Extreme Impacted Wisdom Tooth Pain! 🤕

[igotdemons]

Apologies for posting in chat about dental issues but I’m getting pretty desperate.

I’ve got two impacted wisdom teeth (both on my lower jaw) that are pushing against the neighbouring teeth. I was referred by my dentist over a year ago to have them removed at my local NHS hospital. I was seen last summer for the initial consultation and told then that it would be at least a year before they could remove them due to the long waiting list. However, this past fortnight one of the teeth has started flaring up and I’ve been in a lot of pain. I saw my dentist last week who said it’s not infected and there isn’t any swelling, they just need to be removed and sent me on my way with advice to buy Difflam mouthwash and contact the hospital. I’ve tried to do this with 2 different numbers and both are just on constant answerphone.

I’ve been managing the pain for the past 2 weeks with regular doses of ibuprofen (nothing else painkiller wise helps, I’ve tried paracetamol and co-codamol- not together), using Orajel, Difflam mouthwash, salt washes, and applying an ice pack to my jaw. None of these things have helped the pain much, I just do them as a matter of course to try and distract myself. However, tonight the pain has developed onto another level! I can honestly say I have never felt pain like it, it’s all across my jaw, up into my ear and side of my head as well as down into my neck and shoulder. It’s like a deep throbbing ache, intertwined with sharp pains that radiate outwards from my jaw. I’m literally shaking with the pain and pacing the floor, I’m maxed out on ibuprofen and paracetamol, I can’t take anything else right now.

I’ve been to see a private maxillofacial surgeon this week too and even private it’s looking like a 2 month wait to have them removed! 😣 I can’t live like this for 2 months, have any of you got any advice on how I can deal with this pain? Would a dentist prescribe me prescription painkillers if I asked for 2 months? I don’t want anything constipating as I’m already having issues in that department 😖 I’ve even spoken to 111 this evening but I’m still waiting on a callback, was hoping they might send me to A&E for pain relief, I’m that desperate! 😣 Any advice would be much appreciated 💐

You'd need to contact your GP for pain relief. I had a dental abscess lately and had to go to the GP because the pain was horrendous.

You poor thing sounds absolutely horrendous. It seems like you have tried every avenue, I can’t think of anything else you can try apart from a warm hot water bottle on your jaw, the heat can be very comforting and might relax you a bit, but I would call your doctor and dentist asap and state you cannot function with this level of pain, it sounds like an infection despite what the dentist says. I really hope you get some relief soon.

Oh goodness I also have an impacted wisdom tooth and the dentist ha only just a week ago sent of the referral. There is no way that I can wait a year, I will jack my own head off 😢 I've been taking cocodemal as I can't take ibuprofen but eating is becoming tricky and my face is swollen when I wake each morning 😞

@thaegumathteth

You'd need to contact your GP for pain relief. I had a dental abscess lately and had to go to the GP because the pain was horrendous.

Really? They’ve always told me they don’t deal with dental issues but I will try them, thank you. Hope you’re feeling better now 💐

@AmberLynn1536

You poor thing sounds absolutely horrendous. It seems like you have tried every avenue, I can’t think of anything else you can try apart from a warm hot water bottle on your jaw, the heat can be very comforting and might relax you a bit, but I would call your doctor and dentist asap and state you cannot function with this level of pain, it sounds like an infection despite what the dentist says. I really hope you get some relief soon.

Thank you, it is absolutely horrendous 😢 I’m starting to wonder if I’ve got an infection too, even though everything looks normal inside my mouth even to my untrained eyes… 😣 No swelling, pus or signs of an abscess (had one before).

