Tooth pain can disrupt eating and sleeping as well as indicate a more serious condition. If your toothache continues for a few days, seek the advice of a dentist. Once the dentist assesses your condition, you might also want to try alternative options to help manage your pain. Acupuncture and acupressure might help mitigate your pain symptoms. Talk to your doctor before trying either option, and seek the guidance of a licensed Chinese medicine practitioner.
Acupressure
Traditional Chinese medicine has been in use for thousands of years. Although it is mainly associated with acupuncture, which is the application of thin needles to specific areas on your body, acupressure, massage and herbal therapies are also included within its scope. Acupressure is similar to acupuncture, without the use of needles. According to MayoClinic.com, acupuncture has been found to reduce back pain, but "sham" acupuncture was also found to be equally effective. Although sham acupuncture should involve stimulating areas that are not acupuncture points, the website states that in this case, "sham" means the tapping of the skin of an acupuncture point instead of inserting a needle. Essentially, these studies were using acupuncture and acupressure.
Tooth Pain
According to Chinese medicine theory, a toothache is often linked to the stagnation of circulation within the meridians that travel to the oral cavity. Each of your organs has an energy channel, or meridian, that incorporates specific points of energy or qi. These meridians run through different areas of your body. According to Advancedacupuncture.com, the meridians of the stomach and intestines are usually the primary choice in treating toothache. The former travels to the upper gum and the latter to the lower gum. In addition to stagnant energy, heat toxins might be present along the meridians that lead to inflammation of the teeth and gums.
Stomach Meridian
The stomach, in Chinese medicine theory, has a close relationship to the spleen. According to Sacredlotus.com, the stomach and the spleen are in charge of digesting food and sending the energy throughout the body. The stomach sends the remainder of the food to the small intestine. The stomach meridian begins on your face, just beneath your eye, and travels around your jaw and head, then down the front of your body to your foot. According to Yinyanghouse.com, stomach point six can be useful for tooth pain. Your practitioner will find it by asking you to clench your teeth. The point is located on the highest point of the masseter muscle, or jaw muscle. Rubbing or pressing this point may help relieve some of the pain associated with toothache.
Large Intestine Meridian
The large intestine channel opens into the lower jaw; disharmony of this channel can also trigger tooth pain. Its points begin on your index finger, travel up your arm, shoulder and neck and end near the outside of your nose. Points four and six may be useful when attempting to alleviate tooth pain. Large intestine four is found on your hand. If you squeeze all five fingers together, you will see a mound of flesh protrude from in between your thumb and index finger. If you press the middle of that mound and release your fingers, you will be pressing on point four. Point six is located about 3 inches above your wrist crease, on the thumb-side of your forearm, according to Yinyanghouse.com.
Combinations
Point combinations can often be more effective than just stimulating one point alone. Yinyanghouse.com also states that large intestine four can be combined with stomach point 44 for toothache. Your practitioner will find stomach 44 in between your second and third toes, on the top of your foot. It is pressed or needled in the webbing that links your toes.
