To beg for a solution to this pain

[KyotoG]

I have an abcess in my mouth. I was in agony with it last week, visited dentist and was given antibiotics. They took about three days to kick in but went on holiday, big improvement over the weekend.

It started to get worse again yesterday but not painful and I have an appointment on Friday so just tried to get on with bog standard painkillers and the usual home remedies.

Tonight I am in agony. My face has swollen up again and I have been literally crying and screaming in pain. I have tried everything I can think of- ice pack, whisky, salt water, garlic, gently massaged my gum to see if it would ease any of the infection out. The whisky numbs it enough to take the edge off for ten minutes or so but nothing else touches the sides.

There are no pharmacies open and I cant get to A&E as I dont have a car and taxi companies arent open this late through the week.

Can anyone recommend anything that might help?

I think I passed out from pain last night. I'm up again having tried more salt water and painkillers. Lying on some frozen peas now and just need to wait it out until dentist is open at 8.30.

Thanks all for your suggestions; it must just be my luck that nothing is going to work!

Naproxen plus cocodomal.

there is emergency dentist who can get you in quicker hun.
also get to supermarket or pharmacy as soon as and get whats called.orajel.its in a little red packet and its a life saver.its a numbing gel.
keep mouth above your heart so sleep and sit with head raised if you can.stops some of the thumping from blood flowing there.
when the pain comes take deep breaths.yes I no not easy.but as soon as you hone in on the pain it becomes more agony.if you try and sit outside yourself and calm the breathing down the heart will beat less and stop some of it going drum drumming into your absess and tooth.and stop the little veins nerves etc in your tooth from thumping.
try in for 4.hold for 7.then let it all out for 8.really try and literally sit yourself outside your pain body.watch it like it a big oceoan and the pain is the rippling wave on the top.yet you are sat thre peacefull on the bottom.your ok.it WILL PASS.
but get it sorted soon as.
good luck.
oh and hug a teddy for some reason it really brings comfort.oh or your mum:)

Codeine only thing that touched mine.

It sounds as if you might require a different antibiotic? I was giving a much stronger one - plus I took codiene 60mg along with paracetamol - I had clove oil and teething gel on!

Good luck with the dentist, I completely sympathise as I've been there!

(Ended up getting the tooth pulled - what a relief)

given even

I was in a similar position many years ago and was advised the stringest painkillers I coukd tske over the counter was dihydracodeine and paracetamol. The infection needs to be cleared before they can removed the tooth else the anaesthetic wont work properly - which I found out the hard way.

Get paracetamol with codeine over the counter. Alternate with Nurofen. If you can see a doc get diclofenic and diazepam. You poor thing.

Get some hydrogen peroxide, dilute and gargle. If it can get to the infection it will help clear it really quickly.

My dentist will prescribe diazepam for abscess pain, maybe you could ask yours?

Buy nurofen plus from chemist . It contains more codeine than cocodomol .

Seconding codeine, which at least tool the edge off mine to more bearable levels. Be aware of side effects though! Consider upping your prune intake... I was so desperate that I didn't even read the side effects bit (v unusual for me - I usually read everything) and ended up with serious constipation and piles . Better than the dental pain without doubt but could have done without it...

Heat - soak a towel or muslin in water as hot as you can bear and press it to your jaw where it's affected.

The heat and steam will help ease the pain but god it's awful. You poor thing. I really feel for you.

Get it checked urgently. I ended up in A+E with cellulitis in my eye socket and throat from an impacted wisdom tooth infection. 111 sent me and it was treated as urgent ( Scotland ) without a problem. The swelling in your face sounds like it could be spreading. Hope you get some relief 😘

As misery says try a different antibiotic. Generally if they are going to work, you notice the difference in 24 hours. It sounds as though the one you had was only partly effective.

No more suggestions to those above but plenty of sympathy.

The only time I ever saw DM cry when I was a kid was when she had a mouth abscess.

Alternate ice pack with heat packs

Kyoto if maybe try making a GP appointment as well.

No idea if it's normal practice but my GP has always provided decent painkillers when I've had bad dental pain in the past.

You need decent painkillers not alcohol and weed although I would of been mainlining both in your position.

My dentist doesn't prescribe analgesia at all though. Again don't know if this is standard.

Good luck - sounds like its reinfected or antibiotics aren't working - hope you get pain relief and more antibiotics

crush up paracetamol and mix with water and wash this around your mouth / over the ulcer.

When the chemist opens go and buy lignocaine spray - it's the same anesthetic dentist inject, it's usually sold for sore throats and should have a numbing effect.

Lidocaine gel.
It says not to be used internally but dentists use it in the mouth , just don't swallow it! I used it for severasl months of very severe facial pain.

As a dental access veteran a&e won't do anything unless you get someone nice enough to give you painkillers.

Mouthwash regularly. If you can find somewhere open paramol or even better ibruprofen plus taken at max doses alternated with paracetamol/ibruprofen (depending which codeine mix you can get) anebasol helps but you need a dentist.

I've always needed 2 heavy duty antibiotics to get rid of mine

At this point, when the first course of antibiotics worked for a bit but then weren't effective, it means the infection is much stronger and resistant than before: The severe pain is the body's alarm, triggering you to act. So as soul-crushing as the pain
Is, your main concern should be treating the rampant infection. It's dangerous, very dangerous, to leave an infection to worsen and spread. Forget waiting for a dental
appointment; this is a medical emergency & needs immediate treatment. Please go to a&e.

@diodati a dental abscess (although very painful) is NOT a medical emergency. It is very painful because the bacteria in the infected tooth are producing pus and causing increased pressure in a very confined space.
If left unchecked a dental abscess can cause further problems, but the OP has already said she is going to see dentist today. Doctors know nothing about teeth. Painkillers only mask the pain, and she needs to see a dentist to have the tooth root filled or extracted.

Doctors know more than anyone about the risks of a rampant infection, which by now has likely spread elsewhere in the OP's body and bloodstream.

@diodati I'm a dentist so I know what I'm talking about. Doctors don't know anything about and can't treat dental pain, they can only give painkillers and antibiotics. The source of the infection, the problem tooth, needs to be treated by a dentist. Antibiotics alone will not fix it, they are only used to reduce the infection.