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Tea Bag for Tooth Abscess: Reduce Pain and Swelling Naturally

| Modified on May 28, 2025
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Using a warm tea bag as a natural remedy for a tooth abscess is an effective way to reduce pain, swelling, and inflammation. Tea contains tannins and other compounds that can help draw out infection and soothe the affected area. Below, we explain how tea bags can be used to relieve the discomfort associated with a tooth abscess and promote healing.

Benefits of Tea Bags for a Tooth Abscess

  • Tannins: Tea, especially black or green tea, contains tannins that have natural astringent properties. These tannins help reduce inflammation and can draw out infection, reducing the pain and swelling associated with a tooth abscess.
  • Anti-Inflammatory Effects: The anti-inflammatory compounds in tea can help soothe the affected area, providing relief from discomfort and promoting healing.
  • Antibacterial Properties: Tea contains mild antibacterial properties that can help fight the infection causing the abscess, supporting the body's natural healing process.

How to Use a Tea Bag for a Tooth Abscess

Here’s how to use a tea bag effectively to relieve the symptoms of a tooth abscess:

  1. Prepare the Tea Bag: Steep a black or green tea bag in hot water for a few minutes, then remove it and allow it to cool slightly until it is warm but not hot.
  2. Apply to the Affected Area: Place the warm tea bag directly on the affected tooth and gums. Leave it in place for about 15-20 minutes to allow the tannins to work on reducing the infection and inflammation.
  3. Repeat as Needed: To reduce pain and swelling, you can use this remedy several times a day. Be sure to use a fresh tea bag each time to avoid introducing bacteria into the affected area.
  4. Follow with Salt Water Rinse: After using the tea bag, rinse your mouth with warm salt water to help cleanse the area and further reduce inflammation.

Precautions When Using Tea Bags

While using a tea bag can be an effective remedy for a tooth abscess, it's important to take some precautions:

  • Ensure the tea bag is warm and not hot to avoid burning the sensitive tissues in your mouth.
  • Monitor for any signs of worsening infection, such as increased pain, swelling, or fever. If these occur, seek professional dental care immediately.

Final Thoughts

A warm tea bag can be a simple yet effective way to manage the pain and swelling associated with a tooth abscess. However, it’s important to remember that this is a temporary solution. For a lasting resolution, you should seek professional dental care to treat the underlying cause of the abscess.

Have you tried using a tea bag for a tooth abscess? Share your experiences and tips! Continue reading below for advice from Earth Clinic readers who have successfully used this remedy for a tooth abscess.

Related Links:

Natural Remedies for Tooth Abscess Relief

The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
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Posted by Judy (St Lucy) on 07/11/2023
 ★★★★★

The teabag remedy is a sure thing.. I too tried it and it worked. It's amazing!! Had this tooth abscess since last Sunday. Visit the dentist yesterday and was given antibiotics. After reading the comments I decide to try it.. I actually fell asleep with the teabag and when I woke up the abscess was ruptured and the teabag had sucked up all the pus. Good thing I had the teabag in .. or maybe I would have swallow the pus .. thanks for these reviews.. really helped!! 🙏

Tea Bag
Posted by HL (Green Bay (USA)) on 07/08/2023
 ★★★★★

This works. Earlier in the week an old filling came out of a bottom right molar and took a small piece of the tooth, too. I had some minor aches here and there but I knew something was up when my gums around it started getting red, etc. This morning I woke up with a swollen face and a lot of pain. I've had my share of dental issues in the past but I've never before had facial swelling much less the start of a small “golf ball”. I was freaking out because I don't have insurance right now and quite frankly it's the last thing I need right now (not that it's ever a good time but now really isn't! ) - and the facial swelling had me WORRIED. I decided to give this a try as a Hail Mary before I made the inevitable and dreaded call to an emergency dentist. I boiled water, steeped a black tea bag for 5 mins, and then laid down on the couch. Woke up an hour later with hardly any pain. I was shocked. I felt a very minor and faint pinch almost from within my tooth - hard to explain - and then had a slight weird taste in my mouth that I immediately tended to so clearly that was the infection itself within my tooth starting to drain. No dramatic bursting or anything crazy. I used a different tea bag each time and did it 2 more times today for about 30-45 mins each and will continue tomorrow. Now, tonight at 8:00, my swelling is almost totally gone. No pain. I don't think I'm 100% out of the woods just yet, but I know I'm well on my way. I feel so much better in more ways than one! So, yeah, it truly works and I'm so thankful and grateful that it did.