@namechangeagaintwice

Oh goodness I also have an impacted wisdom tooth and the dentist ha only just a week ago sent of the referral. There is no way that I can wait a year, I will jack my own head off 😢 I've been taking cocodemal as I can't take ibuprofen but eating is becoming tricky and my face is swollen when I wake each morning 😞

Oh no, I’m so sorry you’re going through the same thing right now 💐 I really sympathise. I’ve got to wait longer because they’ve got to come out under general anaesthetic? That’s why I’ve gone private, I can’t wait another 6 months (which I suspect will be longer anyway due to covid absences and staff leaving etc.). I don’t have any swelling, but I can’t eat on that side of my mouth, I'm literally existing on soup and weetabix and even that hurts if it touches my teeth on that side! 😣 Haven’t had a proper nights sleep for 2 weeks, I’m exhausted, which doesn’t help pain tolerance 😣 I hope the waiting list in your area is shorter than mine and you get seen soon 💐

I think the above advice is incorrect, GPs won’t prescribe pain relief for dentistry, nor should they be expected to… Can your regular dentist not prescribe?
In terms of being in contact with the NHS hospital, have you tried PALs? I would complain that you are in pain, have tried to contact them and had no reply.

P. S i really hope you can get seen soon, it sounds miserable.

You need to go back to your dentist

An impacted wisdom tooth alone doesn't cause pain. Either the tooth is decayed or infected or the gum is swollen, all of these are things a dentist can deal with. If the dentist is saying the tooth isn't infected what are they saying the cause of pain is and how are they going to manage it

It may not be an infection, if your haw isn't swollen it doesn't sound like an infection but there are other causes of dental pain, a dentist needs to examine you, diagnose the pain and treat it. Okay they may not be able to extract the tooth but there are other options

Poor you. I sympathise - am also having impacted wisdom tooth problems and have got a hospital consultation next week. My dentist has warned me about the long waiting list (over a year pre-Covid). Do you mind me asking how much it's costing you to have yours extracted privately?

Given the level of pain you're experiencing, I'd have thought it worth asking your dentist for antibiotics just in case there's an infection?

Thanks everyone.

@Emelene I hadn’t thought of PAL’s, I’ll give it a try, thank you 🙏🏻

@OrangeShark27 My dentist just says it’s because of the angle the tooth is coming out, it’s pushing on my other teeth? Maxillofacial surgeon did say he didn’t think the pain was coming from the wisdom tooth but a different one but didn’t say why he thought that and stupidly I didn’t ask at the time why he thought that! 🤦🏻‍♀️

@StrawberryPot Sorry that you’re in the same boat with the long waiting list, it’s awful isn’t it 😣 I don’t know the private cost yet as I’m waiting for them to send me the invoice with the amount after the initial consultation (which was only on Friday). All I know at this point is the consultation is £160 and the extraction cost will be at least £2,200, more if complicated etc. I’m dreading it as it’s money I can I’ll afford right now, especially with all the rise in living costs due to hit come April but I cannot live like this for possibly the rest of the year if I wait for the NHS to get around to seeing me 😣

@StrawberryPot Forgot to say, I’m loathe to take any antibiotics at the moment unless I really, really have to as I’ve not long had 4 courses for a different, stubborn infection and they really did a number on my poor stomach, which still hasn’t recovered! 🙈😣

Oh no, I can sympathise! I have an impacted wisdom tooth that has been agony when it has flared up in the past. Have you tried anbesol liquid for the pain? I find it helps numb it.
I'm due to have all my wisdom teeth out under sedation at my local private dentist. Only costing £1200 (which is still a lot of money!) Do you have any other private dentists near you?

I imagine it will be a lot cheaper for your dentist to take them out. But op needs hers done in hospital, as do I.

I was told I would need them taking out in hospital but then I saw a private dentist who said he could do it under sedation. One of mine is severely impacted and has grown the wrong way into the tooth next to it so I do understand.

Things that helped me: gargling and swishing with neat vodka/gin. Biting down on a lemon segment. Hurt like blazes but then quickly soothes. Heat from a wrapped hot water bottle. Gentle jaw massage with some castor oil. It is horrendous. Hope you get some relief.

