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.
Garlic
Posted by Taissa (Montana) on 10/30/2013
★★★★★
Wow. I mean, wow! I don't believe it.
I have had a really bad tooth infection for a month now. I have been on three big guns broad spectrum antibiotics trying to clear it up. Nothing will touch it. Nothing touches the pain. Yesterday out of desperation I decided to try garlic. I chopped two cloves, smashed it a bit, waited 5 min then swallowed it with water. I did this about 4 more times, then went to bed. Woke up, and the pain had lessened. Second day, I continued the protocol and tonight I'm pain free. I am seriously pain free. And I never even put a garlic clove on my gum yet because I was afraid that it would burn too much.
So here's what I do: Take two garlic cloves, peel, chop, then smash it a bit to where I see some juice come out, wait about 5 minutes and swallow it back. I put it on a spoon and just swallow. Repeated this about 4 times more.
This really works. The swelling and pressure in my gum is gone and the deep pain is gone. This is truly nature's antibiotic. I've been on three big gun antibiotics and it wouldn't even touch it. Amazing!
Garlic
Posted by Red (WI) on 05/19/2025
★★★★★
I found this page over a year ago. My dentist wanted me to have a root canal. I had an infection in a lower right molar and it caused my cheek to balloon. I used an antibiotic to bring down the swelling before I found this page.
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.
Garlic
Posted by Greg W. (Texas) on 05/22/2018
Note they love to save teeth because they make more money long term. If it is gone then that have nothing to make money with!
Garlic
Posted by Vicky (Missouri) on 11/23/2017
LOL. I just now did the same thing and I opened my mouth and just let the garlic fall out of my mouth as tears and mucus flowed from other openings..lol! Yes, you gotta be some kind of tough for that. But the infection is definitely not any worse. It's only day 1.
Garlic
Posted by Jen (Hudson, Nh) on 06/18/2017
★★★★★
So being a Saturday I knew most offices would be closed... I have very very bad teeth and they are giving me Dentures on top and through the teeth on the bottom need to be extracted and the rest need to have work done to them as well so hopefully within the next six months I will be all set and ready to go. Meanwhile, the back molar on the right hand side was broken in 1/2 missing so you can imagine that there's not a whole lot that anybody can do. But we only have minced garlic at home and I just put a teaspoon of the oil in my mouth directly on the busted tooth that has pus coming out of it. I did call the dentist and they are prescribing me antibiotics thank God when I woke up this morning, I was in such agony I think that that's why I woke up so early this morning. So I just want to say that garlic is the way to go, it is absolutely the way to go.
I also took a very small teaspoon of the actual garlic clove that is minced and put it directly on the area and I'm letting it sit and chewing it up a little bit and in a minute I'm going to spit it out but I do not have the pain that I did this morning I am shocked by that I think it's absolutely fantastic
Garlic
Posted by Chelsea (Pennsylvania) on 10/25/2015
I had a question. I've had terrible terrible tooth pain. I have a front tooth with a cavity that is falling apart. I am not sure if this is the root of the problem or not but my whole right side of my mouth hurts terribly. I tried the Garlic a little bit ago, it burned a bit and I couldn't hold it in my mouth for a long time due to me being pregnant and wanting to gag. After I used it I felt some relief but now I am in terrible pain again. Is this just the garlic doing it's job?? Or should I try the garlic again?
Garlic
Posted by Tooaverage (Delta, BC, Canada) on 12/09/2012
★★★★★
I got an infection from my wisdom tooth extraction and my face was swollen like a chipmunk. I went to the Surgeon and was told to go on antibiotics or it wouldn't go away.
I refused to take the antibiotics so I used my own remedies and it was fully healed within a week! When I went back for a follow up the surgeon assumed the antibiotics had cured it when I hadn't even taken them.
I cut up a clove of garlic and chewed on it lightly and left it in the area then swallowed it to also get the immune system boost. The garlic was strong and it hurt like crazy but I could feel the healing. I have done this every day before bed and it started to heal as soon as I started doing this.
-- Make sure to clean the infection site (if your specialist says it is OK) with a syringe with warm water and salt after every single meal to avoid infection.
In addition to Garlic I took the following:
- Apple Cider Vinegar (swish and swallow)
- Drinking lots of Green Tea
- Vitamin D
- Olive Leaf Complex
- Clove Oil applied to the area
- Yogurt
- Vitamin B
- Ibuprofen for pain/swelling
I am still trying to find a natural anti-inflammatory that actually works.
