A reader would like some advice on dealing with this painful problem naturally.  She is on her third course of antibiotics and is now facing root canal work, which she’d like to avoid if possible.  Are there any natural remedies to get rid of the abscess or help alleviate the pain, she asks?

According to Maria, a simple remedy for a tooth abscess is organic cider vinegar.  “Use one tablespoon of the vinegar diluted with approximately three tablespoons of warmish water and slosh the mixture around in the mouth,” she advises.  “It draws out any impurities and any pain disappears within about 30 seconds.  Use as often as you feel the need, every hour, or a few times per day.  It works for me 90 per cent of the time.”

Another suggested home remedy is a combination of sage and vinegar.  Simply boil sage in vinegar and apply the resulting liquid – hot or cold – to the affected area.  “It’s been known to astonish dentists,” says Jerry.

Holistic nutritionist Collette, however, swears by New Era Silica.  “It works wonders…the abscess begins to drain almost immediately,” she says.  She also recommends natural antibiotics grapefruit seed extract and colloidal silver.  “Colloidal silver can be sprayed directly into the mouth, but grapefruit seed extract is quite intense, so take it with a juice drink,” she advises.

In addition to Silica, a number of homeopathic remedies are recommended for a tooth abscess.  Aconite, Hepar sulph and Pyrogenium are some that have worked for readers, but see a qualified homeopath for an individual prescription.

Taking nutritional supplements may also help.  Kate suggests taking vitamin C to bowel tolerance (then reducing the dose gradually), while Carmel recommends the following: Kyolic garlic – 1000 mg twice daily, Citricidal (grapefruit seed extract) – 15 drops three times daily, and powdered vitamin C – 1000 mg twice daily.  “This combination works wonderfully well and enhances your immune system, unlike the conventional antibiotics,” says Carmel.

You could also try adjusting your diet.  Debbie occasionally suffers from tooth abscesses and finds the best way of getting rid of them is by going on a juice diet.  “Just drink lots of fruit and veg juices,” she explains.  She also recommends regular mouth rinses with tea tree oil diluted in water.

A final suggestion this week is to invest in a ‘Blotting Brush’, available from http://www.resourcesforlife.net/.  Ann bought one for her son and was really impressed with the results: “The Blotting Brush is fantastic for massaging and healing the gums surrounding a tooth abscess.  It also provides great cleaning…my family continues to use them as a preventive measure.”

E-news broadcast 1 May 2007 No. 355