You seem educated enough to understand a simple fact that he should not blindly follow the advertisements. Keeping inside the medicated toothpastes, all regular toothpastes are the same and contain a detergent for removal of plaque and an abrasive for polishing the teeth. Technically speaking none of the non medicated toothpaste is superior or inferior. Your symptoms have been there for a considerable amount of time and you need a proper clinical examination by a dentist to evaluate the exact reason of your tooth ache. Do not delay the visit tell the symptoms aggravate further because home remedies or advertisement based products are not going to cure the dental problems. Regards.