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Can You Cure a Toothache by Putting an Aspirin On It?

You can’t cure a toothache by putting an aspirin on it.  In fact, if you hold aspirin against a tooth long enough, it can damage your gums and other soft tissues inside of your mouth.

Aspirin Can't Cure a ToothacheAspirin is able to damage the tissues in your mouth because it is an acid – acetylsalicylic acid to be exact.   Like most acids, it will damage your bodily tissues if you give it enough time.  If you’ve ever used an acidic bathroom cleaner without gloves on, you probably discovered that acids can burn your skin.

What an Aspirin Burn Looks Like

An aspirin burn turns your gums and cheek tissue to a charred-white color.  Aspirin burns can also be quite painful.  It is literally a burn inside of your mouth!

If you’re curious to see what an aspirin burn looks like, here’s a picture in an oral pathology book on Google Books and here’s another picture of an aspirin burn.

Don’t Put Aspirin Directly On a Toothache

If you need pain relief from your toothache, it is best to go to your dentist.  If you can remove the cause of your toothache, you can become pain-free and most likely keep your teeth and gums in a healthy state.

One of the most interesting classes I’ve taken in dental school was called Oral Pathology.  The book we used, Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology had an interesting quote in it regarding dental home remedies such as placing aspirin on a toothache:

Patients often can be their own worst enemies.  The array of chemicals that have been placed within the mouth in an attempt to resolve oral problems is amazing.  Aspirin, sodium perborate, hydrogen peroxide, gasoline, turpentine, rubbing alcohol, and battery acid are just a few of the more interesting examples.

It’s just not a good idea to apply aspirin to a tooth that hurts.  Even just chewing aspirin has been shown to hurt the teeth, you can read more about that here.

Swallow Aspirin, Don’t Apply It Topically

If you can’t make it to a dentist and you need some relief from your toothache then you can swallow some aspirin or your painkiller of choice.

Remember that this route will only provide temporary relief and it will not solve the underlying cause of the toothache (most likely, the bacteria that live in your mouth.)

Conclusion

Have you ever used an aspirin tablet to relieve a toothache?  If you have any questions or comments about this article or toothaches in general, please feel free to leave a comment below.  Thanks for reading!

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7 COMMENTS

  1. i had my tooth filled upper left last tooth in the back and the dentist sais let it settle but if it pains it will have to be pulled that no root canel because the tooth has a creck line on it i do have senuis problems sometimes but dont no if thats whats causesing my pain i chewed sweet juisey fruit gum on it and had overnight pain help

  2. The gums around both my upper and lower right side wisdom teeth became inflammed and infected. The pain was horrible and on the weekend so I just got worse as the weekend wore on. My husband suggested placing an asprin on my gums for pain. I was in so much painI put three there, by the time I got to the dentist Monday morning I had severe asprin burns all over the right upper and lower side of my mouth. I got antibiotics and now almost a week later I am still in pain. I am really hoping it goes away soon but I will tell you DO NOT EVER PUT ASPIRIN NEXT TO YOUR GUMS!!!!

    • I just went through aspirin burn it doesn’t hurt thank god I only put one on the side of my jaw !!!!! How long did it take to heal? I haven’t gone to the doctor because I am not having any pain

  3. I am 65 and have lost most of my teeth . I think from not going to the dentist regularly due to the high cost. My wife on the other hand is 67 and still has all of her teeth and very few fillings because she religiously brushes 3 times per day and has always found a way to get check ups regularly especially when she us NOT in pain. Find a good dentist and visit regularly.

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