My #momsays use clove to fight toothache and boy, she’s right!

They say, karma is a b….oomerang. And I couldn’t agree more as I was brutally punished for contributing to a shitty Bollywood film’s multi-crore earnings and to the theatre’s food court by buying myself popcorn to sit through the torture.

The punishment lasted days after the movie as a popcorn kernel somehow made its way into the gap between my teeth, almost pierced my gum, and gave me a really hard time.

The fact that the excruciating toothache only drove me to commit yet another sin was even worse–that of taking my mum’s advice for granted (as usual). 

Every time, the wise woman suggested chewing clove to relieve the pain, I’d conveniently dismiss the suggestion just like I dismissed my gut feeling that was prompting me to not watch the movie in the first place.

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But thankfully, my mom was as stubborn as the toothache

Several painkillers and cold packs later, mommy made sure she was finally taken seriously by literally forcing two clove buds inside my mouth and harassing me to place the aromatic spice near the affected area for almost an hour.

The taste of the cloves got worse, I could taste the bitterness, and my gums began to tingle–but the stubborn woman refused to let me spit out the cloves. In fact, she demanded that I chew the sickening spice till I could taste the oil coming out of it.  

Was it worth it?

To be honest, my patience began wearing off within a few minutes. But to my surprise, so did the pain. Obviously, the relief wasn’t half as quick as that from a painkiller. But why wouldn’t you choose something natural that actually heals the wound over a medicine that simply numbs the pain?

Actually, my mum’s wisdom is science-backed

My mom is a B.A. Hons. graduate and not Munni Behen M.B.B.S, so it’s difficult trusting her natural cures. But it so happens that her toothache remedy is 100% science backed.

According to a British study published on PubMed Central, clove contains an anti-inflammatory compound called eugenol.

In fact, another study conducted at the Kuwait University found that eugenol present in cloves can even help numb the problem area, providing further relief from the toothache.

So, feel free to use clove the way you like for pain relief

By now, you and I have already realised the healing power of this wonder spice. But what you probably don’t know yet is how it can be used in different ways in order to free you of the pain in the dental region.

You don’t necessarily have to go through the torture of chewing the weird-tasting bud like I did. You can even grind or simply invest in a bottle of clove oil, which is readily available in the market. Apply the powder or oil on to the area in pain and leave it on. 

Keep repeating this remedy as per your patience level, and you can thank me and my mother for it later.