People, who were unlucky enough to get toothache were even more unlucky when they were subjected to some of the stranger early cures. None of the old English cures were, however, quite as bad as an ancient Egyptian cure that involved applying the body of a freshly killed mouse to the aching tooth.
A Welsh cure for toothache came close to the Egyptian one in terms of unpleasantness. This involved pounding lizards and fern beetles in an iron pot and making a powder from them. The wet forefinger was then dipped in the powder and applied to the tooth frequently until the tooth supposedly painlessly came out.
Another remedy was not so gruesome. It involved the person suffering from toothache lying on the opposite side of the body from the side where the toothache was. Three drops of rue juice were then dropped into the ear on the same side as the aching tooth. It was allowed to remain for an hour or two, after which the toothache was supposed to have disappeared.
Whiskey was involved in at least two cures. In one, a piece of cotton wadding or cotton wool moistened with whiskey was placed on the tooth. In another, a small piece of strong brown paper was dipped in whiskey, sprinkled with pepper and applied to the face at the point where the aching tooth was. This was covered with a flannel bandage and left until a cure was effected.
A piece of cloth dipped in a mixture of creosote, brandy and sweet spirits of nitre was held to be curative. Alternatively, a little bryonia liniment was added to warm water and held in the mouth over the tooth that was giving problems.
Fresh ginger was chewed to dull the pain of toothache. Ginger was also used as an internal cure. Ground ginger was mixed with Epsom salts and added to hot water.
Cinnamon oil applied directly to the tooth was thought to bring relief to toothache while a piece of cotton wool soaked in oil of cloves applied in the same way was a common popular cure. Peppermint oil was also used to ease toothache. Onion juice was also put on cotton wool and applied to the aching tooth, as was the juice of fresh parsley.
An infusion of watercress was used as a mouthwash for toothache, and chewing fresh yarrow leaves was another suggested cure. Chamomile taken internally was also thought to be helpful.
Herbs thought to be effective in the curing of toothache, apart from those already mentioned, included broom, lavender, marjoram and wintergreen.
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