Garlic
Posted by Don Quixote (Los Angeles, Ca) on 09/14/2012
★★★★★
I've had serious pain under my nose a week and a half ago. I didn't have any sores or anything on my gums. I didn't know what it was until I went to the dentist about a week later which was yesterday. The dentist told me I have a cavity above the gumline and that it was causing an infection causing the abcess in my gum. He told me many things that I needed to do and I refused. He told me he was going to prescribe me antibiotics but I kindly declined. I went home and freaked out a little bit because I heard so many scary things about abcessed gums and teeth.
I woke up this morning with severe pain. Almost bone chilling. I was not happy. Popped some Motrin (2 to be exact) and it pretty much did nothing. I swished some oil of oregano, xylitol, coconut oil but for some reason none of it did anything except make the abcess bigger. I then put salt on it and left it on for about 35 minutes and did this 3 times. Still nothing but I could see the bubble growing really huge spanning two teeth (my front and my right incisor) and growing from the top of my gumline where it connects to my inner lip stretching almost to my gumline at my tooth. In all honesty, I freaked the f*ck out and was nearly about to call the dentist and ask for those antibiotics.
Then I read something on Earth Clinic about garlic. I had chewed garlic before when I had a serious toothache and it really helped so I gave it a try.
I sliced a thin slice of garlic and put it directly over the abcess and left it there. For the first 5 minutes I was nearly in tears and I'm a grown man of past 30! The intense stinging subsided after about 5 minutes and I decided to do some yoga to ease my mind. I believe there is a HUGE mind/body connection and I actually attribute my growing pustule to my dentist visit. It had been getting better up until I saw the dentist and he told me that I had an abcess.
Deepak Chopra once told a story about a doctor friend of his who had not gone for a checkup in 10 years. When he finally went for his checkup, an xray showed some black spots on his lung which was diagnosed to be cancer. Not long after, this doctor died. One day, while Chopra was cleaning out his friend's office, he came across an xray of his friend's lungs that was taken almost ten years prior. When he held it up to the light, he saw the same black dots which meant his friend had been successfully living with lung cancer for 10 years and didn't die until he found out about it! This is why I feel my visit to the dentist exacerbated my situation because my unknown "sore" was getting better on its own until I found out the "true cause" of it.
Anyhow, after about 40 minutes of leaving the garlic on the wound and doing some yoga to ease my mind while listening to meditation music, my pustule exploded. It was nasty and I had a mouth full of blood. I felt soooo much better. I now have another slice of garlic over it and will be changing it out every so often for the next few weeks to nip this in the bud but what I really think did this is my belief in the garlic remedy. Those of you searching for remedies here, don't even try it if you don't have faith behind what you're doing because it won't work for you.
If you ever get a chance, look up the Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy. Amazing book that changed my life. Good luck to you all!
Garlic
Posted by Kelly (Cambridge, Ma) on 05/12/2011
★★★★★
Stick with the garlic. It works wonders! I had a very similar experience a few months ago and was blown-away by how well the garlic worked.
You didn't mention how much garlic you've been taking. I used fresh garlic. Chop up one good sized clove and let it sit for about 10 min's, then put it on a spoon to take it and wash it down with lots of water.
I did this three times a day and in about 3-4 days, the swelling and pain were completely gone. I can't say enough about the use of garlic for these type issues. Truly amazing.
Garlic
Posted by Susan (Owen Sound, Ontario, Ontario Canada) on 02/10/2011
★★★★★
I have been having an issue with an infection in the bone beneath a failed root canal. Antibiotics didn't touch it, and I was told the tooth would have to come out. I started chewing raw garlic for the pain, which worked immediately. I then started rinsing with a 50/50 solution of hydrogen peroxide and water, and after only two days, the swelling has gone down and the tooth again feels like it "fits' in my mouth. I would never have believed that garlic and H2O2 would have made such a remarkable difference, but it has. I may still have to have an extraction in the future, but for now, all is well and that's good enough for me! Thank you EC for this amazing resource!
Garlic
Posted by Dee (Arkansas) on 02/04/2018
Make yourself a mixture of garlic and sea salt, put in grinder if you have one, if not then just mix them together and add 1 cup of distilled water. Put on stove for 15 minutes. Drain/strain and add honey to liquid and take 1 tbsp 3-4 times a day.
Garlic
Posted by Leanne (Australia) on 03/18/2017
★★★★★
My partner was in agony with an tooth infection. He tried codeine, salt water and everything other than garlic. Looking up home remedies I saw garlic is the no1 home remedy. Amazing results as he can now sleep. He said pain went instantly. Highly recommened as it really does work.
