Ground Clove & Tooth Pain

Cloves are the dried flower bud of the plants Syzgium aromaticum, or Eugenia caryophyllis. A spice with a long history of both culinary and medical use, cloves have been used for thousands of years. In the 1600s and 1700s, the clove, along with nutmeg and mace, was one of the driving forces in the trade wars between European countries. The most prominent medical use of cloves is in dentistry, where it continues to serve as it historically did, as a pain killer and antiseptic.

Cloves

• Cloves are a spice most Westerners know as one of the classic "Christmas Holiday" seasonings used in baking and in the preparation of a festive ham. Modern kitchen use seldom goes beyond that, though serious cooks, both professional and otherwise, find many more applications for cloves, ranging from additions to preserves and sauces to elements in stews and casseroles. The spice is the dried flower bud of a set of plants native to the islands of Southeast Asia, the Syzgium aromaticum and Eugenia caryophyllis trees.

  The flowers of the clove tree are plucked before opening and dried. Once dried, they are hard and woody, and are shaped like small nails or tacks. This shape is the source of their name, which originated in the Latin word "clavus," meaning "nail."

Medical Uses

• Cloves have been used for centuries in medicine, both professionally and in home remedies and alternative medicines. Cloves contain eugenol, an organic chemical with analgesic, anesthetic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. There are further beliefs and theories about the properties of clove. Some consider it an aphrodisiac. Others have seen cloves as stimulants. It is used by some to promote sleep and battle insomnia.

Cloves in Dentistry

• Cloves have a number of uses in dentistry, the most common being as an analgesic to combat pain from toothache and from minor dental procedures. Combined with zinc oxide, it forms a compound used as a temporary filling, killing pain and providing an antiseptic effect until a cavity can be fully repaired with a filling. Modern testing indicates that oil of clove may be suitable for use in place of benzocaine as local anesthetic before injections. Professional dentists still suggest the use of clove oil as a temporary pain killer for toothache, minor irritations and gum injuries, and for such problems as pain and swelling from incoming wisdom teeth.

How To Use Whole Cloves

• There are two primary methods for the use of cloves against tooth pain. The first, and simplest if you keep a fully stocked spice cupboard, is to take a clove nail and gently but firmly crush it onto a painful tooth. In the case of molars, it's simple to place the clove on the involved molar, and then bite down gently, crushing and holding the clove in place in one motion. For localized gum problems, a crushed, softened clove can be tucked between gum and cheek to bathe the sore area with clove-permeated liquid.

Using Clove Oil

• It is also easy to maintain a small supply of clove oil in the medicine cabinet or first aid kit. Clove oil is the pressed oil of clove. There are three types of clove oil, depending on what portion of the tree is pressed to extract the oil: bud oil, leaf oil and stem oil. However all contain eugenol, and all are effective as pain killers and analgesics. To use clove oil, saturate a cotton ball with oil and place on the area experiencing pain and swelling. Allow to stand for an hour to an hour and a half, after which it should be replaced with a new soaked pad.