clove oil is the most concentrated form of the three; use one drop.

1. Put one drop of clove oil on a small, clean cotton ball.
2. Press the cotton against the aching tooth and gum, and hold it there for a few minutes.
3. Take it out and rinse with plain water; never swallow the oil.
4. Use one drop at a time, and never in a child's mouth without a dentist's word. The reviews give no safe amount for a tooth, so do not add more.

If you would rather start with the bud than the bottle, whole cloves sun-dried in Kerala are an easier place to start.

Clove may quiet a tooth for a while; it cannot say why the tooth hurts. See a dentist if the pain lasts more than a day or two, if the gum or the side of the face swells, if fever comes with the pain, if the pain wakes you at night, if the tooth is broken or loose, or if the ache returns the moment the clove comes out. A dentist finds the cause, and the causes of toothache, decay and infection among them, can progress while a dulled tooth feels fine. Talk to your dentist or doctor before using clove oil, and before giving any clove remedy to a child. For the kitchen side of the same spice, amounts, tempering and storage are on cloves how to use, and the full guide is on the cloves hub.

Why cloves for toothache?

Clove holds eugenol, a major compound, and a 2020 review of the spice notes reports of its analgesic, or pain-relieving, activity. That is the usual reason for the habit, though the reports are not from trials in people with toothache. Any comfort is temporary, not a fix: decay, infection and cracks still need a dentist.

Can laung reduce toothache?

Some people find a bud dulls the pain for a while; it does not remove the cause, and the reviews report no trials in people with toothache. If the ache returns the moment it does, or keeps you awake, the answer is a dentist, not another bud.

Does cloves help in toothache?

It may give temporary comfort, but the two reviews report no trials in people with toothache. A whole bud, a pinch of powder paste or a drop of oil pressed against the tooth is the usual home use. Nothing in them shows it stopping decay or infection, so use it only until you can get to a dentist.

Can cloves reduce tooth pain?

They may dull it briefly, but the two reviews report no trials in people. Neither gives a safe amount for a tooth, so a bud, a pinch or a drop is the cautious form, never a mouthful of oil. Dulled is not gone: the cause of the pain is still there.

How to make laung oil at home?

Lightly crush a tablespoon of whole cloves and warm them in 8 tbsp (120 g) of coconut or sesame oil on the lowest heat for 5 minutes, then cool, strain and bottle. Keep home-made oil for scent and flavour, and for a tooth use bought clove oil, one drop at a time.

When to see a dentist for toothache?

When the pain lasts more than a day or two, when the gum or the face swells, when fever comes with the pain, when it wakes you at night, or when the tooth is broken or loose. A clove may dull the pain while the cause underneath carries on.