This "subtle energy" system[1] is the subject of much scientific research[2], and healing approaches involving the human body's meridians and other parts of our "invisible anatomy" can indeed be powerful.[3]

"Energetic" toothache remedies include modalities such as "trigger point therapy" (facial muscle massage), acupressure, laying on of hands, hand and foot reflexology, EFT, homeopathy and more, as seen in the following listing which features a number of these "energy" helpmates against tooth pain.

"Trigger point therapy" (facial muscle massage)

Interestingly, toothache can be caused by tight muscles in the face, namely the temporalis, masseter, digastric or buccinator muscles. It's possible that a toothache of unknown origin and unamenable to other approaches might be relieved by simple finger massage of these muscles for 15 seconds or more.

A telltale sign that these muscles could be the cause of your toothache is a feeling of tightness and pain as you touch them (pain you hadn't been aware of before). Clair Davies, author of the Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, shows ways of fixing one's pains oneself.

Hand and foot reflexology

You can also try reflexology, which according to one testimonial has "worked for me when nothing else did". Quote: "On your fingers and toes find the sensitive spots on your joints and massage the pain out. It takes awhile to get all of the sensitive spots out but it works!"

Hand treatment/massage with ice

The following suggested techniques for relieving toothache differ from the cold water/ice treatments featured in Simply numbing toothache pain in that they seem to involve "long-distance" nerve pathways akin to those effective in hand and foot reflexology. Techniques I have seen recommended include the following:

  • relieving a toothache by rubbing the back of your hand between thumb and index finger (the V zone where the bones of the two fingers meet) with an ice cube. Rub the hand on the side of the body where the toothache is located.
    Apparently researchers at McGill University (Canada) have shown that pain intensity can roughly be halved by numbing the hand in this manner for about seven minutes (with the effect assumed to likely be due to the interruption of pain impulses travelling to the brain).
  • relieving a toothache by rubbing your palm with ice
  • to stop a throbbing toothache, fill a large enough bowl of water with half water and 2 handfulls of ice. For toothaches on your left side, put your right hand in the icy water, for tooth pain on your right side, insert your left hand, making sure your hand is completely immersed.
    Use your other hand to gently massage the area between your thumb and index finger.Quote: "When my hand hit the ice water, the throbbing [from an abscessed tooth] stopped instantly."

Acupressure

It is advised to press/rub on the sides of either/both index fingers opposite the base or just below the bottom of the fingernail, applying even but firm pressure while gently massaging the area until the dental pain subsides. Repeat as necessary.

In her highly recommended book Energy Medicine, Donna Eden cites several examples (incl. herself) where acupressure has been successfully used to stop toothache and even heal the affected tooth of dental decay! Her method involved simultaneously putting pressure on two relevant sedating acupuncture points, and then another two, holding the pressure for 2 minutes each and continuing this practice on a daily basis for about a month.

The "Energy Medicine" book features a dental chart showing which tooth corresponds to which organ, and additional charts illustrating the entire treatment for toothache and cavities.

In an internet forum, someone reported success with stopping their toothache for several months and what seemed to be a healing effect on their teeth, in spite of using it only a few days in a row. (That same person added "a word of caution: You might want to also know how to restimulate the meridian involved (immediately afterwards it is not very effective in my experience) ... unless you have some time to sleep off the possible effects of sedating the meridian" and offered to supply specific information for "point treatment" of specific teeth.)

Compare Laying on of hands and EFT.

"One hand near, one hand far technique" against toothache

(excerpted from the book "Power Healing" by Dr. Zhi Gang Sha which literally distils the healing wisdom of the ages)

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, pain, inflammation, stiffness and other physical complaints (including cancer) are due to excess energy accumulating in the area(s) of concern.

The following traditional DIY technique causes the excess energy to flow naturally to another area of one's choosing that can use extra energy. A preferred spot to direct the energy to is the lower abdomen which contains a major energy center, the lower Dan Tian.

Place one hand four to eight inches from the area of high (excess) energy (in the case of a toothache this would be the jaw). This is your "near hand". Place the other "far" hand ten to twenty inches in front of your lower abdomen (or wherever you choose). Make sure both palms face the body.

