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Original poster

In A&E with toothache

321 replies

Kakamora · 02/09/2018 21:03

Have just arrived at a&e. Approached the desk and said I don’t know if I can be seen, I don’t expect anything in terms of work but help with pain relief.

IVe had a severe tooth ache for 3 days. Gone through 4 packets of paracetamol and ibuprofen. Not ate. Not slept. Been sick from the pain, shaking and sweating it’s been that bad. Sobbed last night it was so bad.

The man and the front desk really snottily asked me ‘have you been to a emergency reception before ?’ Made me feel like shit. I know it’s not a typical reason to come to a&e but I don’t have a dentist and I’m in agony. I’m in no less pain than people with medical reasons. I feel even worse now

OP posts:
lizmum5 · 03/09/2018 22:36

I can so sympathise with tooth ache I was just wandering how you are now and hope you have had an emergency appointment with a dentist xx

AndhowcouldIeverrefuse · 03/09/2018 22:41

however bad your pain is you aren't to die from it and it CAN wait until the morning, unpleasant as that might be.

Not necessarily true. It could be a raging infection. You will only find out by actually examining the patient Hmm

Crunchymum · 03/09/2018 22:43

Hoping the OP has seen someone???

JamPasty · 03/09/2018 22:43

@Kakamora - I sympathise with the pain, but if you have taken more than the stated dose of paracetamol, and it sounds like you very much have, you MUST seek medical advice ASAP. Paracetamol overdose can kill.

CherryPavlova · 03/09/2018 22:50

SoftSheen, you are right in a way. Tooth abscesses can occasionally spread but that is why Alfredrabbit (who sounds like they know their stuff) is clear you should see a dentist not an ED medic. It needs dental expertise not trauma medicine.
You don’t go on MN with fulminating sepsis.
If you are ‘in agony’ you don’t wait three days to do something about it.
All this ‘you could die’ business is a bit hyped. Whilst technically possible we are no longer in the 18th century. In a decade, only 100 people developed life threatening complications in the USA - so quite rare occurrences.

brownlilly · 03/09/2018 22:54

Painkillers, clove oil and an ice- pack on your cheek.
The ice- pack made a huge difference.

PrickWhittington · 03/09/2018 23:12

however bad your pain is you aren't to die from it and it CAN wait until the morning, unpleasant as that might be

Ridiculous comment in every way Hmm

OP - if you're still reading - hope you are OK and managed to get this sorted.

But please please please anyone reading this - don't go over the dose for paracetamol, usually 8 a day max. I realise it can be so tempting to take an extra couple when you are in terrible pain but the results of it can be really horrific, and people often won't know that until it's too late to do anything about. Not worth the risk, ever. Orajel, ibuprofen and codeine usually does the trick after a while.

HoleyCoMoley · 03/09/2018 23:13

Let's just hope OP has had it sorted out and is feeling better, if she had been seen by a doctor maybe they would have at least picked up on the fact she had a lot of paracetamol, and treated that if necessary. I think people can hope the pain will resolve itself, that's why they leave it plus it's the weekend so there's less dentists about, perhaps it gets to the point when they just can't stand it any longer and hospital is the only option, my old dentist wouldnt prescribe antibiotics or analgesia, she told me to go to the g.p. she was hopeless but it took 3 months to find a new one. Cherry, isn't it true that tooth infections can lead to brain, jaw and heart infections, do cardiac patients still see a dentist prior to open heart surgery.

peridito · 04/09/2018 09:15

Seems like she's now in hosp with an overdose
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/3355402-Paracetamol-overdose-in-hospital

I know she got a lot of flack on here and there was much discussion about how wrong she was to go to A&E but she's young and was in a lot of pain .

Maybe some help at A&E and a more sympathetic approach from staff might have seen her explaining how much she's taken and quicker treatment of the overdose .

