愚素无牙疼病。丙寅腊底，自津回籍，因感冒风寒，觉外表略有拘束，抵家后又眠于热炕上，遂陡觉心
中发热，继而左边牙疼。因思解其外表，内热当消，牙疼或可自愈。服西药阿斯匹林一瓦半（此药原以一
瓦为常量），得微汗，心中热稍退，牙疼亦觉轻。迟两日，心中热又增，牙疼因又剧。方书谓上牙龈属足
阳明，下牙龈属手阳明，愚素为人治牙疼有内热者，恒重用生石膏少佐以宣散之药清其阳明，其牙疼即愈。
于斯用生石膏细末四两，薄荷叶钱半，煮汤分两次饮下，日服一剂。两剂后，内热已清，疼遂轻
减。翌日因有重证应诊远出，时遍地雪深三尺，严寒异常，因重受外感，外表之拘束甚于初次，牙疼因又
增剧，而心中却不觉热。遂单用麻黄六钱（愚身体素强壮是以屡次用药皆倍常量非可概以之治他人也），
于临睡时煎汤服之。未得汗。继又煎渣再服，仍未得汗。睡至夜半始得汗，微觉肌肤松畅，而牙疼如故。剧时
觉有气循左侧上潮，疼彻辅颊，且觉发热。有时其气旁行，更疼如锥刺。恍悟此证确系气血挟热上冲，滞于
左腮，若再上升至脑部，即为脑充血矣。遂用怀牛膝、生赭石细末各一两煎汤服之，其疼顿愈，分毫不复
觉疼，且从前
头面畏风，从此亦不复畏风矣。盖愚向拟建瓴汤用治脑充血证甚效，方中原重用牛膝、赭石，今单
用此二药以治牙疼，更捷如影响，此诚能为治牙疼者别开一门径矣，是以详志之。
附录∶
唐山赵××来函∶
二小儿年十二岁，右边牙疼，连右腮亦肿疼。因读先生自述治愈牙疼之经过，知腮肿系外感受风，牙
疼系胃火炽盛，遂先用西药阿斯匹林一瓦。服后微见汗。继用生石膏二两，薄荷叶钱半，连服三剂，全愈。
我向来没有牙疼的毛病。丙寅年腊月年底，我从天津回到家乡，因为感冒了风寒，感觉体表有些拘紧不适，回到家后又睡在热炕上，于是突然觉得心中发热，接着左边牙齿开始疼痛。我心想，只要解除了体表的邪气，内部的熱气自然就会消退，牙疼或许也能自愈。于是服用了西药阿斯匹林一瓦半（这种药通常以1瓦为常规剂量），出了微汗，心中的热感稍微减退，牙疼也觉得减轻了一些。过了两天，心中的热感又增加了，牙疼因此变得更加剧烈。医书上说上牙龈属于足阳明胃经，下牙龈属于手阳明大肠经，我素来为人治疗有内热的牙疼时，常常重用生石膏，少佐一些宣散的药物来清泄阳明经的热邪，牙疼就能痊愈。于是我使用生石膏细末四两，薄荷叶一钱半，煮汤分两次喝下，每天服用一剂。服用两剂后，内部的热气已经清除，疼痛随之减轻。第二天因为有大病需要出诊去远方，当时遍地积雪三尺深，严寒异常，我又重感外邪，体表的拘紧不适比第一次更严重，牙疼因此又加剧，但心中却不觉得热了。于是单独使用麻黄六钱（我身体一向强壮，所以多次用药都加倍于常规剂量，但这不能一概而论地用于治疗其他人），在临睡前煎汤服用。没有出汗。接着又把药渣再煎一次服用，仍然没有出汗。睡到半夜才出了汗，微微感觉肌肤松快舒畅，但牙疼依旧如故。疼痛剧烈时，感觉有一股气沿着左侧向上涌潮，疼痛直达面颊，并且感觉发热。有时这股气向旁边流动，疼痛更是像锥子刺一样。我突然领悟到这个病症确实是气血挟带热邪上冲，停滞在左腮，如果继续上升到脑部，就会变成脑充血症。于是我用怀牛膝、生赭石细末各一两，煎汤服用，疼痛立刻痊愈，丝毫不再感到疼痛，而且从前头面部怕风的症状，从此也不再怕风了。大概我向来建议用建瓴汤治疗脑充血症非常有效，方中原本就重用牛膝和赭石，现在单用这两味药来治疗牙疼，效果更加迅速灵验，这确实能为治疗牙疼开辟一条新的途径，所以我详细记录下来。
附录：
唐山赵××来信：
我的二儿子十二岁，右边牙疼，连带右腮也肿胀疼痛。因为读了先生自述治愈牙疼经过的文章，知道腮肿是由于外感受风，牙疼是胃火炽盛所致，于是先用西药阿斯匹林一瓦。服药后微微出汗。接着使用生石膏二两，薄荷叶一钱半，连续服用三剂，完全痊愈。
I had never suffered from toothache before. At the end of the twelfth lunar month in the Bingyin year, upon returning to my hometown from Tianjin, I caught a cold due to wind-cold pathogenic factors. I felt slight constraint on the exterior. After arriving home, sleeping on a heated kang (heated brick bed) caused a sudden sensation of heat in the heart/chest region, followed by toothache on the left side. I reasoned that resolving the exterior constraint would eliminate the internal heat, and the toothache might heal spontaneously. I took 1.5 grains of Aspirin (the standard dose being 1 grain). After sweating slightly, the heat in the chest subsided somewhat, and the toothache also alleviated. Two days later, the heat in the chest increased again, and the toothache became more severe. Medical texts state that the upper gums belong to the Foot-Yangming Stomach Meridian, and the lower gums belong to the Hand-Yangming Large Intestine Meridian. In treating toothache with internal heat for others, I have consistently used heavy doses of Sheng Shi Gao (Gypsum Fibrosum), assisted by a small amount of