Tea Bag
Posted by Black0ut (Stafford) on 06/23/2023
 ★★★★★

Black tea bag is a game changer!

Had a filling break my tooth and fall out. In the beginning things weren't too bad but all of a sudden things changed. Got an abscess in my gum/cheek area above the tooth. Saw the dentist and told me I'll need a root canal and crown and gave Amoxicillin prescription and told to take Motrin. Within 2 days pain was unbearable and nothing worked. After being driven crazy by the pain and kept up all night I honestly considering doing my own dental work and pulling out the tooth until I found this site. I tried the tea bag and after 15 minutes on the area pain was alleviated. I'm still swollen but feel like I should finally be able to get some sleep. Swelling has gone down and I feel a calm I haven't had all week.

Tea Bag
Posted by cc (toronto ) on 03/04/2023
 ★★★★☆

Have a gum boil on my lower molar for 4 days, face swollen and pain on the jaw that I can barely eat! Can't afford to go to dentist, so tried otc pain killers, salt water, baking soda, garlic, hydrogen peroxide, listerine….none of them worked! Tea bag is my last resort …. first one in the morning, reduced my swelling a tiny bit, still in pain and unable to eat. second and third in the afternoon, the “golf ball” shrunk, not as much pain and able to eat a bit of soft food. Applied another one early evening, saw blood on the teabag … now feel far better! Thanks for all the helpful reviews!

Tea Bag
Posted by Ang73 (Rockport, Texas) on 02/24/2023
 ★★★★★

Have used the black tea bag before. It definitely works on subduing the pain and pulling infection. You do need to steep it a bit first. And if it hurts to put it on, like it does when it is really bad and they are hot/warm, allowing it to cool to room temperature does not deter effectiveness, I just add a few minutes to treatment time. I cannot adequately express how quickly it starts to work! If you are hurting please try it!

Tea Bag
Posted by Maryann (Sayre PA) on 02/05/2023
 ★★★★★

I read all the comments while I sit here with an abscess. I'm trying the tea bag method and now the swelling is going down after the first try. Thank you all for all your comments cause I tried everything and this is the only thing that works.

Tea Bag
Posted by Was Skeptical (Palm Desert, CA.) on 06/04/2021
 ★★★★★

Finding this site/post made a HUGE dramatic difference for me! I almost can't believe that something as simple as a black tea bag could be responsible for providing me so much relief -- but it's totally true, & it does work.

I had a chipped/cracked molar that caused me no pain or problem, so I put off getting it fixed. It started with an aching kinda sore gum around the tooth for a couple days, which went south super fast.

Within 24 hours, the pain increased substantially, my jaw started to swell, & I knew I had a serious problem. I was taking the max dose of Advil, & Aleve, & neither was helping with the pain. I was so uncomfortable, & couldn't sleep. I was moments away from taking myself to the ER out of desperation, when I started searching for information about picking a dentist who took my insurance, what could be wrong with my tooth, & on various home remedies. When I read about black tea bags helping, I was willing to try anything, but remained very skeptical.

I drink black tea anyway, so I had some strong British tea (PG Tips) readily on hand. So I boiled the water (like I was making a cup of tea) poured it over two bags, just enough to cover them, & let it steep a couple mins. I squeezed the majority of hot liquid out of them, placed one on the tooth, & one between my gums & the tooth, & tried to bite down. The warmth felt super good, & I crawled on to the couch & passed out for a few hours.

When I woke up, I was completely stunned. Not only had the swelling gone down 75%, but I had zero pain! I felt immensely better. I went from gobbling pain medicine with it having no effect, to feeling almost "cured" (so to speak). I repeated the process twice more, before being able to get in to see a dentist. I've taken some time to further research what's going on & I have some tips which I'll list below:

* Use plain BLACK TEA (not Green Tea, Herbal Tea, flavored tea, diet teas, etc.)

* Activate the healing properties of the tea with VERY HOT WATER. I recommend boiled water, but you should think of it almost like the teabag is a 'hot water compress'. The hot water activates the tannins & the other anti-oxidant properties of the tea, plus help soothe the mouth and draw out the infection. You're not putting it boiling hot into your mouth! You'll give it a squeeze and allow it to cool a bit before you put it in your mouth. It's far less effective if you use cold water!

* Have a terry-towel or something handy as you should expect some hot tea/liquid to come out of your mouth, as you're biting down on the bag, but mainly this occurs just at the beginning.

* You may feel better, but this will not "cure" the underlying condition. Don't get me wrong, this really does wonders and helps you in the moment but it'll just buy you some time. You will still need to go to a dentist, unfortunately.

