Toothaches have two main causes. The first, is when a cavity compromises the inside of the tooth and exposes a nerve ending before it is dead. The other is when the fibers holding your tooth in its socket become infected (called an abscess). This will help you treat the pain from both.


Steps

1. Make an appointment with a dentist. Chances are you can't cure the tooth problem at home, only ease the pain from it.
2. Buy some clove bud and cotton swabs. You can find the former at most herb shops. It comes in a small vial with a tiny dropper built in. Wal-Mart and big pharmacy chains don't carry it. If you cannot find it, buy clove at your local grocery store. It's not as concentrated, so it's not nearly as effective. It will bring some relief.
3. Buy some Listerine - not the minty watered down kind.
4. Apply a few drops of clove bud on the cotton swabs. Apply it directly to the area that hurts as well as around it. Toothache pain is often displaced, making it seem like it is coming from somewhere it's not. Only a few drops of clove bud are needed. It may burn. That's normal since it deadens nerve endings by overpowering them. The burning lasts for less than a minute and is not as bad as the toothache.
5. Take a sip of the Listerine and hold it in the affected region for two minutes. This will burn, but it will work. Listerine will usually have to be reapplied every 1/2 hour to an hour.
6. Try some other methods if you are unable or unwilling to buy the ingredients for the above method. To wit:
   • Try "First Aid", a retail product with clove bud in it.
   • Try using menthol, cinnamon, vanilla, or rinsing with salt water. Salty water, at least, should help in preventing infection.
   • Rinse the aching area with baking soda dissolved in warm boiled water.
   • Use strong alcoholic drinks. Take a swig of whiskey, Scotch, vodka, gin, or any other spirits you have sitting around. Hold it in your mouth near the affected area for as long as you can tolerate, then spit it out. Don't swallow it; it'll be pretty nasty after being in your mouth for several minutes. This will not last very long; perhaps a few minutes. It may numb it long enough until you can get to a dentist, or long enough to allow you to sleep.
   • Redirect the pain signals, by rubbing ice on the back of your hand, between your index and thumb (in the web between the two spread fingers).
   • Take a pain killer. Over-the-counter medication may help with abcesses.
7. Go to your dentist at the first opportunity. Don't think that numbing the pain when you need to is a good substitute for a dental appointment.

Warnings

• Using clove bud several times a day for months may cause permanent nerve damage. So if the pain lasts longer than a week, see a dentist.
• Never consume alcohol while you're using pain-killers.