Natural Dental Care When You Cannot See a Dentist

If you have access to modern dentistry, I encourage you to get up to date on your dental healthcare. A good dentist and hygienist can clean your teeth, take dental X-rays to spot problems and sort out any issues you have. That way, if you lose access to dental care someday, at least your teeth will be in good shape at the outset and hopefully you’ll regain access to professional dental care before serious problems develop. You’ll get much better care than you can possibly provide yourself at home with natural remedies.

But what if you don’t have access to dental care? While it’s possible that you may lose access to dental care due to a disaster of some kind, you may simply have a dental emergency during a weekend or holiday in a small town without emergency dental services, your health insurance might not cover dental care, or you may not have the money. You can find yourself in pretty much the same boat due to any of the aforementioned circumstances. The pain might drive you to the ER, but they will probably tell you that they can’t treat you, not even for pain, and that you have to see a dentist, which may essentially leave you to your own devices.

I’ve been there. As a matter of fact, as I write this, I’m suffering from a dental abscess in a premolar in my upper jaw, which means that the root of the tooth became infected where it meets the bone. I had a root canal treatment performed on the tooth previously and it became infected afterward. It’s why I haven’t published any articles in weeks. In between courses of antibiotics, the pain is dizzying and I can feel my pulse in my teeth.

I tried a host of treatments while I waited for an appointment to retreat it, and I’ll share what worked well and what didn’t in the hope that it will spare somebody else some pain. I was surprised that some of the more modern treatments weren’t as effective as some of the traditional home remedies.

Even if you don’t have dental problems now, chances are that you will when you get older. I had great dental care in childhood and a low decay factor, but if you live long enough, life will eventually take its toll on your teeth. When that happens, you definitely don’t want to be paging through your copy of Where There Is No Dentist when the room feels like it’s spinning and you can’t hold still or sit upright to read.

Acetaminophen or Aspirin

I found that acetaminophen was more effective for my toothache related pain than I thought it would be. When the pain became severe, I reached for heavy-duty prescription pain medication and anti-inflammatories. Short acting stuff helped, but the pain was constant and I eventually ran out of them. In desperation, I took acetaminophen. To my surprise, it gave me periods of relief.

Patients who take acetaminophen must take great care not to take more than 4 doses of 1,000mg in a day or 4,000mg as 6,000mg a day can cause liver failure. Logging times and dosages or using a divided pill container can help avoid overdose.

Aspirin can also help, but depending on the cause of the discomfort, some dentist suggest forgoing the home remedy where you apply an aspirin poultice directly to the tooth because it’s an acid and applying an acid to tooth that’s already compromised may be counterproductive because it erodes tooth enamel. In fact, some dentists go so far as to tell patients to take aspirin orally and instead come see them so they can prescribe pain medication, but I haven’t found evidence that supports that position. The general consensus is that aspirin can be helpful as long as it is taken whole and not chewed.

Willow bark, (from Salix species) is the original source of salicylic acid, the active ingredient in aspirin, and has been used to treat pain for thousands of years. Instead of applying it topically, make a tea and then perform a hot water rinse to wash the acid from your teeth.

Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatories

Over-the-counter NSAID’s like ibuprofen can help lower inflammation. Acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen are all antipyretics, meaning that they can help lower fevers, which often accompany dental infections.

Hot Water

Have you heard of the old home remedy of rinsing your mouth with half a teaspoon of salt in an 8 oz glass or hot water? According to Where There Is No Dentist, the salt isn’t what helps, it’s the hot water. (Dickson, 1983) I had zero faith in this, but I tried it out of desperation and wished I had been making use of it since it started. It really helped calm the pain.

In my case, the pain was worst about 5 hours after I last took acetaminophen. Since I can only take it every 6 hours, a maximum of 4 times per day, there is about an hour and a half when the pain comes back, so that’s when I do the hot water rinse. After that I apply either clove oil or an oral pain-relieving gel containing 20% benzocaine.

