Article
We write this letter to share with your readers an interesting case regarding the usage of home remedies for control of toothache after documenting a bizarre habit for alleviating toothache in a 23-year-old male patient. The patient, complaining of toothache in the mandibular left posterior region, revealed that he had been frequently using a petrol mouthwash for relieving toothache for the last 3 weeks and initially had also placed tobacco in the same region for the last 3 days to alleviate pain. The patient was immediately counselled and referred for an endodontic treatment. On enquiring about the use of petrol as a mouthwash his answer was equally as astounding for his friends had also used petrol as a mouthwash with efficacious results. The placement of tobacco in the toothache region for relieving pain is an age-old custom that is commonly used in rural parts of northern India. The culture of placing tobacco for alleviating pain is deep-rooted and is difficult to eradicate.
The above case made the authors curious about the use of various home remedies for alleviating toothache and they conducted an internet search about home remedies. Interestingly, the internet search revealed equally bizarre findings like extra virgin olive oil, vanilla extract, salt mixed with pepper, soy sauce, jalapeno pepper, hydrogen peroxide, garlic paste, onion, colloidal silver, whisky, clove oil, rum, cough medicine, baking soda, peppermint gum, etc.1 The above list of remedies for alleviating toothache is almost like a dentist reading a ‘Ripley's believe it or not’. The use of aspirin or the application of desensitizing toothpaste, after going through the above list, certainly does not look like an unusual finding! The myriad of cultures, patients' lack of knowledge, taboos, unregulated internet information, financial reasons and lack of a pain-killer during an emergency may be the reasons for the use of home remedies. Instead of having a dental opinion patients prefer internet surfing and seeking their own ‘expert’ opinion. The use of various home remedies can cause chemical burns, lichenoid reactions and allergic reactions, thereby adversely affecting treatment and occasionally causing a disastrous result.2 Although the use of home remedies may be helpful in emergency conditions, for momentarily relief, their use should generally be discouraged.
Unfortunately, home remedies, owing to their innocuous nature, are overlooked by dentists for the control of toothache and are often dismissed. We feel that this issue should be treated with more importance by dentists. Although dentists cannot regulate unrestricted accessible internet information, they must educate patients about the detrimental effects of home remedies and discourage their use.