Red (WI) on 05/19/2025
I had success using garlic for swelling, but none of the comments I saw touted garlic as an alternative to a root canal. So, I decided to cancel the root canal and become patient N=1. I went to the dentist today and he x-rayed me and the infection is just about gone (it's been a year on the garlic). He's not leaning on me to get a root canal and says "we'll watch it". Tellingly, after the nurse looked at the x-ray before the dentist got involved, she asked me if I was taking antibiotics. When I replied "garlic" the conversation was over.
So I conclude garlic is an alternative treatment to a root canal. I used garlic topically (between cheek and jowl) to reduce swelling. It worked unbelievably well, but I did have a chemical burn on my cheek. Now I use elephant garlic for topical. I've started eating a salad almost every night (I eat once per day) with fresh garlic and Super-Gut yogurt for dressing.
Replied By Rob (Kentucky) on 05/20/2025
The ancient Assyrians (21st century BC to the 14th century BC) mentioned garlic as a food and medicine many times. They used garlic to treat dental problems, including rotten teeth, by applying it as an antibiotic and packing it in cavities.
Pliny the Elder (AD 23/24–79) wrote in his book The Natural History: Beaten up, and taken in vinegar and water, it is very useful as a gargle for quinsy. Three heads of garlic, beaten up in vinegar, give relief in toothache: and a similar result is obtained by rinsing the mouth with a decoction of garlic, and inserting pieces of it in the hollow teeth.
Dioscorides, who lived in the first century AD. He was a Greek, and chief physician to the Roman armies in Asia Minor. His Materia Medica gives the following account of garlic's virtues and vices. He continued the practice of packing garlic into rotting cavities.
The use of garlic for dental health is supported by its antibacterial and antifungal properties. Garlic contains compounds like allicin, which can help combat oral bacteria and reduce plaque formation. Studies have also shown that aged garlic extract can be beneficial for treating periodontitis (gum disease).
Garlic, can be effective at preventing tooth decay. Garlic with lime was compared to chlorhexidine (antiseptic), sodium fluoride (remineralization), fluoride with essential oils (remineralization and antiseptic), and alum (antiseptic) for their abilities to destroy cavity-causing bacteria. After chlorhexidine, garlic with lime was found to be the most effective mouth rinse to destroy unwanted bacteria and protect the teeth from decay. Garlic is even effective on multidrug-resistant strains of Streptococcus mutans that contribute to cavities. In ninety-two isolates of this bacteria from carious teeth, 30% percent were resistant to four or more antibiotics. None of them were resistant to garlic. Using garlic as an ingredient in mouthwashes or toothpastes could help reduce the incidence of cavities.