Clove Oil

Clove oil, also known in dental lingo as eugenol, is another natural remedy for tooth pain that is still used in dentistry. I found that it was as effective as benzocaine, which tracks with studies, and clove oil is preferred over benzocaine because it has fewer risks associated with its use. (Barrell, 2024)

Clove oil is potent stuff. Do not apply it directly to teeth or gums! It will burn like you mixed up your breath freshener with your pepper spray.

Clove oil must be diluted in a carrier oil, such as olive oil, almond oil, or coconut oil, before being applied. Use a ratio of 2-5 drops of clove oil to 1 teaspoon of carrier oil. Start with the minimum and slowly work your way up, cutting back if necessary. Mix thoroughly before application and then apply it with a cotton swab or cotton and cotton forceps. Try to apply it only to the affected area.

Cleaning & Spotting Problems

Cleaning your teeth and evaluating their health requires a few basic tools and materials, all of which can be improvised if necessary.

For daily dental care:

• Mirror – Using a mirror helps you spot food particles and problems that you can’t feel with your tongue or a dental probe.
• Toothbrush – For brushing. In an emergency, a small stick of soft, fibrous, non-toxic wood can be turned into a primitive toothbrush by crushing one end to separate the fibers. A small branch of bamboo, strong grass, or the stem of sugar cane or betel can be used. Don’t use hardwoods as the bristles can damage the gums. The other end can be sharpened and used as a toothpick. An adult sized toothbrush can be cut down to size and some of the bristles can be yanked out or trimmed to fit the mouth of a child.(Dickson, 1983)
• Toothpaste – If you don’t have toothpaste, baking soda, charcoal (from non-toxic tree species) or just plain water give you most of the benefits of brushing.
• Dental Floss – Flossing helps prevent cavities and gum disease by removing food particles from between the teeth. Dental floss is a strong, multiuse cordage and is often included in survival kits for this reason. If you do not have dental floss, the thin end of the stem of a palm leaf can be used to clean in between the teeth, as can cotton thread, which can be waxed by dipping it in hot beeswax and then removing the excess by drawing it through your fingers as you pinch it.
• Toothpicks – Cleaning food debris out from between your teeth prevents cavities and gum disease.
• Salt – Rising your mouth with warm saltwater helps prevent gum disease. Rinse with a cup of warm saltwater 4 times per day to improve gum health and then once a day to maintain it. Add 12 teaspoon (2.5ml) of salt to one cup (237ml) of water.

For diagnosis and treatment with clove oil or oral benzocaine gel:

• Dental Mirror – A dental mirror will help you inspect all sides of each tooth as well as gum tissue. If you don’t have one, one can be improvised by gluing a small mirror to a tongue depressor. If you have a US-Issue match case, it may have a small glass mirror just the right size glued inside the cap for signaling. You can also break a larger mirror and grind it smooth, use a polished silver coin, or a shiny piece of tin.
• Dental Probe (Pick) – A dental probe is helpful to There is a great DIY on page number 209 of Where There is No Dentist that demonstrates how to improvise a dental probe from a paperclip and a stick.
• Tongue Depressor – You may need a tongue depressor to push the tongue down to see teeth and gums, especially when examining children.
• Where There is No Dentist, Murray Dickenson – If could only have one book about austere dentistry, this would be it. Buy a paper copy online or find one in a thrift store. It is possible. I have done it. Download a copy from archive.org for you Digital Survival Library.

In the absence of an autoclave, dental instruments can be disinfected by cleaning them with soap and water and then steaming them in a steamer in a lidded stock pot or pressure cooker. Steam (wet heat) kills pathogens more effectively than boiling. Lay the instruments on a dry, clean (where possible sterile) cloth to dry.

Summary

I hope I’ve given you a few evidence-aware tips for cleaning teeth, soothing toothaches, and spotting dental red flags and that they save you some discomfort and help you stay self-reliant.