Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To go a&e or dental hospital

42 replies

emmapemma91 · 21/10/2018 21:53

I’ve been in severe toothache for 3 weeks, been on 2 x antibiotics for abscess in wisdom tooth. Dentist says they need took out but because ones on a nerve plus having TMJ I need to get referred to dental hospital.

The wait for this is 6+ month and they need X-rays first. I’m in absolute agony can’t eat, can’t sleep, been alternating ibuprofen and codeine doing salt washes and using special mouthwash yet I’m still in agony and can’t possibly go 6 month or more like this .

Would it be unreasonable to go to dental hospital tomorrow and demand they do something? Or if they won’t then go to a&e? I’m a single parent to four kids and feel horrible I can’t go out far etc because my whole mouth, jaw is agony

OP posts:
Nopuns · 21/10/2018 21:57

You don't go to a and e for toothache FFS

pretendingtowork1 · 21/10/2018 21:57

Not A&E, they don't have dentists there. I don't think you can directly access a dental hospital without referral. I'd go back to your dentist and take it from there.

wtffgs2 · 21/10/2018 21:58

Bumping for you - I had something similar and I found there's a great gaping hole when it comes to emergency dental care. You can't possibly wait 6 months as you could become seriously ill if the infection spreads.

Hope a dental person will be along to help.

Having my gum cut open and the abscess drained was the only relief I got. The pain before was so bad that I was actually relieved when they said they'd do it.

VelvetReVulva · 21/10/2018 22:01

You don't go to a and e for toothache FFS

Nice.

Dental pain is one of the worst, OP, I’m sorry. I do think you need a dentist but an emergency appointment begging would probably be the best. Some hospitals do have emergency dental clinics though.

Untreated abscesses can be dangerous so I would make a massive fuss. Hugs.

FishesThatFly · 21/10/2018 22:01

Actually you can go ro a&e and you would be seen by the maxfax team. If you have a compromised airway i.e your mouth has restricted opening then specialist intubation would be required to remove it

Mayhemmumma · 21/10/2018 22:01

It's the worst pain I understand. I went to A&E in indescribable pain off my face on codeine. They were sympathetic because I was a state but all they could do was look and prescribed diazepam (I have anxiety but I don't know why they gave me this as it wasn't needed but I wasn't in a fit state to ask) I can't remember if they prescribed anti biotics or not.
A&E probsbly isn't worth waiting around for hours for. Call 111 and try for out of hours dentist or gp?

Good luck I really really sympathise

UghFletcher · 21/10/2018 22:03

111 can try and find you an emergency dentist OP.

I feel for you, dental pain is the worst so please do give them a call and explain things. Even if someone can give you some stronger painkillers in the meantime.

DishranawaywiththeSpoon · 21/10/2018 22:04

Do you have swelling or just pain?

If swelling a&e can do something, wisdom tooth infection can spread and block your airway so if there's a lot of swelling they should see you.

If it's just pain I would ring up the dental hospital tomorrow, they should have an emergency department who will see you. Don't go in and demand to be seen, just ring and ask or try another dentist. It shouldn't be a 6 month wait when you are in pain.

HereForTheLineEyes · 21/10/2018 22:07

Find out which hospital nearest to you operates as a training school for dentists and see if they have a dental A and E. They should be able to do something. I know you are a single parent, but have you had a look to see how much getting the teeth extracted by a private oral surgery practice would cost? I would ring them for a quote before you rule it out completely.

Does

LittleOwl153 · 21/10/2018 22:07

@mayhemmumma Diazepam is also used as a muscle relaxant so that might have been the reason for your prescription.

pretendingtowork1 · 21/10/2018 22:08

Actually you can go ro a&e and you would be seen by the maxfax team

only if clinically necessary as an emergency i.e. you're systemically septic. Otherwise you'll be given analgesia and advised to see a dentist.

Bouledeneige · 21/10/2018 22:12

I had a terrible toothache last week after a molar collapsed below the gum. I had to go private and had it removed. I couldn't have lived with it for another day - no painkillers touched it at all - the nerve was exposed.

I expected it to be agony when the injections wore off but it didn't hurt at all - just a blessed relief. And a huge bill!