Fair enough. They need to cut into the bone to get at one of mine so will feel happier in hospital (and my dentist says she won't do it(. Annoyingly I should have had mine out decades ago in my 20s but bottled it because the consultant terrified me by running through all the possible complications for his students. Apparently the root of one of my top ones is wrapped round my sinuses, possibility of nerve damage etc. I was too scared to go back! Thought I'd dodged a bullet as they settled down - but 30+ years later I'm in pain again

A wisdom tooth pushing into the teeth in front is not going to cause you this much pain, it shouldn't case you any pain. It's likely there is another source of pain

I think you need to go back to the dentist bacsue my worry is you spend all that money and it doesn't solve your problem, especially as the maxfax surgeon thinks it likely another tooth

I just had my wisdom tooth out in hospital and the waiting time from referral to removal was only 2 weeks. I am amazed your waiting times are so long. I wonder if you could get referred to a different NHS trust? I am not sure how it works.

Poor you. I was in awful pain after my tooth was removed due to dry socket and it was such a miserable time. Tooth ache is the worst and ibuprofen and paracetmaol just don't touch it.

Thanks again everyone, managed to finally get some sleep but still hurts! 😣

@Amipreg1 My dentist won’t take them out, they need surgical removal as they are impacted, my gums need to be cut open in order to remove the whole tooth. It also has to be done under general, apparently I am too ‘fat’ for sedation?! Even though I lost 6 and a half stone, I’m still over the weight limit! 😆 So I don’t think any private dentist would do it, hence the referral to the hospital.

Thanks @Geppili

@StrawberryPot I think mine should of come out earlier too, then perhaps I wouldn’t be in this situation 😩 But we do tend to put off unpleasant things don’t we 😫

@OrangeShark27 I’m seeing my dentist again this afternoon, they didn’t really want to see me, so I’m not expecting any further help if I’m honest but I cannot spend 2 months in pain like this, it’s agony! I cannot bite down on the tooth next to the wisdom tooth as it’s too painful, as is rinsing my mouth out, even with just water? I’m not sure it should be this painful either… 🥴

@garlictwist Wow! 😮 Where are you? I’m in the South East. If I could get to speak to the hospital I would find out but their numbers just go to voicemail! 🤦🏻‍♀️

@igotdemons - I'm in West Yorkshire.

How are you doing @igotdemons ? I'm just on the way to my last meeting of the day and if I don't find a shop soon to get some painkillers I might just chop my own head off

@namechangeagaintwice

How are you doing *@igotdemons* ? I'm just on the way to my last meeting of the day and if I don't find a shop soon to get some painkillers I might just chop my own head off

@namechangeagaintwice Bless you, how is the pain now?

I went and saw my dentist again on Monday, she gave me metronidazole and amoxicillin to take to see if that helps. I told her the maxillofacial surgeon said I shouldn’t be in this amount of pain and he suspects it’s a problem with another tooth so she looked again and said she could take out the offending tooth, no problem (as that is where the pain appears to be coming from, it’s right next to the impacted wisdom tooth and is loose apparently). So I’m having it extracted tomorrow, can’t say I’m looking forward to it and I don’t really want to lose another tooth but I don’t think I really have a choice, especially as it’s loose 😩😩😩

@igotdemons hi there. Yes I'm up working as I cannot sleep because of the pain
I'm going to call the dentist again tomorrow. You wouldn't believe I have exactly the same situation. The impacted wisdom tooth is pushing on the next tooth with us in pain and is wobbling. I'm also going to ask her to just take that one out rather than wait goodness knows how long for surgery on the wisdom tooth.
She originally said she didn't want to take it out as I need it to eat with 🙄 I've not eaten for weeks now so it makes no difference. If I wait to have the wisdom one out the next t tooth would be dead by then anyway surely?

Any good luck tomorrow. Don't worry about the extraction just think about how you'll be out of pain this time next week