Lavender Oil For Toothaches

Toothaches can flare up at any time, causing excruciating pain and sleepless nights. The pain may appear gradually or occur with no forewarning. Herbalists and practitioners of alternative medicine recommend using lavender essential oil to relieve inflammation and pain associated with tooth infection. While saving an infected tooth requires professional dental care, lavender oil may have temporary benefits. However, as with all alternative remedies, check with your dentist or health care provider before use.

Toothache

Toothache, commonly the result of advanced tooth decay, starts as a cavity or chip in the hard enamel of a tooth. Bacteria infects the opening, white blood cells rush to the site and accumulate, causing the center of the tooth, the pulp, to swell. According to the Academy of General Dentistry, swelling of the pulp can irritate tissue and nerves, leading to pain.

Description

Indigenous to the mountainous, western Mediterranean region, lavender grows up to 3 feet tall. It bears multiple stems with silver-green foliage and spiky, blue-violet flowers that yield therapeutic essential oils.

Dioscorides, a Greek military physician, first recognized lavender as an herbal remedy to heal wounds in the first century A.D. It became popular during the late Middle Ages as an aphrodisiac, disinfectant and deodorant. Later, Victorians touted the herb for its ability to cure insomnia. Today lavender is used to reduce headaches, depression, indigestion, colic, bloating, acne, psoriasis, bronchitis and yeast infections.

Benefits

Lavender acts as a natural antiseptic, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory. According to Joe-Ann McCoy, doctoral candidate at North Carolina State University, lavender has a long history as a traditional herbal remedy for toothache. Lavender essential oil contains more than 40 constituents, including linalool and linalyl acetate. Andrew Chevallier, medical herbalist and author of "Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine," states that these two compounds increase the threshold of pain as well as inhibit inflammation and discomfort associated with toothache.

Use

The website YogaBenefits.com suggests applying a cotton ball soaked in lavender essential oil directly on your affected tooth to soothe pain. Rubbing the oil on your face and jaw may yield additionally benefits.

Adverse Effects

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center cautions that lavender essential oil can cause allergic reactions resulting in skin rash. Repeated use may cause breast enlargement in prepubescent males. Additionally, lavender has a high absorption rate through the skin, and topical use may occasionally cause vomiting, nausea, headache and chills.