Yes… clove essential oil is known to be one of the best oils for teeth, and today I’m gonna tell you why, what it does, and how to use it.
Clove oil is from the clove plant (Syzgium Aromaticum), and its primary component is known as eugenol. It’s been traditionally used as a pain reliever for mouth pain and works very similarly to benzocaine which is the active ingredient in products like Orajel. In fact… the NY Times reported that clove oil did just as well as benzocaine in a 2006 study comparing the two on their pain relieving properties.
A lot of parents don’t like using products with benzocaine because it’s been known to cause allergic reactions and have some side effects associated with it in some cases. So let’s face it. If you’re like me, when it comes to your kids and when there’s an alternative, you prefer to use anything that’s natural over something that’s synthetic any day.
Here’s Where Clove Essential Oil Comes Into Play
You can use clove oil for any pain in your mouth. It also has antibacterial properties so it’s great in mouth rinse or to use with anything that could get infected or is already infected due to bacteria.
It’s commonly used for toothaches among adults, but when it comes to kids, most people use it for teething babies to help numb the gum. You can read my hesitations on using clove oil for teething babies here, but when it comes to using this oil for older kids, the best way would be to add a drop or two to homemade toothpaste or kid friendly mouthwash. Most kids don’t have too many dental issues like adults may have, but it’s a great oil to keep on hand for keeping mouths healthy for the whole family.
One word of caution. This oil is strong. Keep it out of reach from your children because it’s known to cause respiratory and liver problems if ingested in large amounts. Also, keep in mind that clove oil is not recommended for use in children under 2 unless diluted at a .25% dilution, and in my opinion, it doesn’t work as well at that dilution rate for an actual teething oil.
Where To Purchase Clove Essential Oil?
Here are the brands I recommend when using it for the mouth – Mountain Rose Herbs Clove Oil, Eden’s Garden Clove Oil, or Plant Therapy Clove Oil.
If you’re looking for a natural teething aid for a younger child, check out this post – An Herbal Teething Remedy That Actually Works – or this one – Can Baltic Amber Help Your Baby With Teething Pain.You can also check out your local health food store for natural products for teething babies. Here’s a great one by Herbs for Kids called Gum-omile. You can get it on Amazon if you’re like me and like to shop online! I love Amazon!
Love this post – thanks, Meagan!!
Great! Have you ever tried this with your kiddos Alex? I know you know about oils!
I used clove oil on myself after my recent tooth extraction when I didn’t want to use a high dosage of pain reliever and wanted to decrease my risk of infection. It has been 10 days, and so far, so good! It felt a lot like benzocaine on my gum.
Thanks for sharing! I read a medical study once where they compared it to benzocaine and it held it’s own against it! Good to know!
I have been using a blend of oils on my baby that has clove oil that works fairly well, but I would like to make my own. I see that you use essential oil with a carrier oil. Could I just make clove oil by soaking cloves in olive oil for a long time and avoid the need to dilute it?
Yes you can do that, but I’m not sure if it would be as strong as an EO. I’d definitely simmer your cloves in the oil over low heat for an hour or so… really infusing them. Be sure to test it on yourself first and then on your little one in a very small amount to see if it’s okay before rubbing it all over the gums. Cloves are strong… so maybe a teaspoon or so to a 1/4 cup of oil… just a guess. If it’s too strong just dilute it with more oil. Let me know how it works for you. I’m interested.
I’ve used it for a tooth that was so inflamed that I couldn’t get numb enough for a root canal. I used it in a complementary way but it sure helped a lot!
Thanks for sharing Krista… I’ve had it help before too, and it’s great that we have it to help when other things don’t. Thanks for your comment.
hi krista!
how did you apply the clove eo?
best wishes
dr mayank
Thanks for posting this! My mom has a LOT of teeth problems and so does my husband. Next time they have a tooth ache or infection, I’m going to have them use my clove oil. My 4 month old is starting to teeth but I am also not comfortable using oils on her yet so I’m using an amber teething necklace and will see how long we can go using just cold wash cloths to chew on before having to resort to the orajel!
Thanks for sharing Stephanie. Be sure to check out this post on an herbal teething remedy for children that works really well.
I cannot find how much to dilute clove oil for an adult. Going to purchase some shortly for my toothache.
I believe that most dilutions are anywhere from 3-5% dilutions when it comes to pain Robert, but you may want to refer to an essential oil book or do a google search for more info on that. Most all the dilutions on my site are for children, not adults. Hope this helps some! Good luck!
Could I possibly use clove oil to help with pain from braces? My teeth ache so badly after an appointment sometimes and I hate using ibuprofen or acetaminophen! If so, what would be a good way to apply i?
You definitely could Autumn. Most people over 10 years old do fine diluting anywhere from 18-30 drops (3-5%) in 1 ounce of olive oil. Obviously you’d want to start with the lowest concentration and see how that does… especially the younger you are. I’ve personally used it by dipping a cotton swab in the mix and putting that on the gum area that’s most sensitive. If that doesn’t help, you may want to move more towards herbal tinctures and using pain relieving EOs on the outside of your mouth… around your jaw bone. I’d definitely talk this over with an aromatherapist though just to be on the safe side. Plant therapy has three working for them that you can email anytime. Just Google them. Best of luck!
