You might think that toothaches -- like smallpox, polio, and the plague -- are a thing of the past, easily cured out of existence with modern medicine, but you'd be wrong. About one in four adults report toothaches every months, and these obnoxious little pains are the most common source of discomfort in the mouth and face region. A trip to the dentist will probably solve your problem, but if you can't get to the office right away, you're going to want to know a couple of ways to numb the pain until you can plop yourself in the dentist's chair. 

Method #1: Au Natural

There are several perfectly good ways to whiten your teeth with natural remedies, but what about getting the pain from a toothache to go away? Clove oil has been used for a long time as a natural pain reliever, and it works phenomenally to deaden the pain from a toothache for at least a couple hours. Simply take a bit of clove oil (either store-bought or homemade) and put it on the affected area. It'll start to tingle a bit (and taste really bitter), but be careful not to spit it out or rinse your mouth for a couple of minutes. 

This cure is good for a few hours of pain relief. If the pain starts spiking again, feel free to redo the treatment.

Method #2: Suck It

If you've got a few cough drops lying around, you're in luck. The natural elements in cough drops that help to calm the throat when you're sick can also help to soothe the pain in your tooth for a bit. Just pop a cough drop in -- being extremely careful not to bite on it -- and let it rest in the side of your mouth with the affected tooth. Feel free to repeat as many times as you have cough drops, but be careful -- the sugar in cough drops could cause a cavity, so rinse with water every so often to move the sugar off your teeth.

Method #3: Ward Off Pain

It turns out garlic is good for more than just seasoning pasta dishes and warding off vampires -- it can also help relive tooth pain almost immediately. Just mix about a clove or two of chopped garlic (fresh or canned) with a few pinches of salt and smooth the resulting paste directly onto the hurting tooth. Along with reducing the pain, garlic also has antibacterial properties, which will keep the area nice and clean until you can get to the dentist, like Michael Neeley DDS PA.