We all have experienced the pain once in our life, also known as toothache in medical terminology.
Toothache is an acute to Chronic pain in teeth, gums, alveolar bone, jaw, and associated structure. It is multifactorial and a symptom of almost all oral diseases, so you can’t tell yourself why you feel pain in your teeth unless a dental professional can tell you.
If you are suffering from tooth pain, it’s essential to figure out why you feel it. You can try some at-home treatments like salt water or a cold pack which may depress your pain, but what if using salt water made your toothache worse?
One of my clients came with the statement that “salt water made my toothache worse.”
So here, I will discuss the correct way to perform salt water rinse to suppress oral pain and why it can make you feel worse.
Saltwater Made My Toothache Worse.
Nowadays, the world is shifting again back to ayurvedic or herbal approaches in which pain is treated using natural and organic things. Still, each ayurvedic or allopathic treatment has some limitations and is not for everyone.
Also, there is a proper approach to performing the ayurvedic treatment, so first of all, we are going to discuss how to perform a salt rinse properly, and then we will discuss the possible causes which can worsen your toothache.
How to Make Saltwater Rinse?
For Making saltwater rinse follow the steps; I also follow these steps for salt rinsing my mouth.
- I always use lukewarm water, so I suggest you use lukewarm water, especially if you suffer from a sore throat. Warm water will also observe salt more effectively, and it will penetrate more deeply into your gums
- You can use any salt (I use Himalayan pink salt) you have at that moment and can also add other ingredients like hydrogen peroxide or honey for additional benefits but make sure that you are not adding hydrogen peroxide if you are someone with cavities or risk of cavities
- I use 4 ounces of warm water and add half a teaspoon of salt, but you can also go for 8 ounces of warm water with one teaspoon of salt in case your mouth is sensitive and you feel stinging with salt, or you have canker sores in the mouth then reduce the salt to half.
- Boil the water and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes until it is Luke warm. Then add salt to it and gargle with it.
- You can gargle your mouth before or after brushing your teeth or using mouthwash. It is entirely okay, and there is no hard and fast rule.
- Take a small amount of water into your mouth and gargle it for 20 to 30 seconds.
- After that spit it out, most people question if we can drink the salt water. Yes, you can, but it may contain infectious bacteria, so it is better to spit it out instead of drinking it.
Benefits of Salt Water
Saltwater is a very beneficial treatment for the mouth and has no side effects if used properly. There are many conditions such as toothache, canker sores, after tooth extraction, gingivitis, periodontal, and sore throat, where salt water can help to depress pain and inflammation.
Saltwater is also a very beneficial antibacterial agent as it can kill many bacteria by Osmosis. If your throat hurts, warm salt water with added honey helps. It is one of the best and safest ayurvedic remedies with just two Ingredients.
I do it once every week, and even if I am not suffering from any oral disease, it helps to remove impurities from the mouth.
Under What Condition Does Rinsing With Salt Water Make Toothache Worse?
Saltwater has many potential benefits and is one of my trusted remedies for oral care, but in some cases, it can harm you instead of providing benefits. Now, we will look at some scenarios where salt rinsing is not recommended and can worsen your condition.
Use Boiling and Cold Water to Rinse
It may seem odd, but yes, using ice cold and hot water for saltwater rinse can result in excessive pain.
If you are a person with dentine hypersensitivity, then using cold or even lukewarm water can trigger your pain which can even radiate to your scalp, and you will feel a severe sharp stabbing pain sensation in your mouth.
If you feel pain with hot and cold water, you can do a salt rinse with room temperature water.
If You Have a Wide Cavity
If you have a wide open cavity in your mouth, which involves your dentine and pulp, then using salt water on it will also cause pain.
The reason is that your dentin has sensory nerves exposed at that moment. Any external stimuli will trigger nerve pain resulting in a toothache. It is just like adding insult to injury.
If Your Clinical Crown Is Damaged
Another scenario in which you can suffer pain after using a salt rinse is when your crown falls off and you already have a root canal treatment for your affected teeth.
Eating food can cause swear pain, which is the case if you gargle your mouth with salt water. It will not only cause discomfort but will aggravate the pain as well.
If Your Nerve Is Exposed
If nerves are exposed in the mouth, and you use a salt rinse, then it is evident that you will suffer from dreadful pain.
Our sensory nerves are covered by enamel, dentine, and pulp and don’t receive direct simulation. Salt water rinse can trigger much pain if your pulp is exposed to an injury.
FAQs
How often can you use salt water?
You can use it every two to three hours after surgery, and in a normal routine, you can use it once daily.
Is saltwater rinse harmful for teeth?
No, it is not harmful if used properly, but if you use it excessively, it can harm teeth.
Can you use salt water as an alternative for mouthwash?
No, using saltwater instead of mouth rinse is a very bad option. Salt Water is not a replacement for a mouth rinse.
Conclusion
I had observed many cases when my patients came to me and complained that salt water worsened their toothache, and when I examined their oral cavity, then, in almost all cases, they had exposed nerves.
I recommend saltwater rinse to many of my patients, especially the ones with wisdom tooth extractions, but there is always a correct way to perform such treatments. Suppose you are using them without professional supervision and consulting your dentist. In that case, there is a risk of suffering from intense pain instead of getting any benefit, so always make sure that before using the salt rinse, you consult your dentist or oral hygienist.
Due to multiple complaints received in the past, I decided to write this article. Most patients state using saltwater worsens their toothache.
But that’s not the case. Using saltwater incorrectly worsens it, so make sure you use it properly. Before using it, consult your dentist or oral hygienist about your pain and then go for it; otherwise, you may suffer from extreme pain.