Apparently the "near hand" creates a high-density energy field, and the far one a field of low-density energy. In other words, by placing one hand near and one hand far, a density difference is created, and the accumulated excess energy drains away to the lower abdomen (or wherever you have chosen to place your "far hand").

Even quicker results are achieved by lowering one's far hand by two or three inches which causes the excess energy to flow down even faster. The pain disappears once the accumulated energy has been fully dispersed. Dr. Zhi Gang Sha adds that even stress and colds can be relieved with this technique.

Note: While it is easy to scoff at the above, Dr. Zhi Gang Sha's healing work has received some outstanding endorsements (more on Dr. Zhi Gang Sha under Spiritual-energetic healing links for teeth and gums). Only personal experience (and sustained practice) can tell whether something works for oneself.

Laying on of hands

Ask a friend to put his or her hand on the painful spot with a healing intention. This once worked wonders for me, possibly triggering the aching tooth (the dentist had suggested a "root canal") to go into some kind of self-healing or at least quiescent mode (it virtually never hurt again even though it didn't repair itself in any visible manner).

Putting my own hand on the cheek with the aching tooth also worked very effectively for me with less intense pain, relieving it near-instantly (but only for a certain time, such as allowing me to sleep for several hours).

EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)

See EFT.

Paida (slapping of acupuncture points) for acute toothache

Paida is a traditional Chinese self-help method essentially consisting of using one's hands to slap on specific acupoints in order to stimulate circulation of qi (vital energy) and elimination of sha (toxic waste).

In cases of acute toothache, it is recommended to slap the so-called Hegu acupoint (Large Intestine or LI 4, located between thumb and index finger in the fleshy part of the back of your hand). Aka the pain point, LI 4 is useful for conditions involving the face and head.

Also to be slapped are the entire back of both hands, the inner elbows and the acupoint called Zusanli (Stomach-36, located under the knee to the right and left side). Each of these points / areas is to be slapped for 15-30 minutes, applying gradually increasing force.

Homeopathy

If you do a web search for "toothache homeopathy", "homeopathic toothache treatment" etc., you should find many suggestions such as Mercurius [Merc], Chamomilla [Cham], Belladonna [Bell], Coffea [Coff], Plantago major [Plan], Silicea [Sil], Calcarea fluorica [Calc-f], Calcarea phosphorica [Calc-p], Staphisagria [Staph], Kreosote [Kreos], Spigelia [Spig], Arnica [Arn] as well as personal reports of how people have reduced tooth pain and treated and found relief from various pains related to gums or teeth.

Site visitor Lili adds that she has consistently used Merc. Sol. in low potencies of 6, 12, or 30 as a homeopathic remedy for all her teeth problems ("believe me, I've had my share!") which has always helped. Merc. Sol. in her experience is as good as any allopathic pain killer.

Here is a list of other homeopathic toothache remedies as suggested by holistic dentist Dr. Bill Wolfe (www.drwolfe.com):

  • Antimonium crudum - Use for a toothache that is worse at night and is aggravated by heat.
  • Aranea diadema - Use for sudden, severe pain in the teeth after lying down.
  • Belladonna - Use for throbbing tooth that's worse when pressure is applied.
  • Calcarea carbonica - Use for a toothache that worsens when exposed to hot or cold air.
  • Chamomilla - Use for a toothache with intolerable pain that's worse from warmth and not better with cold.
  • Coffea cruda - Use for toothache that worsens with heat and is relieved by ice.
  • Ferrum metallicum - Use for a toothache that is relieved by ice water.
  • Magnesia carbonica - Use for a toothache that is worse at night, Patient must get up and walk about for relief.
  • Magnesia phosphorica - Use for a toothache that is worse from cold and better from warmth.
  • Plantago major - Use for a toothache that is better with pressure and worse without cold air.
  • Pulsatilla - Use for a toothache that is relieved by holding cold water in the mouth.
  • Staphysagria - Use for pain from major decay of a number of teeth.

Note: It's also good to know the so-called "Antidotes" to homeopathic remedies: interfering factors to be aware of and avoid.

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Footnotes

1 Also compare Energetics.

2 Read here for instance about Human energy field (aura and chakras) scientifically proven.

3 As an aside, spiritual approaches to tooth healing are "basically" energetic approaches as well (as are, of course, even the "physical" ones if we remember the Einsteinian matter=energy statements!).

All remedies