to think the dentist shouldnt have tried.

[wonderingsoul]

im in pain so this could be why i think my dentist is a twat.
monday i had tooth ach, by money night i was in tears and had got a 4 hours sleeps, i phoned my dentist for an emergency apoinmenton the tuesday couldnt been seen till wednesday. so i fill up on pain killers but its the worsst night, i got two hours sleep the rest was filled with walking around.

wednesday my face was swollen a bit, get to the dentist, who i dont normally have, i tell him iv had little sleep in lots of pain and im scared of dentists so could he please pre warn me about anything he does, as it helps me.

had xray, told it was infected, which i knew any way. he says the tooth has to come out but the ancisetic doesnt allways work with an infection but he has to try. he injects right into the tooth. i cant help buy make noise as it was incredibly painfull. he asks if i want another go at it , i said id rather just take the anit bs and come back when its not infected.

an hour after coming out my face has swollen all on the right side, up to my eyes/ it hasnt got better so i went to my gp who has given me another anti bs to take along side of his but if it doesnt improve or gets worse in the next 24/48 hours i have to go to AnE.

im really woeing, in so much pain, though i have found tablets that have killed the tooth pain quite a bit. my face still hurts and my stomach is not enjoying the tablets i dont think.

i cant help but think that the dentist shouldnt have even mentioned taking the tooth out whilst there was infection there. iv phoned them and said i want to see a different dentist for when i do have it taken out but they have said they have to phone back as they like you to stay with the same one. he wasnt helpfull and really didnt have a good "bed side" manner as it was.

Okay, is there a dental hospital or dental school anywhere nearby you. If so, give them a call explain the situation and they will help; there are different forms of sedation that can be utilised prior to an extraction and depending on the nature of the infection it may well be that the tooth itself could be saved, i.e. root canal to clean out all the roots and then ultimately crowned.

What painkillers are you taking ? If they are NSAID, e.g. ibuprofen, then taking them with a glass of milk may help. You can also go to pharmacist and chat to them about motilium or an equivalent depending what type of antibiotics you are on, e.g. amoxicillin etc.

Good Luck

p.s. Using TCP as a mouthwash diluted in a ratio of 3 tablespoons of water to every 1 tablespoon of mouthwash can also help (breath will not be the best but doubt you care about that at the moment)

im on amoxicillion and metronidazole 400. with nurphone plus for pain. i shall try the pharmacy tomorrow and see what they suggest

thanks for the ttcp tip, defiantly worth a shot.
we dont have any dental schools near us, our small hospital has dental care but apparently its only for the disabled? as i did try there as well and they wouldnt see me.

thank you for the kind words and tips. just feel so out of it and zombified its hard to think straight. hoping two dc will go to bed nicely so i can try n sleep.

thank you x

An abcess doesn't automatically mean an extraction, a root canal should save the tooth. My dentist recommended Corsodyl when I had an abcess. Also, try and prop yourself up at night as much as possible (I managed to get some sleep propped up on 4 pillows, so I was really sitting upright with my head just to the side).

Neurofen plus contains ibuprofen and codeine which may explain your upset stomach. Furthermore, the antibiotic combination is one that people also, occassionally, comment on as not agreeing with their digestive system.

As far as I am aware you should be safe to take motilium as it does interact with any of the above but PLEASE double check with pharmacist (is there no way you can get to a late night pharmacy tonight ?)

An infection and metronidazole together will make you feel vile- like worst possible hangover and very upset stomach.

If you have been in that much pain go to a and e cos you can't carry on like this.

I had my jaw broken during an extraction, (not found out until weeks later) the only pain relief that I could find was "paramol", give it a try?

Put a hot water bottle against the side of your face - i led on it and the combo of the pressure and heat made it a bit numb.

Also swill your mouth with hot salt water.

If you get to the chemist ask the pharmacist about other painkillers and maybe a tooth gel?

I assume the dentist tried to take it out because of what he saw on the xray.

Try 600mg of ibuprofen ( plain cheap stuff) every 6 hours then alternate with over the counter cocodamol so that as the ibuprofen wears off you boost with cocodamol.
The swelling probably has nothing to do with attempted treatment it is just the natural progression of the abscess and is the bodies/ immune systems way of ridding the body of bacteria. Antibiotics will take 24 - 48 hrs to really kick in.
Root canal is not always possible or suitable for every tooth. It is worth discussion with dentist though.

pigsmummy broke your jaw? wow. that must have been really painfull. how did they manage to break your jaw?

i cant get one to night, the only one open now is tesco which i a fair walk awalk, im a lone parent and itd casue more hassel trying to get both kids up there with me, my mum who is looked after me yesterday and today is tired from taking kids to school and trying to entertain the kids when i was in docs dentist etc. so i dont feel i can ask her, bless her shes done a lot for me as it is. but i shall go tomorrow, .. yes iv done the salt thing, it does help, mentally i feel liek its helping and it'll keep the infection clean i suppose?

the tooth is broken, its a front one. i will ask about any other options then taking it out. hopfully a new one will explain it better.

your right it prob would have swelled up more, the injection seemed so pointless esp when he said it prob wouldnt work any way, why aggrivate it more then needed. i always though you had to wait for infection to clear up before they would do anything.

OP how are you doing ?