Hi!!
You seem to be quite experienced in the oils and I’m just getting started. Was it your favorite brand? I just ordered some Edens Garden because forking out $150+ just isn’t in the budget right now for YL or doTerra. I’ve not received the order from Amazon yet but anxiously awaiting it. How do you feel about Edens Garden?
I really like Edens Garden oils and use them often; however I’ve recently started using Plant Therapy’s KidSafe synergy blends for my little ones, and I’m really liking them. Here’s a Q&A post I did with them if you’re interested in learning more about their company. As far as a favorite… I’m not sure I have one. Many companies offer great quality oils, and I suppose it would depend on what I needed the oil for.
My daughter (2yr old) has a cavity in her front tooth which has resulted in part of the tooth breaking off and a dark spot at the top of the tooth. The dentist told me “it’s on the verge” of infection and we have her scheduled for pulpotomy in 2 weeks. (That was the earliest he could see her). He didn’t prescribed antibiotics bc it’s not infected yet but told me to watch it closely for signs of infection. So I’ve been paranoid ever since. Could I apply clove oil to the area at night as a preventative measure?
For a child that small, I would not use clove essential oil in her mouth. It may irritate her mouth as it’s very strong and not often recommended for children her age.
Instead, I’d make a strong garlic oil (crush a large clove of garlic, cover it with 1-2 TBSP of olive oil, simmer on LOW heat for 2 hours or so – a double boiler method is best) and put drops of that on her tooth 4-5 times throughout the day. I’d also give her an herbal tincture with antibacterial properties internally this whole time. Echinacea is a good fit. For prevention, 2-3 times a day is fine, and the dosage recommendation will be on the tincture bottle. Just remember to reduce it quite a bit for her age. My guess is that she’ll only need 5 drops or so for each dose, but that’s just off the top of my head.
If you wanna use clove, I’d do an olive oil infusion with whole cloves, but I wouldn’t do essential oils. Hope this helps and gives you a starting point.
Which companies have oils that are safe for internal use? I have the Doterra physician kit and it states that most the oils can be used for internal use. I also have some Young Living, and the Eden’s Garden First Aid kit. I (obviously) prefer the prices at Eden’s Garden, but even though they say their quality is equal to Doterra, they say their oils are not for internal use, so I find that confusing….If they are equal quality, why isn’t EG ok for internal use?? I noticed you use EG clove oil for toothpaste, so do you personally use EG oils internally? I need to restock my oils and am really debating which company to use. I do not want to pay the prices for the mlm companies. And have you used Hopewell oils? Their website is very informative and prices are better than Doterra & YL, but more pricey than Edens. How does Eden’s and Plant Therapy compare? So many questions….lol….sorry ? Btw… I am the homeschooling mom of four. Two have graduated and I have twins in 8th grade….we have home schooled all the way through from day one, and we have always loved it! I found your blog tonight and think I is fabulous ?
Thanks for your kind words, Stacey, and I totally hear your frustration with all these different EO companies. First, let me say that I’m not tied to one brand over another. In fact, I use a lot of different EO brands, and all of the ones I use are high-quality, therapeutic grade (that’s actually just a marketing term though… there is no true “therapeutic” grade), and can be used internally if you want.
As far as internal use and labeling goes, some companies claim their oils are of such high quality that they are the only ones that can be used internally. Other companies don’t claim their oils can be used internally and their packaging says “for external use only.” From my understanding, these brands that only promote external use can be used internally, but they don’t claim that on their labels because they don’t pay for the high-priced insurance that covers them in the case that someone sues them because of damages caused by using their oils internally. Does that make sense? Companies like YL and DoTERRA pay crazy amounts of money in insurance in order to make that claim on their label. That’s one of many reasons their oils are so much more expensive. Smaller companies simply don’t pay for that insurance, don’t make those claims, and save their customers money.
When it comes to the EOs I use, I love Plant Therapy and Edens Garden, but I know there are other great brands out there. Beeyoutiful has high-quality oils as does Mountain Rose Herbs, and I’ve heard great things about Hopewell too. In fact, my MIL just gave me a digestive blend she bought from them. I’ve not used it yet, but I’ll definitely try it when I need it. All of these small companies vary in price, but they all go to great lengths to source high-quality oils that are produced properly, they all have testing done on their oils that you can request copies of, and they are committed to keeping their prices low by not paying for crazy insurance and having distributors to compensate. There are many other companies out there that aromatherapists have used for years that offer great oils.
I hope this helps you in some way. If I were you and you want to learn more about using EOs for your family, why not take the free aromatherapy class that Aromahead Institute offers? They’re not associated with any one brand of EOs, and it may help you learn more about how to use them.
Thanks for the post I have been using YorHealth organic oils. Love them I am just learning.
Glad the post was helpful, Mary!
Hi I really enjoyed reading your posts! learned a lot I have been using edens garden oils for years now. I have a question for you because I am not good at this blending your own. I was told a great blend for my teeth and gums health would be cinnamon, clove, peppermint, spearmint, myrrh, tea tree, I have all these but how would you blend them all ? I don’t know how much of each? I sure hope you can help
Many Blessings
Lynn
You can learn more about blending essential oils in this post here.