Tooth infection - agonizing pain any advice please

Hey bossdean,

I can totally relate to your problem. I had the same issue post my dental treatment and my dentist asked me to follow certain self care tips to avoid the pain to get worse. You can follow them too and it really helps. Avoiding anything that makes the pain worse, such as hot or cold foods or cold air holding cooled water or crushed ice around the tooth can sometimes ease the pain, the pain can often feel worse when you are lying flat, so lying propped up may help ease pain. Hope these helps you to find some comfort. 

MUST READ FOR EXTREME AGONY TOOTH PART! I have been threw hell and back I have used cloves, peroxide, crushed up old school aspirins (with no coating on them) listening, wax to fill the hole... Which helps because the nerve is exposed so as long as it's cleaned & changed everytime you put something into your mouth it should definitely help. I think oragel is the WORST for me anyway. Anbesol LIQUID helped more than gel. I also don't think the salt water helps with the pain only the infection along with clove (it draws out the infection) putting freezing cold water on the tooth helps with the nerve but is only for 5 minutes tops. My BEST advice is listening WITH alcohol it helps numb it & clean at same time, also a MUST is execredin MIGRAINE for headaches it has the caffeine in it & that shrinks the nerves in the teeth/ tooth you MUST drink a full glass of water for it to work . (I am a HUGE coffee drinker so don't drink the coffee it WILL NOT HELP. If I am still in AGONY then I have my husband crush up a NON coated aspirin and he puts it in a small piece of paper to make like a funnel & fills my hole up with the aspirin (dentist's don't recommend the aspirin thing but if ur in agony you do anything yes the aspirin tastes horrible but it works because of the acid in it also it will hurt at first when you first put it in but bite the bullet for atleast 15 minutes & it helps for atleast 3hrs. The wax also helps me as well (plain no mint flavors) and lastly ice pack on for 15 minutes then off for 15 minutes and repeat until it gets room temperature then repeat every hour. And LASTLY HAVE TO TAKE ANTIBIOTICS atleast 500 mg 2xday. I NO ANYBODY WHO READS THIS WILL BE IN RELIEF! and if your like me you will try anything. And always have food in your stomach it helps push the meds threw your system

It is now 415am and not a wink of sleep. I have tried every suggestion from salt mouth wash to paracetamol, ibuprofen and not on a admin extra. I have to say nothing works for long and it can take a long time to kick in. I am also on Amoxicillan for the last three days and so far the tooth abscess is putting up a good fight. For those of you who have never suffered from the pain from a tooth abbess it can be difficult to understand the pain. I have gone through a much more serious condition in the past and had to receive a lot of treatment, but I promis there is nothing a worse at the pain from a tooth abess and no quick fix. Pain control help in the first stage, but nothing will help until the antibiotic kicks in. I don't know about others but the antiobotic can leave you feeling rubbish as well to add to all your pain. I am always confused when people say you can take paracetamol and ibuprofen togeather. Do they mean to swallow 4 tablets togeather, or two and two every 4 hours. I worry about over dosing. Is there any other over the counter pain killer anyone can recommend apart from what mentioned above. Chemist are not so helpful and will only recommend the same pain control and it dose not work to a tooth abess. For those in pain I just want you to know you are in my thoughts and hope you feel better very soon. Thank to every one for their tips. I am off to the kitchen not to get to table salt and try again. Would love a good sleep.

i had a tooth infection wich got spread to the jaw bone, and doc told me that has to be removed,after removing the tooth after 2 hours i would feel even more agonizing pain but the bright side of that was that pain relief tablets would kick in much more effectivly, i rly understand the situation u were :P the only thing why im here after a year ago this post was made, cuz im having another tooth deeply infected and i have to repeat the same procedure once again, yep thats so sad the pain is unimaginable! i had a skullbase (head) tumor surgery and i never felt such a pain as the infected tooth one!

Why dont anyone tries ketorol dt which subsidise Pain in 20 minutes...Its dispersible tablet to bataken in 1/2 water glass

OMG, I understand just what you went through.  At about midnight (and my B-day) I started having this awful toothache that excruciately painful.  I don't remember anything hurt so much before (in my mouth, that is).  I could not sleep, ibuprofen didn't do a thing, I finally took an anti-nausea pill which knocks me out but makes me feel groggy the next day but I couldn't bear the pain.