Garlic
Posted by Ashokan (Gilbert) on 12/26/2016
★★★★☆
BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS
I am on visit to USA to have some great time( for about 4 months ) with my kids and grand kids. Right from the 2nd month beginning started developing gum and front tooth infections. Used antibiotics prescribed by my dentist at home (2 doses a day in morning and evening). 3 or 4 days after infections surfaced again. My antibiotics stocks were about to be exhausted and was wondering what to do. I didn't like to put burden on my kids physically and financially and decided to go back beforehand and informed my family about this. I used hydrogen peroxide and salt water mouth washings without any success.
Finally unknowingly I used raw garlic for 2 days. Infection at the end of the gum healed but leaving infection inside the gum not healed resulting in a continuous pain. I felt that I made mistake using garlic. I used antibiotic for 3 days again and got the pain relieved. After 2 days infections surfaced with more teeth. Some how I decided to give another try with raw garlic.
A week has passed with chewing 2 cloves in morning and 2 in the evening. Most of the infections got healed and now I have no pain. I am confident that I can stay with my kids for the rest of planned vacation. Before going back I will report my dental health status again. I suggest readers to review their dental health status before using raw garlic to treat infections.
Garlic
Posted by Kaysho (St Albans, Uk) on 12/19/2016
★★★★★
So I have had an abscess - upper right canine tooth - was very infected so it reached my eye socket and I had a course of antibiotics that didnt shift it - after a few days it started to come back and I needed some more antibiotics which still didnt quite shift it - I read about Garlic yesterday and chewed a clove - put it against my gum (which hurts like hell) and then repeated 3 times yesterday.
This morning it was half the size - so repeated garlic against gum for 10 minutes of so - chewing it occasionally to release the pain inducing goodness...(allicin maybe) -
I think by tomorrow it will be totally gone - I am not sure garlic is so healthy if you're actually in good health as I hear it has Sulphone Hydroxyl which I believe makes your brain foggy and doesn't look good - BUT as a cure - like a medicinal dose - 10 out of 10 - for me it was like a 24 hour miracle and I was about to go back to the dentist today.
Garlic
Posted by Lisa (Raleigh ) on 10/06/2016
★★★★★
While visiting family in my hometown last week I developed a severe toothache on an upper second molar that had been recently crowned. Used a topical, aspirin and whiskey to help with pain. It throbbed intermittently for two days and at times I had to stop what I was doing for a few minutes until the pain had passed. I've always used alternatives, so looked up remedies and raw garlic was number one. I cut a sliver of garlic and held it on that tooth with gentle pressure for a few minutes, then chewed it up and swallowed. Repeated this several times and the pain I'd had for 2-3 days went from level 6 to a 2. Flew back home and went to my dentist next day who said I needed a root canal on that tooth. Did the garlic a couple more times before my appointment with endodontist today. He was surprised I was referred to him as the testing he did resulted in just slight pain and sensitivity. Sent me home, with a follow up in a week. I'm continuing to do the garlic, and am seeing improvement.
Have been practicing alternative treatments for many years, and I am a HUGE fan of garlic. I use it in cooking quite a bit, but that kills its medicinal properties. I'm going to continue eating it raw, and warn/inform my friends and coworkers about it's lovely odor and miraculous healing properties!
Garlic
Posted by Angie (Oceanside) on 11/25/2015
My teeth do not hurt but I have been suffering with dizziness, clogged ears, off balance and blurry vision. With no pain at all could I have an abscess tooth.
Garlic
Posted by Katzie (Canada) on 12/13/2022
Each and every infection in a body leaves damage behind. A gum boil sounds kinda important to jump on and try to kill it until it is dead. Your gums are the foundation of your oral health and your teeth. Digestion starts in our mouths! People get heart attacks if they eat before brushing their teeth all the time (ingesting bad bacteria). Please take care of this.
I recommend Colloidal Silver, 1TBSP 3 or 4 times a day until that thing is gone. I would also soak a cotton ball and put that against it for 20 mins at a time. Also look into DMSO, as it will take the Colloidal Silver in deep. DMSO on its own would work, too. Also, look into Castor Oil Packs (plenty of info on this site). There are many ways to heal an abscess naturally.
If you can't afford CS or DMSO, please read the Tooth Abscess threads here and look for the healing ingredients that you can or already have.
Oil Pulling is great. If you add any essential oils, just make it for a few drops (5-7), as they are very powerful on their own. Any essential oil would work, too, I'd think.
