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 💐

@namechangeagaintwice Oh wow, sorry to hear you’re in exactly the same boat! 😣 I think it’s the wisdom tooth pushing on the neighbouring tooth that has caused it to loosen, too 😩 My dentist isn’t hesitant about taking it out, maxillofacial surgeon said it needs to come out, too. I’ve already lost the same tooth on the other side so didn’t really want to lose this one too as after my wisdom teeth have been pulled I won’t have any teeth at the very back/bottom of my mouth! 😳😱 I totally get that too, I’m having the occasional meal and eating it on the opposite side but mostly just living on weetabix/soup 😩 Now I’ll be worrying about dry socket instead when this tooth is out! 🙄 Are you going to push to have your tooth out?

@igotdemons yes I'm going to push to have it out. This has been going on since December. Every so often I think I'm going to burst into tears or get angry because the pain is just too much. I wake up each morning to a swollen face on one side. The pain radiates all along my bottom jaw line. (The offending teeth are upper right) it's gonna be a long long night.

@namechangeagaintwice
@igotdemons

So sorry to hear you're both in so much pain and I hope you get some relief soon. You really have my sympathies. I think I also have the same problem as you two!

My dentist took some routine x-rays over 2 years ago and said he could see that my impacted (and partially erupted) lower wisdom tooth had moved and was starting to press on the root of the next tooth. He said it would probably start causing me problems 🙄

I've had pain and bleeding on and off for the last two years and my current dentist is quite dismissive and just says I need to have the wisdom tooth removed. However I think the pain is coming from the next tooth. Am currently okay as I took metronidazole and amoxicillin a few weeks ago so that must mean there was an infection rather than nerve pain. However I have my appointment with the maxillofacial consultant on Friday so am hoping for some clarification then.

Could you ask to be referred via NHS Choose & Book to your surgeon? You get treated on the NHS but in a private hospital. Ask your surgeon if he does choose & book patients, if he does you need to be referred by your dentist or doctor.

@namechangeagaintwice I don’t blame you if it’s giving you that much pain and for that long! 😮😣 Have you had any antibiotics for it? I’m so sorry as I know exactly how the pain just takes over your life and you can’t focus on anything but that 😔 I hope you get it taken out soon 💐 I’ve just got home from having mine extracted, hoping it was the right thing to do! 🙈 Dentist said it was infected when she looked at post-extraction. Currently got a mouth that feels like it’s sticking out a mile and tastes of blood! 😣 She really made sure I was numb, so I didn’t feel a thing just the pressure from her rocking it to get it out. It’s nothing compared to the pain I’ve been dealing with 🤷🏻‍♀️ Just hope I heal OK now, I’ll be worrying about dry socket now! 🙄

@StrawberryPot Good luck for Friday, I hope you can get some resolution, it’s no fun being in pain but stuck in limbo is it 😫💐

@Nat6999

Could you ask to be referred via NHS Choose & Book to your surgeon? You get treated on the NHS but in a private hospital. Ask your surgeon if he does choose & book patients, if he does you need to be referred by your dentist or doctor.

@Nat6999 Thank you, I’m going to see if this extraction cures the pain and take it from there ☺️

Hi @igotdemons so glad that you've been able to have an extraction at last. Give it a few days and you'll be in much less pain and glad you had it done. I'll pray for no dry socket!
I've literally just left the dentist at an emergency appointment and she refused to take the tooth out as it's perfectly healthy and it's the wisdom that needs to come out. Well.. there were tears
I explained that it was affecting my mental health but she said there was nothing she could do other than prescribe antibiotics (for the second time) and I'm booked again for tomorrow morning. Although I'm wondering what different she'll do tomorrow 😤

Hi @namechangeagaintwice Oh goodness, you’re really going through it aren’t you? 😣 I’m so sorry 😞 Why is your dentist giving you more antibiotics if she is saying the tooth is healthy? And seeing you again tomorrow? Doesn’t make sense! I’d say try another dentist but I know its not possible at the moment with the COVID backlog 😕 My dentist said my tooth wasn’t infected whilst it was still in my mouth but then said it was when she looked at it post-extraction so they’re not always right, are they? It’s so frustrating for you, it shouldn’t be that way 💐

How is everyone doing? I've just had my maxillofacial appointment. Very depressing and inconclusive. She couldn't tell from the x-Ray or the poking around with a sharp thing whether it was the wisdom tooth or the tooth next to it causing the problem. So I can have the wisdom tooth out, but there might be still be an issue because of the next tooth 🤷‍♀️.

I said I would have it out (on the basis that my dentist told me there would be at least a 12 month wait). My thinking was that would keep me in the pipeline but give me time to see if things settle down properly (as, fingers crossed, they seem to be doing since the horrors of a couple of months ago). Turns out it's only a 2 month wait....

@StrawberryPot

How is everyone doing? I've just had my maxillofacial appointment. Very depressing and inconclusive. She couldn't tell from the x-Ray or the poking around with a sharp thing whether it was the wisdom tooth or the tooth next to it causing the problem. So I can have the wisdom tooth out, but there might be still be an issue because of the next tooth 🤷‍♀️.

I said I would have it out (on the basis that my dentist told me there would be at least a 12 month wait). My thinking was that would keep me in the pipeline but give me time to see if things settle down properly (as, fingers crossed, they seem to be doing since the horrors of a couple of months ago). Turns out it's only a 2 month wait....

Hi @StrawberryPot, sorry that you’ve still got no conclusive answers regarding your pain 😫 So what is your next step, wait for your wisdom teeth to be removed and then see? Glad that your waiting list time is only 2 months, although that feels like an eternity when you’re in pain! 😣

@StrawberryPot @igotdemons how's everyone doing? I finally had the wisdom tooth extraction this morning so happy. Not in too much pain at the moment but I've slept all day to be fair.
@igotdemons how did your healing get on, no dry socket?
@StrawberryPot I hope that you managed to get an appointment.

@igotdemons
@namechangeagaintwice

How are you both doing? I've been given an appointment to have my impacted wisdom tooth out on Friday!

Ironically it's still not currently causing me any pain (and hasn't done since I took antibiotics a couple of months ago).
I don't know whether to just bite the bullet (so to speak) and have it removed now, or try and push the appointment back until I can discuss further with my dentist. I've got an appointment with her the following week. If I go ahead with the extraction on Friday I'd need to change the dentist appointment as it would be too soon after surgery and there's other stuff I need doing (and seems to be a long wait for appointments with my dentist).

I had a copy of the consultant's letter to my dentist the other day and it's set me off worrying about the potential complications of extraction as the wisdom tooth root is close to my jaw nerve.

But overriding all that is I am ABSOLUTELY TERRIFIED by the thought of having an impacted wisdom tooth cut out of my jaw. I'm waking up several times a night feeling sick and close to tears. So part of me thinks I should just get on and do it.

How did you both find extraction?
Were you in much pain afterwards? Did they stitch the gum?

Dentists prescribe painkillers and antibiotics for infections. Not doctors.

@igotdemons the max fax consultant would have told you if you had an infection