It’s sort of a cliche in cartoons and especially early films- a person suffering from a toothache will have a bandage wrapped around his head, under his jaw and knotted on the top of his head. What was that all about? I can’t imagine how that would help.
I’ve had a few abscessed teeth in my day. ANY distraction will give you something to focus on, other than the pain. A heating pad will help, somewhat.
I suspect that the bandage is a placebo effect, mostly. My father used to tell me of folk remedies that he and his friends used, back in the depression. They used to cut potatoes in half and bandage the halves to their foreheads to treat headaches, for instance. When I asked him how this helped, he shrugged and said that when you don’t have money for aspirin, you’ll try anything to get relief.
It wouldn’t be the bandage itself, but a poultice held in place by the bandage, I would think. Granted, a poultice almost certainly* wouldn’t actually do anything to fix the source of the toothache, but a hot or cold one might temporarily soothe the pain or reduce swelling in the jaw. It’s also possible that simply immobilizing the jaw with a bandage might prevent you from aggravating the pain.
*Caveat included on the off-chance that extra heat from an external poultice might help draw an abscess or something.
In my physical anthropology training, I’ve examined more than one skull that had a neat little hole somewhere in the jaw. This was almost certainly an abscess that ate through the bone until it released. I can’t imagine the torture the person went through and can understand why people willingly let someone pull their tooth without anesthesia. Also, a lot of the holes weren’t healed over, which might have meant the person died from the abscess. Sheesh.
I know exactly the image described in the OP. Maybe to hold an icepack near the sore tooth?
Bingo!
I suspect that the bandage is a placebo effect, mostly.
I have not actually tried it but seen my granny doing the same thing when she had a pain in her teeth. I think it must be helping somehow to get relieved from the pain.
One reason could be that it immobilizes your jaw. I’ve had tooth aches, and jaw motion can really exacerbate the pain, especially if the tooth is loose.
Or the proverbial raw steak.
I used an elastic band with pockets to hold icepacks when I had some teeth extracted.
Never had a “toothache”, but I’m assuming it would help there too.
You put raw steak on a black eye, or what you think might become a black eye. Never heard of it being used for a toothache.
A chaw of tobacco used to be the folk remedy for a toothache.
I’ve also seen the bandage used in cartoons to signify “mumps” rather than toothaches.
I’ve learned from experience that putting pressure on a sore tooth can minimize the pain.
That was my thought. When I’ve had a toothache, I’d spend a lot of time holding my face there to help relieve the pain. I’d have guessed the “bandage” was there for the same effect.
It is considered as the most comfortable position of the jaw during tooth ache. It also helps to relieve the pain as it puts pressure on the teeth that is paining. I read some wonderful information regarding it here.