How to ease a toothache with accupressure - Toothache

Acupressure, for those who aren't familiar with the term, is an alternative form of treating ailments by using the pressure of the fingers or fingernails on different parts of the body. The treatment is similar to acupuncture, but uses the finger pressure in place of the needles that the latter uses. Acupressure should be applied with firm pressure, with a rotary or turning motion applied at the same time. While many are wary of alternative therapies, acupressure is growing in popularity across the nation. (After all, it offers the benefits of acupuncture but doesn't require you to have needles poked into your body.)

To use acupressure to treat a toothache, you first need to know where to apply the pressure. There are actually two places where pressure can be applied to assist in treating a tooth ache; a treatment time of 30 seconds to four minutes should be sufficient for either.

The first place where you can apply pressure to assist in easing a toothache is the point known as "Chang-Iang". This point is located on the index finger, just beneath the corner of the nail closest to the thumb. The Chang-Iang point is just slightly beneath the nail corner and slightly to the left (for the right hand) or right (for the left hand). About a millimeter or less in each direction should do it. Apply pressure as described above, using the tip of the finger.

The other location that can be used is known as the "Kroun-Loun" point, and is located between the outer ankle and the Achilles tendon. The point is toward the bottom of the outer ankle, just above the heel, and pressure applied to it should be aimed downward onto the heel bone. The area that you're shooting for is around 2 millimeters from the ankle, and will produce somewhat of a strange feeling when pressure is applied... after all, the only bone in the area is the heel bone, and that's where the pressure is going. Apply pressure as described above, for 30 seconds to 4 minutes.

Of course, you should keep in mind that pain is usually a sign that there's something wrong in the body, and while it is possible to treat the pain this will not always fix the original problem. Should conventional and alternative pain treatments fail to help, don't hesitate to see a dentist or orthodontist; after all, it's their job to help you with problems concerning your teeth. This simple acupressure treatment can't replace the opinion of a trained professional, and it isn't designed to... it should be used for the treatment of minor pain only.