My regular dentist was on vacation.  A friend drove me to an alternate (since I was too groggy to drive); he took an x-ray of the tooth which was visibly swollen and wasn't sure if it could be saved because it had lost a lot of bone.  I saw it in the x-ray.  But, he wasn't positive, so he send me to an 'Endodontist' on an emergency basis (who I had seen years earlier). 

He decided to clean out the tooth as much as he could, put antibiotics in the canals (that hurt a bit) and the drill sounded like a jack hammer.  When i got back home, the pain was significantly less, and all I could do is sleep and I feel horrible.  He told me to come back in 2 weeks to see how the tooth was doing.

The things is, it's the next day, and I feel kind of sick, everything aches (including the tooth, but much less).  I'm taking Amoxicillin every 6 hours and ibuprofen every time it begins to hurt which is every 4 hours!~ After that, all I feel like is lying down.  It's such a bad time for this to be happening and so I'm very upset about it and worried that I might lose it anyway depending upon how much bone is lost.

Your post scared me because, like you, it's the next day and I'm still in pain (not as much though).  It's bearable, but still throbbing.  So, I have the same questions as you.  When will I start feeling ok again?

Thank you.

Hang in there.  I had a botched root canal 5 days ago.  The endodontist left one canal uncleaned and that night after the anesthesia wore off I knew something was terribly wrong.  i visited a dentist friend the next day who x-rayed the tooth confirming 2 canals not only 1 - and put me on antibiotics - clondamycin 300mg every 6 hours.  Also, I'm using warm salt rinses.  Despite this, the infection has spread into my bone, two adjacent teeth and there is a big abcess below untreated root.  Oh, and the tooth is loose!  Im seeing a new endodontist on Monday.

Give the antibiotics more time to kick in.  Try holding warm salt water in your mouth on infected side.  Im just using ibuprofen for intractable pain and its very frustrating!  

I can't count the number of people who lose a tooth after a botched root canal or wearing of the tooth.   I've had thaat happend to me awhile ago.

At least my Endodontist was honest and even after I payed for having a root canal on a large molar post infection follow up showed that the tooth could not be saved and I would just be wasting my money if I went ahead to save an unsaleable tooth.  So, I have to have it extracted.  I got a refund of $400 that my insurance Co. Reimbursed me for.  I appreciate his honesty altho I really did want to save the tooth.  Just hope I can have an implant.

you should visit a dentist

I went to my periodontist today and. We schedules an extraction and bone implant in that area in preparation for an implant later on.  That tooth is STILL infected (gum slightly swollen) although I don't feel it unless it flares up.  It will be extracted on 9/30.  Oh well.

Hi I have had a tooth abcess for couple of days now. The dentist started the root canal treatment 3 days ago.

The pain was unbearable, and constent for couple of days like many people mentioned pain killers help for small fraction of time, which further leads to me taking too much, or they dont help at all.

The pain was so bad that I couldn't focus on anything. I paced aroound the house begging people to kill me. But I found a solution.

This worked like magic. The first thing that helped was chewing on a piece of garlic on the abcess side untill your mouth gets used to the burning sensation (this will numb the tooth and allow the natural antibiotics in garlic help the body get rid of the puss).

The next thing I've done (this has especially helped me get through the night without having to wake up in agonising pain) was peeling a raw potato and grating it. I then placed the grated potato around the gum abcess area (this will extract some of the puss out of the gum and provide the gums with potasium which will allow the body to better get rid of the puss through the lymphatic system) I also place the potato on the gum during the night, this helped me to get through the night without waking up.

If you are in extreeme pain like I was then you will probably try anything. I know that all of these ingredients are natural and you can be a bit sceptical about it but it worked miracles for me so there is a chance it will help you.

I HOPE YOUR ABCESS GETS BETTER AND GOOD LUCK!

you need a second oppinion you shouldnt be allowed to go that long in pain

I feel your pain, literally!! I currently have an infection and abscess on a bottom left side tooth. The pain has been excrutiating and i know i have over dosed on pain relif. Codeine on it't own, Co-codamol, ibuprofen and gabapentin. My mother sent me some of her pregabalin so naughtily, i am taking them as well!! I know better as i am a senior staff nurse, but this pain is the worst and most debilatating pain i have ever had. It throbs, pulsates and its torture! I take anything that will stop that pain.

?I know i have to be careful and now i am being as the pregabalin has given me a headache and as i'm also on sertraline for depression, i must watch it!

?I really do sympathise with you. As a nurse i also know that 'hot-cold' compress which works on muscle pain, also relieves dental pain if you use a hot water bottle gently on the external area. I am doing this right now. Good luck and get better.