Ayurvedic Treatment for Dental Abscess

DENTAL ABSCESS Ayurvedic Treatment

Your dentist may carry out the following diagnostic procedures in addition to examining your tooth and the surrounding area:³

• Tap on your teeth: An abscessed tooth is generally sensitive to touch or pressure.
• Recommend an X-ray: An X-ray of the aching tooth can help identify an abscess as well as can identify the spread of infection
• Recommend a CT scan: A CT scan may be used to assess the extent of the infection if the abscess has spread to other areas within the neck.

Diet Recommendations (Aahar)

Tooth abscess can be best prevented by avoiding tooth decay by taking good care of them.³ Overall health care, including dental health in Ayurveda is determined by the presence of a specific dosha in an individual and in nature. Management of diseases in Ayurveda involves a combination of a variety of herbal medicines (aushadhi), diet changes (ahar), and lifestyle changes (vihar).^{2, 4}

Lifestyle changes (Vihar)

• Maintain a good oral hygiene to keep your teeth and gums clean
• Avoid smoking and excessive drinking since they may cause dental problems.
• Chew on fresh herbal sticks in the morning as well as after every meal to prevent diseases. These herb sticks should be either ‘kashaya’ (astringent), ‘katu (acrid), or ‘tikta’ (bitter) in taste. The method of using these sticks is to crush one of its end, chew it, and eat it slowly. The neem (margosa or the Azadiraxhta indica), liquorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), miswak (miswaak, siwak, sewak) etc. are some examples of herbal sticks.
• Use of an herbal tooth powder made from neem and salt
• Gargle with salt water to prevent tooth decay and its progression to tooth abscess. The mouth should be filled with comfortable amount of fluid and create a motion by a stream of air from the lungs.
• Oil pulling is a procedure involving swishing of oil in oral cavity for oral as well as systemic health benefits. Oil pulling can also be used in cases where brushing is contraindicated due to the presence of mouth ulcer, fever and indigestion.