I’ve tried to tough it out before because, honestly, the cost of dental visits makes my stomach drop as much as the pain does. Salt water rinses, ice packs, clove oil… I’ve cycled through the whole “DIY” list when my lower wisdom tooth started acting up last year. For a while, I convinced myself that if I just kept at it with the home remedies and some ibuprofen, maybe I’d avoid shelling out for a dentist. It worked for about a week—pain went from sharp to a dull ache—but then I woke up one morning with my jaw swollen and could barely open my mouth. At that point, there’s no amount of salt water that’s going to help.
Here’s the thing: I totally get wanting to dodge that dental bill. But in my experience, home tricks are just delaying the inevitable if there’s something really wrong. And honestly, by waiting, I probably made things worse (and more expensive) because I needed antibiotics and a surgical extraction instead of a simple pull. That said, not everyone has insurance or cash lying around for emergencies like this. It’s frustrating that something as basic as a tooth can turn into such a financial nightmare.
Painkillers barely took the edge off for me too. It’s wild how stubborn tooth pain is compared to other stuff—like you can have a headache and function, but dental pain just takes over your whole brain.
I guess if it’s just mild discomfort from teething or shifting teeth, home stuff might buy you time. But infection or impaction? No way around it—you’re gonna see that dentist eventually. Sometimes I wish there was a real home fix that worked long-term... but every story I’ve heard ends up at the dental office sooner or later.
Just wish it didn’t have to be so expensive to take care of what feels like such a basic health need.