I hope permanent damage is avoided .

peridito · 04/09/2018 09:21

Aah jeez she didn't go in to hospital for overdose until 2am this Tuesday morning .

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/3355308-Hospital-snorer

That's a long time since all the paracetamol at the weekend .

I know people will say it's her own fault but I just find it sad and avoidable .

Sugarhunnyicedtea · 04/09/2018 09:42

I'm sadly not convinced by these threads. There's another one where she went to hospital at 3.45am. No mention of seeking dental help yesterday or any real response to the advice on this thread.

If it is true then I hope she now gets the help she needs

LittleBookofCalm · 04/09/2018 09:56

Seems to have taken her mind off the tooth ache Hmm

SD1978 · 04/09/2018 10:24

Hasn't answered anyone who is asked about the toothache. Is selectively answering. Regardless what appears to be a need for attention with the multiple posts- could have juts updatedthis one, I hope ah receives the right treatment and hasn't caused any irreparable damage

gamerchick · 04/09/2018 10:24

Seems to have taken her mind off the tooth ache hmm

Indeed. Looks like there's more than meets the eye here. Good luck OP

thatmustbenigelwiththebrie · 04/09/2018 10:31

The worst pain I have ever been in was toothache. It was just unbearable. I cried and cried with it.

I couldn't see a dentist for a few days, so I got my brother who knew the right people to get me some ecstasy. I know that sounds ridiculous, I had never done it before but was desperate and wanted something, anything.

I just kept myself off my face until my appointment. Not recommended but what else do they want us to do when you can't see someone?

HoleyCoMoley · 04/09/2018 11:04

Whats happened., she went to a&E, no one would see her so she couldn t tell anyone about the paracetamol and now she's being treated for an overdose, couldn t that have been done earlier if someone had taken the time to see her, hope she's ok, do a&E know she's been admitted and what have they said.

LIZS · 04/09/2018 11:14

The apparent situation now is probably why A and E do not just hand out strong , potentially lethal, painkillers. If op had been more upfront about what she had already taken it might have set off justifiable concerns regarding her wellbeing sooner though. To need emergency admission suggests she took more than admitted here.

Bombardier25966 · 04/09/2018 11:15

@HoleyCoMoley She did see a nurse at A&E, presumably triage. She says so on her other thread.

HeronLanyon · 04/09/2018 11:21

I remain sympathetic (tooth pain is agony) but a little mystified by what has since transpired in this and the other thread and the changes of name. (Hmmm ‘mystified’ an attempt at neutrality) If it has done nothing else it made me restock clove oil and oralgel both of which were spectacularly out of date in my meds cabinet. So thanks at least for that op. Hope you are improving.

HoleyCoMoley · 04/09/2018 11:23

Bomb, ok, did the nurse actually review her or refer her to the Dr, I'm confused, she says she wasn't seen.

Layla8 · 04/09/2018 11:30

I sympathise, toothache is Hell, but A & E is not appropriate. There are no dentists there , as others have said, 111 should be able to advise.

Bombardier25966 · 04/09/2018 11:31

@HoleyCoMoley I don't know. Her story seems to vary between posts.

3luckystars · 04/09/2018 11:44

That’s awful!!!

I asked on her other thread but maybe someone knows here:

Is it possible to PAY for a doctor or dentist in the UK if you need treatment and don’t mind paying?

LIZS · 04/09/2018 11:47

Yes there are private gps and dentists. There are also dental teaching hospitals which offer clinics.

HoleyCoMoley · 04/09/2018 11:47

I would feel pretty bad if I turned her away in a&e, didn't ask what painkillers she had taken and then found out she was being treated for an accidental overdose, maybe she carried on taking them if she didn't get any help and didn't read mn for a while, guess we'll never know but hope she is ok and doesn't suffer long term liver damage and gets her tooth ache sorted out. Ive known older people who are admitted to hospital with accidental o.d, because they are in pain, forget what they've taken, get a bit muddled up, it can happen to anyone.

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