Tooth infection - agonizing pain any advice please

Posted , 62 users are following.

Like so many here my infection started as a niggling pain in my bottom lefentist t molar. I am due to have a root canal on this tooth in 2 weeks time but the next day the little niggle had exploded into unctrollable head cutting off agonizing pain, i tried relieving the pain just using paracetomol but that didnt touch it i then consumed half a bottle of whiskey which got me pissed but didnt take the pain away. I managed to get into the dentist the next day, the bus journey there was the most miserable thing I have ever endured. I saw the dentist who said I had an infection and she would prescibe antibiotics which i was thankful for but what i really wanted was for the excruciating pain to go away. The dentist was irish and I could barely understand her, she then said she could give me an injection to ease the pain so i agreed, she then injected me right at the end of my gum in the hard bit which hurt like hell but it took the pain away THANK GOD! she then told me to wait in the waiting room and she would call me in 5 mins to take another look. I went back in and she sat me in the chair then all I saw was a blur of activity and she was actually drilling into my tooth which I had no idea she was about to do. The dentist put a temporary filling in after cleaning out some of the infection, she then prescribed me erythromycin and metronidazole and tole me to take ibuprofen for the pain. To cut a long and painful story short it is now 3 days since i started on the antibiotics and I am still in ridiculous agony, should it be this long before they kick in, I am sure I am overdosing on ibuprofen and why is my mouth and ear and jaw still hurting like hell, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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  • Posted

    Hi again

    Remembered (in the middle of the night) that Monday is a Bank Hol - sorry! You could try NHS direct - do you have a dental emergency clinic attached to your local hospital?

    I would advise against holding a HOT compress actually against your face - this can bring the swelling right out onto your face and could even burst through the skin.

    As Dr Spock suggests try one teaspoon of salt in half a tumbler of hot water. Hold each mouthful for about one minute and repeat two or three times. You may find that your gum suddenly swells up showing the abscess has come throught the jawbone to the surface of the gum - hopefully the pus will then be released and the pain cease. Do hope this works. Good luck!

    Do be careful with overdoing the painkillers - particularly paracetamol - it can do irreparable liver damage. :wah:

  • Posted

    Yes heat from a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel can cause it to rage, see how you go, anyway itll probably burst later and thatll be bliss smile
  • Posted

    just an update to let you know i havent been rushed into hospital for an overdose. I managed to get a couple of hours of sleep then woke up with intolerable pain again, i swilled my tooth with warm salty water for 5 mins this re4ieved the pain for about 10 mins, i have also bought anadin ultra now for the pain this contains ibuprofen, i took a couple at 9.15 and I have had some relief. I have been massagin my cheek and jaw and as of yet no lumps have appeared. I am still quite nervous as I have only 2 lots of antibiotics left for today. I seem to get about maybe 3/4 hours relief when i take the painkillers but I am definately exceeding the maximum dose, could i take maybe 2 anadin ultra's the next time i need them and 2 paracetomol or is that silly?
  • Posted

    That amount of painkillers is far from excessive smile
  • Posted

    It's really just the paracetamol that you MUST not exceed. People just don't realise how dangerous this analgesic is when taken in excess. sad

    Keep on with the hot mouthwashes!

  • Posted

    Thanx katie..I am doing okay with paracetomol and i have been having hot salty mouthwashes, no lumps yet but pain sadly is returning, I am holding off having any more painkillers for as long as i can bare it..I had 2 anadin at 10.20 and 2 paracetomol at 12.00. I think when i can get back to the dentists hopefully tuesday I am gonna ask her to pull it because I cannot cope with the thought I would have to go through this again..p.s sorry if I am bugging you but I need some kind of support with this agony.
  • Posted

    Hi - don't worry you are certainly not bugging us - just wish we could have been of more help! I've had so many things wrong with my teeth over the years that I usually know the answers to most things. They are a real pain - literally sadI often think I should have married a dentist!

    Maybe tonight, you should try propping yourself as high up as possible on pillows - cos as soon as you lie right down the pressure really builds up - I expect you've already found that out! Hopefully by then though your wretched abscess will have burst. :yuk:

    Let us know how things go.

    Katie smile

  • Posted

    nearly 3.30am I am in agony once again, head splitting pain. My fiance is fed up of me cos i wanted to swap my teeth with hers. I last had 2 paracetomol at 8.00 pm last night and 2 anadin ultra at 9.00pm, i have only just taken more painkillers now along with a 5 minute salty mouth wash. I have run out of antibiotics but it may just be my imaginiation but does it seem longer between painkillers that this killer pain is returning..i dunno..but all i do know is that it is another long, lonely painful morning ahead..
  • Posted

    Phew, you won't forget this Bank Hol. weekend in a hurry! The metronidazole and erythromycin are a pretty powerful combination - and have hopefully halted the infection - but of course the pus needs to be released, and it seems to be very stubbon to say the leasetsad .

    It certainly doesn't sound as it you are overdosing and though you've finished the antibiotics they will still be in you system for the next 24 hours - hopefully you will be able to see you dentist tomorrow. Don't be fobbed off - insist on seeing her and hopefully she will actually do something rather than issue you more antibiotics. As there is still a lot of residual infection around she may be loathe to extract the tooth just yet in case of spreading the infection, but at least she could remove temp. filling and clean out the area again which should give some relief.

    Best of luck and hope you have an easier day today. :wah:

    Katie smile

  • Posted

    You should have got some clove oil [b:35414d5fac]bossdean[/b:35414d5fac], it tastes vile but its good smile
  • Posted

    Just a further update yesterday was another pain filled day..full of painkillers and I had a couple of cans of beer last night as i was in total misery. I took some more painkillers at 2.15 this morning, it is is now 8.30 and I dont know if this is because I prayed to god before I went sleep but I am pain free hallelujah. I have no idea if this the lull before a further storm, but I can actually put pressure on the infected tooth, there is no throbbing pain, my jaw seems ok and my ear has only mild mild discomfort. So for all those who feel no hope take all your antib's, speak to people on this site, pray like you have never prayed before and keep the faith. I will update if the pain returns and thanks for all your help
  • Posted

    A further update, I went to the dentists this morning re my troublesome tooth, I decided against the root canal and asked her to pull it. This was weird and I hope never to be repeated experience. I needed 3 injections and around 15 minutes of wriggling and pulling bedfore the damn thing came out. It was the biggest tooth I have ever seen jeesh. Anyway the injections have wore off now and I am once again in excuciating pain. I understand there is trauma involved in pulling a tooth. I have taken 600mg of ibuprofen and this has dulled the pain somewhat. Is it normal for it to be this painful after an extraction?
    • Posted

      In the meanwhile, i'd look for a new dentist.  Here in Arizona, USA, they say I live in the worst place for dentistries.  There are some reall lazy and crazy ones in these parts.  But after close examination on the matters, i have come to realize, there are always good specialists out there.  I only say you may want a new dentist because its only taken 3 mins tops to pull out 7-8 teeth and your rootcanal shouldnt have been a failure, although i know it does happen.  Sorry to hear you went through such pain last year and i Hope things are good today.  Take care o dem TEEFFF wink

       

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