Replied by Mary
(Mississippi)
09/10/2021

I am in alot of pain with this red and swollen gum I can't sleep or eat until I'm not hurting anymore I'm going to try this black tea see if will work I hope lord thx for the info.

Replied by Brenda
(Santa Ana, CA)
04/16/2022
★★★★★

I tried the salt water, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and OTC pain reliever—nothing worked until I followed the tea bag remedy posted here. THANK YOU! It sounds crazy but I was in throbbing pain and willing to try anything. And, no—the tea bag did not stain my teeth:).

Tea Bag
Posted by Nathan (Palm Coast, Florida) on 10/12/2018
 ★★★★★

Green Tea Cure: The teabag thing really worked. I've been fighting this abscess tooth for 3 days dosing myself with amoxicillin and ibuprofen and the swelling just kept going up. I found this method while price checking dental procedures and decided to give it a try. I've only ever tried one other home remedy (potato slice to draw out stuff in my foot) but this one worked very well. Thank you.

Tea Bag
Posted by Tooth Hurty (Uk) on 09/17/2018
 ★★★★★

You are all wonderful WONDERFUL people!!! I have had a bad tooth for a couple of weeks and have managed to contain it with painkillers and clove oil. But yesterday it erupted and today has been unbearable. Every time anything touched my tooth it was like a red hot poker.... I visited this site earlier and tried the teabag treatment... I am in heaven! I haven't seen any pus come out, but my tooth is merely slightly uncomfortable - I will try it again later this evening just to make sure, but all I did was dampen an ordinary teabag and roll it up and bite on it.... I suddenly realised that biting didn't hurt. At lunchtime I could only eat my sandwich by taking a mouthful of water with each bite of sandwich so it went to a mush I could swallow.... at teatime (I'm in the UK) I was happily able to chew on the poorly side. My headache has gone... I don't feel sick... my cheek is normal size... my head doesn't feel like it will explode!! I honestly can't believe the results from this! Thankyou all so much for your comments - you really are amazing!!!

Tea Bag
Posted by Tanya (Metairie) on 06/07/2018
 ★★★★★

I have a cavity that is very deep. I also have an abscess tooth. I placed a chamomile tea bag on the area and spit out about a quarter of a cup of saliva. I repeated this with another Tea bag. The pain stopped, the swelling was gone and so was the redness. Instead of getting my tooth pulled or getting a root canal, I am continuing home remedies and just getting my teeth cleaned for now.

Tea Bag
Posted by Karen (Smithsburg Md) on 04/13/2018
 ★★★★★

I've used a warm, wet black tea bag on an abscess MANY times within the past few years & its worked everytime. This is a life saver!! I had braces for 9 years straight after my dental office closed & no other dentist would touch another docs work. It completely ruined my teeth. When I was finally able to take my braces off, my teeth litteraly crumbled into pieces. I've gotten my top teeth replaced but not the bottoms yet. I get an abscess about every month. This is the only thing that's actually helped me!!

Replied by Dave
(Fl)
07/22/2018

How much caffeine would someone using green tea as a poultice for an hour or more end up ingesting? If we steep green tea for 5 minutes we end up with about 20mg while the lethal dose appears to be in the several gram range. How much would we get by leaving the tea bag between the gum for an hour or more?

Any reason to worry?

Replied by Pat
(Mn)
08/25/2018

The caffeine content doesn't change with the amount of time. Caffeine is water soluble and all of it is extracted near instantly, so those 20mg stay 20mg.

Tea Bag
Posted by Sharon (Sheffield, Uk) on 01/30/2018
 ★★★★★

Was googling natural remedies for tooth abscess, discovered this site thank you thank you,

After being in pain from Friday till Sunday night, painkillers weren't helping much at all, I was in agony non stop throbbing in gum, did the wet tea bag and the pain relief was immense, the swelling went down and the pain stayed away till I managed to get to the dentist for treatment, thank you

Replied by Kay
(Tx)
02/15/2018
★★★★★

You might also want to use this method (and drink) with white tea bags. Studies show that in as little as 2 hours, white tea kills 99% of Staphlococcus and Streptococcus bacteria. It's said to be much more effective than green and/or black tea. [Green tea stimulates the immune system so it would appear to be a good idea to drink both teas]. White tea also slowed the growth of bacteria that cause pneumonia and cavities in teeth. Source: WebMD (I heard about the white tea studies on the news and Googled it).

Tea Bag
Posted by Heather (Ontario) on 09/05/2017
 ★★★★★

I found your page while frantically searching for a quick natural remedy for my abscessed tooth. I used the tea bag remedy and it worked. AMAZING!

