Mumsnet Talk

Well no, it's certainly not ideal! I think it's changing to NHS 111 soon? Who knows how that will go but you're right, the system doesn't have patients' best interests at the core IMO.

MrsMorton Thanks for explaining that! So different. I hope people who do really need help aren't being put off by this new method. I wouldn't have thought NHS direct were the best at deciding what was a dental emergency & what wasn't, to be honest.

Thank you Mrs C,I'm assuming it's going to be hideous and then anything better than that will be a bonus!

I've had root canal. It was 100% less awful than I expected it to be.

Was anaesthetic-ed up to the eyeballs. Dentist was very quick, and efficient. I had two sessions to get everything out, and have had no repercussions, and that was treatment about 6 years ago.

Thanks ladies, I saw my own dentist on Monday who x rayed it and says I have an infection in a root - so now looking forward to root canal work next week, after the antibiotics have sorted out the infection. He's going to take out the nerve and cheered me up by saying the tooth might crumble but he's hoping not. Never had root canal before and can't say it sounds pleasant!! I asked about the pain up into the cheek, nose etc being sinus related - he was a bit non-committal about that. He was cross that out of hours dentist service wouldn't see me and said they should have done as I was in pain, not just tell me to take more painkillers. I would complain if I had the time or energy, but have a lot of other things on at the mo.

So what's root canal work like......

No, sadly the new contract took out of hours care away from individual practices and gave it to the PCT. THEY alone are responsible for the commissioning of OOH care. They either do this through employing a dentist at a dental access centre (like wot I do) or by paying dental practices to take patients out of ours. These cases are usually triaged through NHS direct and certainly for our clinic, this is the only way to get an appointment. Whether there are any emergencies or not the financial burden for the PCT is the same. So this weekend we had loooooaaaaaads of patients, when I covered the royal wedding bank holiday we had one. Fixed cost remained.

I had very similar and it turned out to be nerve spasms in the facial/jaw muscles - it's called tinieblas something I think (sorry, not very helpful)' plus exacerbated by sinisitis. Iwas v tired at the time, lots of grinding teeth, jaw clenching etc. It was agony for ages as it kept getting misdiagnosed

Very string anti-inflammatories sorted it out - I needed to see my GP not my dentist.

Every dental practice used to have to make sure that any pt in pain could be seen in 24 hours. Many (with multiple dentists) used to have to their own system, but then there was one that ALL practices that accepted/treated NHS pts had to be part of for their county! Does that not exist anymore?

differentnameforthis dental pain isn't an emergency in many PCTs. This is clearly a cost saving measure but it's not the helpline, it's the PCT who determine this.
There isn't a "call out" any more, it doesn't work like that.

And complain about the emerg helpline. They cannot leave you in pain for 48 hours, regardless of how swollen you are/not or how many painkiller you are taking. Sounds like they wanted to avoid having to do a call out. In which case they have failed in their duty of care.

Guidelines state that patients in pain should be seen within 24 hours.

All the nerves in the face are connected, so it may be that you are feeling referred pain too.

How did you get on at the dentist OP? Hope you're doing ok.

Thanks that's reassuring. The odd thing is that I don;t have much congestion - sometimes a bit of post-nasal drip, but nothing really bunged up. Just this incessant pain in the face and now the teeth.

I had a GA, as is usual for this surgery - something to do with airway protection. The biggest problem when you wake is the packing in the nose (to reduce bleeding) which means you can only breath through the mouth. I had septoplasty also due to a deviated septum and removal of some bone and lots of polyps. I think less complex surgery using a ballon to open up the gaps into the sinuses can be done under LA, but may not be available through the NHS. I was referred years ago and dismissed without treatment but recently FESS (functional endoscopic sinus surgery) has taken over from older more destructive surgery and is being done more and more because it works better and is less invasive. I still need antibiotics (twice in nearly 6 months) but it is not as debilitating or painful as before the surgery, and the gunk drains better. I have some nerve irritation - from the septoplasty but it is settling down.

magso can I ask you what the endoscopic surgery was like...... was it as hideous as it sounds, or did you have a GA? (please, please, please...) Not that I'm a wimp or anything, but I;ve had sinus problems for so long now that I think the time has come to move away from everlasting antibiotics. Be brutally honest.

Worth getting your sinuses checked.

Last time I had an appalling toothache, it then 'moved' to my eyeball and cheek. However, it could be your jaw too - TMJ certainly would be a factor.

Hope you get it sorted out quickly.

I've had tooth pain and facial pain from sinus trouble. Could you take sinutab or similar instead of paracetamol (which sinutab contain as well as a decogestant) and see if that helps? It may not be sinus but if it is it might help. I would still see the dentist tommorrow as he should be able to work out what is causing the pain and what to do next if it isn't your teeth. My dentist has prescibed antibiotics when needed for sinus infection irritating teeth.
I eventually got referred to ENT and had endoscopic surgery (6months ago) to open up my sinuses and although I have had sinus infections since they do clear up after a couple of weeks rather than continuing for ever.Hope you get sorted soon. Hope something gives relief soon!

I had exactly as vviola did. Excruciating toothache which was all over one side, turned out to be my jaw. To diagnose this the consultant had me open my mouth then put his finger inside my mouth right into the angle of the jaw and pressed back and upwards (I'm sure you could google this under TMJ issues). I nearly hit the roof!

Toothache can appear to move around and can refer from bottom to top or vice versa but usually, in time, localises to one tooth. If it is referring from t-b or b-t it usually is at the same kind of point so directly above or directly below where the problem is IYSWIM.

Good luck. It is horrid

I had mysterious toothache once. Never got to the bottom of it but it was eventually resolved by having a tooth out, antibiotics and having my ears syringed! To this day I don't know which of the three actually resolved it.

The toothache can be caused by the sinus infection without there being any actual problem with your teeth. I would forget the dentist and try for the ENT referral.

Can't help with the toothache but I would definitely push for an ENT referral. I had similar symptoms, recurrent sinusitis, toothache, an eye infection and was referred to ENT. It turns out I had developed a couple of allergies. I was given nasal sprays and told to avoid certain allergens and I haven't looked back. The relief is incredible!

Thanks ladies, I've had about 4 bouts of sinusitis this winter, which normally affects my forehead, under the eyes and cheeks, so I'm guessing this is yet again a sinus infection, but further down into the teeth. Tho one tooth today at the top is very, very painful, yet the bottom ones that were agony yesterday are ok. If it is sinus problem, I'm wondering whether to ask to be referred to ENT specialist, as I'm fed up with it and have had 4 different lots of antibiotics which hold it off for a week or two. Don't fancy what the ENT people might do, but I've had constant head/face pain for several months and now horrible toothache. Thanks for your help.

My sinus' are blocked at the moment and my teeth and jaw is really painful, has been for about a week now, so could be that.

I was about to say the same about sinus pain. When I was pregnant with number two I had what I thought was toothache but turned out to be sinus pain. I really feel for you- I was pacing about in agony!

Definitely get checked out!
Could it be sinus pain? I've had this before and was convinced all my teeth were about to drop out. Dentist did x ray and blocked sinuses was the cause