My dentist won't touch a tooth that's infected. I remember begging him to yank one out when I was dying from the pain.

The hospital near us that does dental treatment is not for just disabled people, it is for people who have a genuine phobia of dentists, like me.

I have been there are had a tooth out and a filling. I had gas and air for the treatment. They are wonderful and patient, because they allow more time for appointments.

You do have to be refered by your own dentists though but it is well worth the trouble and the wait.

They call it the dental access centre.

AFAIK they are not meant to try to take a tooth out when infected anyway. Arion, nice idea, but when you are phobic, een the most basic treatment is hard to deal with. I struggle to allow them to examine me.

God love you,toothache has to be one of the worst pains ever .I thought a dentist wouldn't be allowed to take an infected tooth out,something about the infection spreading to bloodstream?I could be wrong on that though.

Second the hot water bottle suggestion,hope you feel better soon.

It's perfectly reasonable to take out a tooth that has an infection; it's the quickest and most reliable way to get rid of the problem. If the pulp of the tooth is infected then antibiotics will make no difference (other than placebo). Hilda that is entirely incorrect information I'm afraid.

OP, what are you doing now? Have you called NHS direct or whatever it is now?

OP in your shoes, I would find a reputable private dentist so that:
a. they could consider whether the tooth can in fact be saved with a root canal and crown - or if not extraction and implant

b. they would have time to put you at ease, try multiple advanced injection techniques rather telling you upfront a single injection probably won't work

c. so you could have sedation (oral/ i/v sedation/conscious sedation like nitrous oxide etc)....if the worst came to the worst and you still could not get numb

Swelling can be serious and you should not ignore it but if you can afford it, treat yourself to a competent dentist of your choice, rather than just the one your NHS practice deems you must see.

Having control over who your dentist is, coupled with this person being experienced and competent and unrushed, will go a long way to reducing your dental phobia. Good luck.

I had something similar a couple of months ago, the pain was awful and relelntless. I can only echo hot waterbottle and pain killers.

My dentist gave me anti b's and said if it was stillpainfull he would have to remove the tooth, it was and he did and Im so pleased he did.

You have my sympathies, it really is the worst

It is an old wives tale that a tooth with an infection cannot be extracted.

As you are taking metronidazole do not on any account be tempted to drink alcohol to numb the pain, as the combination will make you very sick.

Ukatlast. Would just like to state there are many competent caring NHS dentists you can see. Paying privately guarantees you spend more money, not that you get better care!

I've had an infected tooth out. Had to have lots of the local anaesthetic before it worked but they did it there and then. There was no way I'd have gone home from the dentist in the same amount of pain I went in. I could have had root canal but I wasn't bothering with that when I just wanted the pain gone. It wasn't a front tooth though.

Whatever you do, please do not put a hot water bottle on your face. Terrible advice which will almost certainly make the swelling worse.

The dentist was acting entirely appropriately from the information you have given. The only way to get rid of an abcess/infection is to remove the source of the infection which means to extract the tooth or remove the pulp (nerve) from the tooth. Yes it's more difficult to anaesthetise the area but the dentist is obliged to try. There is no contraindication to giving injections of local anaesthetic when there is an infection.
Just giving antibiotics is not the answer and dentists who just give antibiotics rather than treating the cause are usually doing so because of time constraints.

What peanut said.

Sycamor - that may very well be the case but as OP found she had no choice in who she saw, they did not give her a same-day appointment even though she was in pain...etc etc ...in her shoes, she wants a painfree second appointment and that will be more easily obtainable with an ethical experienced private dentist who offers sedation (should she need it).
The private dentist wants her 'repeat business' and recommendations to her friends. The NHS dentist has many other patients demanding his time and therefore it is no loss if a single patient is less than satisfied and goes elsewhere.
Years of experience of NHS and private dental care have taught me that all dentists are not equal and that patients need to protect themselves by being careful where they go rather than accepting just any old dentist (NHS or private).

You are right. I am quite old and have had many infected teeth. ALWAYS I have been given ABs first, as they will not take an infected tooth out as it could keep bleeding and not clot.

My dentists always give metronidazole as 1st choice, but when I took them, I had awful sea sickness feeling and walked around holding my stomach. They are known to do that to many people. I took them for 5 days, and lost weight for another 5 days after the course ended. < half a stone>. They are now on my allergic list and refuse to ever take them again.

digerd it's lazy dentistry to always prescribe ABs. Fact.

helllo

im so thankful to say the pain has eased of quite a bit, the swelling, has gone down a bit to, under and side of my eyes are still swollen but it seems to have reduce from the side inwards if that makes seance? .

the metronidazole is evil. i agree. i feel drunk and my stomach feels like its eating itselfs.

tbh if he had been nicer and more reassuring i might have have let him try again, but it was his whole attitude and side manner. along side of being in pain that made put me off. the injection was so painful, like it hit a nerf. the tooth is broken. and it really felt liek he injected into the middle of it.. where as normaly its the top of the gum or the roof of your mouth ?

mammatg- exactly. the thought of just stepping into the office set me of panicking. iv never had pain when being jabed before but this was incredably painful. i will ask the dentist next week. i really do hope they have something like that near me.

at the moment im just happy the pain has gone quite abit. its just throbbing feeling but not really painful.