dispersing herbs to clear the Yangming meridians, resulting in cure. Therefore, I used four taels of fine powder of Sheng Shi Gao (Gypsum Fibrosum) and 1.5 qian of Bo He Ye (Menthae Haplocalycis Folium), decocted in water, taken in two divided doses, one dose per day. After two doses, the internal heat was cleared, and the pain decreased. The next day, due to a severe case requiring an out-of-town consultation, traveling through deep snow (three chi deep) in extreme cold, I contracted external pathogens again. The exterior constraint was worse than the first time, and the toothache intensified, but there was no sensation of heat in the chest. I then used alone Ma Huang (Ephedrae Herba) six qian (My constitution is robust, so I often double the standard dosage; this should not be generalized for treating others). Decocted and taken at bedtime. No sweat occurred. The dregs were decocted and taken again, still no sweat. Sweat finally occurred around midnight. The skin felt slightly relaxed and comfortable, but the toothache remained unchanged. During severe pain, it felt as if Qi surged upward along the left side, causing pain penetrating the cheek, accompanied by a sensation of heat. Sometimes the Qi moved sideways, causing stabbing pain like a awl. I suddenly realized this condition was indeed Qi and Blood rushing upward carrying heat, stagnating in the left cheek. If it continued to rise to the brain, it would become Brain Congestion (nao chong xue). I then used Huai Niu Xi (Achyranthis Bidentatae Radix) and Sheng Zhe Shi (Oolithi Haematitum), each one liang, finely powdered, decocted and taken. The pain ceased immediately, with no residual pain, and the previous aversion to wind on the head and face disappeared completely. I have long recommended Jian Ling Tang (Decoction for Building the Cauldron) for treating Brain Congestion with great efficacy; the formula originally heavily uses Niu Xi and Zhe Shi. Using just these two herbs now to treat toothache proved even more rapid and effective, truly opening a new pathway for treating toothache. Hence, I recorded this in detail.
Appendix:
Letter from Zhao XX of Tangshan:
My second son, aged twelve, suffered from right-sided toothache, with swelling and pain in the right cheek. Having read Mr.'s account of curing toothache, I understood that the cheek swelling was due to external wind invasion, and the toothache was due to blazing Stomach Fire. I first administered 1 grain of Aspirin. After taking it, slight sweating occurred. Then I used two taels of Sheng Shi Gao (Gypsum Fibrosum) and 1.5 qian of Bo He Ye (Menthae Haplocalycis Folium). After three doses, full recovery was achieved.