Mandy
This is a problem that requires multiple treatments in my opinion. You need to relieve the pain and to fight the infection. First of all for the pain there is ice or very cold water, swirl it in your mouth every few minutes to help with the pain. Secondly there is tea bags or potatoes. Both can draw out an infection, I prefer the teabag myself. This helps with the pain by drawing out the infection and relieving the pain caused by the internal swelling. Simply tuck a dry teabag into your cheek against the sore tooth. Lay down for awhile I usually change the bag every 2 hours or so, but that is partially because I tend to bite down on it and I don't want it to rip open and pour tea leaves down my throat.
Secondly you need to fight the infection, garlic tablets and vitamin C have always been the best cures I have found. I can't tell you how much to take as I usually pour out a handful from each bottle and put them in my pocket and take one or two each time I take a drink of my cold water. Secondly I up the water intake to about a gallon a day or so to keep my system rinsing itself out and fight the infection. Also several times a day I rinse my mouth with peroxide letting it soak on the offending tooth for several minutes then spitting it out, I do this two or three times in a row about 4 times a day.
Usually I'm fine in between 24 and 48 hours, the infection and the pain are gone and I'm able to just go about my life.
Let me say that I know that whoever posted a million posts in this thread is correct in saying if you have an abscessed tooth you should get medical attention, unfortunately not all of us can do that, I myself have NO money, No insurance, and small kids to take care of, and a job i have to go to no matter how much pain I'm in to pay the bills and keep a roof over my head. I have had a tooth that is broken in half for about 2 years and gotten about 4 infections in it. It isn't fun and I wish I could afford to fix it so that I didn't have to keep dealing with it on my own but the truth is I just can't. I can't pick my tooth over food for my kids or paying the electric bill. But using a combination of the above tricks I've found I can at least keep the infections at bay and hopefully in the next few months my new job will Begin offering insurance and I can get it fixed
Good luck!
I tried this and let me say thank you ,thank you ,thank you.I too have no insurance,and no income at this time so When my face started to look like a beach ball on one side I started to self medicate with vitiman c tablet,salt water,benidril and zink ocide all helped the swelling but nothing was helping the infection so I went to the E.R. and they gave me a shot that helped for a couple of days then the infection got worse so I got on the internet to look for self treatment .and saw the tea bag thing I was so desperate I would have tried anything it was so bad it felt like a volcano was erupting in my mouth so I thought what the heck tea bags are cheeper then dentist and I have plenty of tea any way so I fell asleep with one in my mouth and when I woke up six hours later the thing was saturated in yellowish-green puss, yeck I know but it helped,but how long does it take to get it totaly gone I been about for days then I though I was heeled so I stoped and it came right bak going to try it again tonight when I get home will try for couple of weeks but a warning use towel I totaly ruied our pillows.but it does draw the infection out and helps with pain so you can get a good nights sleep THANK YOU SOOOOOOOO
MUCH.GREAAAAAAATY APRECIATED.