Healthful healing thoughts to you!!
Garlic
Posted by denise (CA) on 01/09/2020
thanks Robert. We do need to be careful for sure with "even" natural things. I accidentally had the top of an Essential Oil (frankinsense) popoff when adding it to my bath. I didn't want to waste it so I went ahead and got it. I was very lucky to only get the burn feeling and no skin damage though. I sure learned my lesson. The "burning" lasted a couple hours, even having showered quickly, and and then dabbing with cold-water towels. This was 100% pure, so-called good brand which I believe it is. But too much can get us in trouble, or "how" we use it ;)
Garlic
Posted by KT (Usa) on 03/16/2017
I think I have overdone it with the garlic cloves on an abscessed tooth. I then used a tea bag on it and oil pulled with CO. It is a lower bicuspid I had a root canal on. It is also a tooth without a crown. My gum is raw and sore. It is important to note that this time I did not just bite on the garlic clove. Because I had read posts of people making a paste out of garlic powder, I tucked the clove between my gums and cheek where it was directly over where the abscess had come through. Is there something else I can use to soothe and help my gums heal because that area really looks bad. I also used a charcoal poultice but don't know if I can use that overnight. I'm fearful of infection. I took some CS at five o'clock.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Garlic
Posted by Andy (Port Huron, Mi) on 03/04/2017
★★★★★
I have tried everything, including narcotics, orajel, ibuprofen, you name it, I tried it...... But when I put the garlic on my abscess..... Wow... Amazing! Thanks alot!
Garlic
Posted by Jim (Frostburg) on 02/09/2016
Phyllis, thanks for your warning.
In my own experience, one thin slice of raw garlic was enough to do the job, and how. I cringed when you wrote "several" ;-)
Garlic
Posted by Gabbysue (Haltom City, Texas) on 03/03/2014
★★★★★
When my son was 18 he had a root canal. The dentist put in a porcelain tooth. I assume because it was a back tooth. He is now 27. He told me the other day that the tooth had started to fall out and he pushed it back in. He said it didn't hurt. My first thought unfortunately came to light. The next day he woke up with the left side of his face extremely swollen. I was afraid that when he pushed it back in he also pushed bacteria, etc. in. Not having insurance I came here to see if there was a home remedy. I read a tried and true story from Phil in Manchester, UK from 02/23/13. I knew my son would be too skeptical, so I had him read the story. Being in so much pain he agreed to try it. I gave him a sliver of garlic and told him to hold it on the sore gum for at least 3 minutes. Poor guy, his eyes started watering and I could tell it made the pain worse. After 3 mins he spit it out. About 15 or so mins he ran to the bathroom. The abscess had started draining. He stayed in the bathroom spitting and rinsing with water for 15 mins. The next morning he had no swelling or pain. I am so thankful that I found earthclinic.
Garlic
Posted by Phil (Manchester, United Kingdom) on 02/23/2013
★★★★★
Well, all I can say is this site has seriously saved me from continued pain. I started getting some tooth pain in a tooth that is currently undergoing root canal treatment last night (Friday - isn't that always the way with dental pain?). Today I've had gum and cheek swelling and some pretty extreme pain. Yesterday I was able to manage the pain with ibuprofen however it has had little effect today. Around 2 hours ago I noticed that there were abscess heads around the tooth. With a small bit of pressure the abscess burst and a mix of yellow/creamy fluid along with what appeared to be blood began to flow out which obviously shows that there is an infection. However, the pain continued. In desperation, I searched for some home remedies due to not being able to see the dentist for another 42 hours. Now, I've never been a believer in home remedies which is probably due to the circles that I mix with; my fiance is a Doctor, her mother is a Veterinary Surgeon etc. However, after reading the thread I rushed to the shop and purchased some garlic. I split one of the cloves and cut a large chunk out of it. I applied the chunk of garlic to the side of the tooth that the fluid had come from... At first it was fine with the exception of a slight tingle in my tongue, however after about 30 seconds the pain really kicked in. I kept it there for as long as I could (about 3 - 4 minutes) and then swallowed the liquid and spat out the remainder of the cloves.
I didn't notice any difference at first (if anything it was now stinging as well as being generally painful), however 20 minutes later the pain literally disappeared. I was sat watching TV holding my mouth and it was as if the pain was just switched off! I'm now able to close my mouth and even chew which is ridiculous considering the pain I was in.
Everyone - this is genuine. If it worked for me (and as I said I'm a firm nay-sayer when it comes to home remedies) then it could work for you!