Tea Bag
Posted by Kate (Scotland) on 07/22/2017
 ★★★★★

Editor's Choice

I had a large tooth abscess which was getting larger very quickly, causing swelling to my face and a lot of discomfort. I tried gargling salt water a few times which slightly helped but then the abscess would grow more. I read about the black teabag trick and applied a warm teabag to the abscess for around 15 minutes. During this time I pressed and squeezed the bag against my sore gum.

To my complete shock when I removed the teabag it was covered in blood and pus which it had extracted from my mouth. The abscess was totally drained, swelling reduced quickly and next day the absess was completely gone.

I did not require any other treatment at all- literally 15 mins of he teabag had cured my abscess. Please please try this if you have a similar problem, I can recommend highly enough. Natural remedy are the best! :)

Replied by Joni
(New Jersy)
01/24/2018
★☆☆☆☆

Does it hurt at first? Cause mine is killing me with the tea bag on.

Replied by Sam
(Atlanta GA)
04/23/2022

I put one of those fancy Starbucks tea bags over mine. It was black tea. Earl grey. And it started to hurt. So I immediately took it off.

Replied by Scorp
(Iowa)
10/06/2022
★★★★★

I am currently dealing with a gum boil/abscess by a broken tooth...I got a lot of pus out today from the tea bag method, so I am going to keep it up. Thank you for posting this.

Tea Bag
Posted by Channy 34 (Pa) on 02/26/2017
 ★★★★★

Had a really big abscess, and HAD to go to the ER because I was in so much pain and so swollen I looked like a bullfrog. Anyway, they put me on strong I.v. antibiotics and painkillers immediately and sent me up to get an x-ray done. Doctor looked at them and said that thing is like the size of a golf ball, but it's more a job for a dentist than us. Then she whispered to put a black tea bag on it when I got home....

Got home, dampened down a black tea bag, and put it around my tooth for about 20 mins. Got mad that it wasn't working (lol, ) and took it out. 5 minutes later my mouth erupted in abscess liquid disgustingness! It was the worst thing I've ever tasted, and I was spitting that stuff out for, it seems like, forever, but holy cow does it work.

Replied by Cathey
(Swansboro, Nc)
07/16/2017

I have a dental bridge that is very old but don't have insurance to see the dentist. I started with a terrible toothache last night and took numerous doses of ibuprofen. Got up this morning and my face is swollen under my left eye and face/tooth area extremely painful. I am trying the teabag....praying it gets under the opening of the bridge to the infection. Will update you with results. Thank you all for sharing your experiences.

Replied by Mmsg
(Somewhere, Europe)
07/17/2017

Cathay, besides whatever else you are doing, you can try rinsing often with diluted salt water.

Replied by Isabel
(Fl)
07/16/2017

I would use oregano oil just put it direct on the tooth 3 times a day and on the bottom of your feet before going to bed, I did that for 3 days when I was schedule to have a root canal done that was 4 yrs ago, you have to mix oregano oil with olive oil.

Replied by Cathey
(Swansboro, Nc)
07/19/2017

A friend gave me 5 days of amoxicillian 500 mg. I took 2 on Monday morning and 1 every six hours (this is the 3rd day today). I tried the teabag, hot water soaks even tried ACV but no relief. Face is still very swollen. Back to putting the warm teabag on gum around tooth this morning but am wondering how will this infection come out? I am flat broke and know a dentist won't take me. Any info you can give me will be greatly appreciated. For two days I had a fever of 102 to 103 which seems to have broken. Help!!

Replied by Steve
(Nv)
07/19/2017

Try DMSO 20% mixed with colloidal silver 80%. The DMSO will cause the silver to penetrate underneath the bridge and kill the infection. Swish for 20min and spit it out. Repeat until infection is gone.

Replied by KT
(Usa)
07/19/2017

Dear Cathey,

It sounds like the teeth are abscessed. You could try holding a garlic clove between your teeth until the burning stops. Garlic is a natural antibiotic. There are several encouraging posts here on EC about using a garlic clove for a tooth abscess. In fact, it was my first search and successful remedy from here.

Getting a waterpik waterflosser would help keep debris and slivers of food from getting caught under the the crowns. This should be done after every time you eat. Since the bridge is old this could have been going on for a long time so it's going to take awhile to heal. After you floss, swish with a cap full of peroxide with a little water for two minutes. Oil pulling three times an hour has been recommended here and would also help until that infection is gone. Good luck!

KT


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