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I am suffering from toothache which is causing an unbelievable amount of pain. A trip to the dentist confirmed it is an infection due to my wisdom teeth but they won't give me anything of any substance because I am pregnant. Corsodyl gel, paracetamol and salt water rinses are the recommendation - none of which are helping barely slept because of the pain and have now developed earache.

If I am this pathetic now, what am I going to be like during labour?

Am I being in unreasonable in thinking the removal of my own head will make the pain go away?

Poor you. Toothache is utterly vile. Last time I had it head removal seemed like a sensible option. Your dentist is being very mean not giving you decent pain relief. I'm on cocodamol (30/500 strength) for something else and am 37 weeks preg. Can you see your GP to get something to tide you over?

Labour pain is completely different. It's not constant, it's not in your actual head, the midwives give you lovely drugs if you're struggling and you get a rather gorgeous baby at the end. Oh, and you can make strange noises and be shouty and nobody minds.

I hope you get your treatment soon. If you're not prioritised then it's the dentist who should have their head removed.

Oh, poor thing. Yes, I also think head removal is the only option!! Please don't think that this is any indication on how you will deal with labour. I think tooth pain is one of the worst you can get because it affects not just your tooth, but you face, neck and sometimes I've even had it where it seems to radiate down the nerves in my arm-horrid.

I would rather give birth any day.

I hope you are not in pain too long

Do you have antibiotics for the infection?

Thanks for the responses, it's good to know I am not just a total wimp! Always thought I had quite a high pain threshold until this...

Holly no, they didn't want to give me any antibiotics because I am pregnant (26 weeks), she said the saltwater would keep the infection at bay

I would rather give birth than have toothache.

could you go to your GP and see if there is any antibotic that are safe in pregnancy.

Labour pain is very different from other pain, IME so don't worry about that. I had abdominal pain about 4 months after giving birth - I'm sure in comparison to labour the pain was less but it was constant, I was worried about what it meant - what was wrong? and also stressing about things like who would look after DS, what would DH do about work. So overall it was worse. All that is sort of handled when you're in labour and you know why the pain is there -- it's a positive thing.
Hope you're feeling better soon

Change your dentist.

Deep seated tooth infections can get into the blood stream and give you septacaemia.

All the penicillin style drugs are safe in pregnancy - some others are not, but amoxycillin, penecillin, ethromycin are perfectly safe

I had a wisdom tooth infection in pregnancy and completely sympathise with you, I was given AB's and luckily they cleared it up. I would go back. In my opinion tooth ache, ear ache and tonsillitis are the three worse pains! (And I had a horrid labour and can still confirm that's correct)

Hope you feel better soon

Thanks everyone. Will have a trip to the doc's today and see if they can give me anything. I didn't realise you could still take things - just keep getting told to take paracetamol, which doesn't seem to do much at all...

The doctor cannot prescribe for toothache - it has to be the dentist.

Get yourself to another dentist, I had 3 lots of antibiotics while pregnant. And I'm sure you're allowed co codamol for pain relief. DS was fine with the antibiotics and is now 10 weeks old and shouting at me.

I hope it gets better. Toothache is much worse than labour!

I was prescribed painkillers by my GP because I couldn't get in at the dentist. Maybe some do and some don't and it was about 10 years ago. Worth a call to the surgery maybe? I'd also mention that the dentist won't give you ABs. You can't be left in so much pain with no treatment.

Aah, don't say that holly! It's a right trek to the dentist and I live quite rural and am without a car for today. The thought of public transport hurts almost as much as the toothache! Will they not give me something if I cry at them?

It is awful, you poor thing. i had to have a root canal when nursing, and had noting but paracetamol, it was hell. Tooth pain does make you want to cut your head off, and is nothing like labour, don't worry.

I second what HollyBush says, go back to the dentist and insist on AB's, you will start to feel better in a day or two

Dentists cannot prescribe codeine in any form ie co-codamol.

Ok, thanks everyone. Am at the doctors surgery for something else this morning so going to see if I can speak to a doc when I am there, failing that will try to get something from the dentist again.
Here's hoping the doc can do it!

I would take 40 labour over ear infection (same sort of pain as tooth) any day!

Feel for you, hope you get it sorted soon.

I had 3 ear infections in first trimester and antibiotics for all, plus co codamol prescribed by docs, baby is fine :-)

I had a tooth infection when I was pregnant and they gave me antibiotics which then gave me thrush

I had an awful abscess and infected dry socket after the damn tooth was removed. It started the day after I found out I was pregnant at just under 4 weeks and I finally got rid of the infection at 15 weeks, after 4 courses of antibiotics. I found the dentist to be helpful but limited (could only prescribe amoxycillin) and the gp to be a pain in the arse because it was a tooth I had a battle to get them to see me let alone prescribe anything! Eventually in desperation I went to a&e as I hadn't been eating or drinking properly due to the pain, I developed earache and a swollen face. They gave me a different antibiotic (still safe) and some decent painkillers. I would have happily married the bloody a&e doctor that night.
So to summarise, there are stronger painkillers which are perfectly safe in pregnancy (not ibuprofen as you are close to third trimester) and there are plenty of antibiotics you can take which are also safe. Having a tooth access for 2 months isn't a valid option IMO and salt water applied to the top of the tooth will have fuck all effect on what's going on underneath, in the same way that putting savlon cream on the top of an abscess will not make the access go away!

First of all you are not pathetic. I had exactly the same when I thought I might be pregnant and it was horrendous. I feel for you greatly! In the end I went to hospital and they found an antibbiotic I could take and I had it on IV. Really hope you get some relief soon you poor thing.

Twattybollocks that sounds awful - 11 weeks of it?! Luckily GP has been fab - i asked receptionist if i could speak to someone, no-one available so left details and within an hour they phoned me and said they had faxed a prescription for co-codamol to pharmacy and are willing to prescribe antibiotics as long as I speak to the dentist to make sure they are warranted and it isn't a minor infection that will clear with salt rinses. Doesn't bloody feel minor but will see what they say! Happy days!

It wasn't bad for the full 11 weeks, I would have jumped off a bridge! Basically each time it partially cleared with the amoxycillin but a couple of weeks later would come back for revenge. They eventually gave me co-amoxiclav which is amoxycillin and something else which makes it more effective and that's what eventually got rid of it. Sadly the abcess damaged my jaw bone meaning that they can't now put an implant in and I have a gaping crater where my tooth was. The pain was bad enough but the frustration of being passed from the gp to the dentist and back nearly drove me to distraction.

Get some antibiotics!

I would rather give birth again than have a tooth absess. Its just the worse thing.

Hope you're feeling better.

Well, I have been taking co-codamol which is providing some pain relief but generally wearing off a couple of hours before I can take next dose. Phoned the dentist and said doc was prepared to prescribe AB's if warrented and they said I should just go back and see them on Wednesday instead, continuing with salt rinses and corsodyl in the meantime.

I know there is a prescription of amoxiclav (?) waiting and am really tempted just to get it and start taking them. Face has swollen a bit (not massively) and have earache. Can't see how this will just clear itself and will be really pissed off if on Wed they tell me to take AB's, thereby just having delayed the whole process.

Been in tears again because of the pain and still considering chopping off my own head. Can't even drink through the pain which is quite annoying as well!