Awful dental pain...no hope of treatment?

[highlycaffeinated]

Hello,

So for the last week I have experienced dull aching from the back left side of my lower jaw. It has gotten progressively worse and is now considerably swollen and throbbing, and more recently increasingly sensitive to hot/cold. I have had 2 phone appointments with the local dental surgery who have advised keeping clean, painkillers and more recently antibiotics, but I in so much pain i cant sleep and pills wont touch it! Unless the swelling is obstructing my breathing however it doesn't quality for an emergency appointment.

I dont know what to do. Dentist seemed to think its likely wisdom tooth pain, but i am going crazy imagining all sorts of horrible decay and abscesses. I dont want to lose my teeth. I just want to go to the bloody dentist, not knowing when treatment will be available is putting my anxiety through the roof :(

I dont know what to do. Any advice?

[Mrsmorton]

Phone the dentist back and ask to be seen at a hub.

[Cailleach]

The only treatment the emergency dental hubs will do at the moment is extraction if the tooth is abscessed. You can easily live without your wisdom teeth but it's your choice. You need to ring your dental surgery and ask them for antibiotics at least....they will refer you on to the hub if necessary.

[Shylo]

Agree on the hub point - wiTh regards the pain The best thing I’ve found is alternating super strength paracetamol based painkillers (over the counter ones for migraine are what I’ve found the best) and ibubrufen every two hours

Good luck, tooth pain is horrendous :(

[Cailleach]

I had an extraction two weeks ago and the swelling was not obstructing my breathing. It was badly infected and leaking pus through my gum which is a risk for further complications.

[highlycaffeinated]

Thank you all. I think i will ring back first thing tomorrow and explain exactly what i'm feeling. I have a terrible habit of downplaying any problem I have as soon as I am speaking to a medical professional so I think i need to be very clear about the pain!

Quite happy to have it extracted, and the molar in front of it if needs be. I have a very cramped mouth anyway so it wouldn't be noticeable.

[UncleFoster]

This is not true about obstructing your breathing. I have heard this a few times and its total bs.

If you have a swelling thats obstructing your airway you need to go to A&E. That is beyond what can be done in primary care

Hubs are for urgent dental treatment, they are for problems that need treating before A&E. Like a swelling thats not obstructing your airway.

If its your wisdom tooth it might not need extracting. If it does and they can do it great, its only a wisdom tooth.

Toothache is very painful, every dentist knows this. Its not that you are downplaying your pain. Is this your own dentist you are calling?

[UncleFoster]

Im not saying you are wrong OP btw, only that what the dentist has told you is wrong

[Torvean]

If i was you i would contact your gp to get pain relief. I have been unlucky in some dental problems i have had. However i have found my surgery to be totally uintetested. Once lockdown is over and im moving.