My sympathy OP. Sorry I dont have a solution for you. I cant believe the 6 month wait!

PoppySeedBun18 · 21/10/2018 22:13

A&e can prescribe pain killers, but that’s it. Max fax won’t do anything for a chronic problem. You could try an emergency dentist but they are likely to be private so expect to get a large bill afterwards.

Sorry you’re in agony op.

safariboot · 21/10/2018 22:15

Toothache is the worst :-( And a 6 month wait for treatment of a dental abscess is shocking. The infection can kill you if it spreads.

A&E are unlikely to do anything unless the infection becomes serious.

Really your dentist should sort this out. Dentists can prescribe antibiotics and stronger painkillers but a lot of them prefer not to since the definitive treatment is a root filling or extraction. But in your case you've been given a ridiculous wait for that.

(If it's an NHS dentist, expect them to say they can have your teeth extracted tomorrow if you pay private dentist prices. Only you can decide whether to take them up on that.)

MeteorMedow · 21/10/2018 22:15

🤔 quite sure those saying ‘don’t go to A&E -see a dentist’ have A- Never experienced this pain and, B- Never needed to access emergency dental care.

I got an infected wisdom tooth a few months back. DP tried to access emergency dental care for me as I was severely unwell (on a Sunday evening) they couldn’t see me until Wednesday afternoon over an hours drive from my home.

I was hallucinating with a burning fever!
DP took me to A&E - he’s actually a doctor.

FishesThatFly · 21/10/2018 22:17

Actually you can go ro a&e and you would be seen by the maxfax team

only if clinically necessary as an emergency i.e. you're systemically septic. Otherwise you'll be given analgesia and advised to see a dentist

I agree but if there is a compromised airway then she would be seen

Hannnnnnnxo · 21/10/2018 22:20

Don’t go to A&E - they won’t be able to help much, they’ll just give you pain killers and tell you to see a dentist. You’ll be wasting yours and their time as they won’t be able to magically fix your pain overnight.

I was referred to a great dental hospital near me for TMJ too. Yes it did take a while to get an appointment. This hospital also takes patients for general dentistry via 111 and had urgent same day appointment slots available for service users in excessive pain. HOWEVER these appointments are COMPLETELY separate from the TMJ department, with different consultants - I repeat the emergency pain appointments are not TMJ appointments which is why you were quoted a 6 month wait. TMJ is rarely an urgent matter and a busy department, so will be at the bottom of the triage list, hence the long wait. So if you need a more urgent appointment for a separate matter at the dental hospital just ring them/111 (whatever their process is) and the urgent care department can see you sooner.

Nightwatch999 · 21/10/2018 22:20

OP if you are unable to manage your pain with over the counter Analgesia and you feel unable to cope until tomorrow, ring 111. You can attend A&E, some larger hospitals to have on called dentists, but at the very least they can offer you something stronger until tomorrow.

Original poster
emmapemma91 · 21/10/2018 22:21

Not sure what to do really, just know I can’t go months like this. Even if I went private it’s likely I’d need general anaesthetic due to the nerve and TMJ. My local dental hospital is Newcastle RVI they offer emergency appointments but usually for temporary fillings etc but I’ll ring 111 tomorrow.

The swelling isn’t huge it’s more the pain but my gums have swelled aswell as lymph nodes on neck 🙁

OP posts:
pretendingtowork1 · 21/10/2018 22:21

I was hallucinating with a burning fever!

as I said, if you're systemically septic then maxfax will see you. The OP didn't sound like that was the issue. your situation was completely different. The OP was planning to go tomorrow i.e. not an emergency and demand that they do something rather than have to go in today as she was delirious and febrile.

Original poster
emmapemma91 · 21/10/2018 22:23

The TMJ isn’t a massive problem it’s more the pain, added with the pain of TMJ.

OP posts:
Original poster
emmapemma91 · 21/10/2018 22:24

And sorry when I said ‘demand’ I didn’t mean making a big fuss I’m not like that anyway, but just need something done ASAP

OP posts:
hellokittymania · 21/10/2018 22:25

I had an abscess a few years ago that was incredibly painful and I went to a and E animal was given antibiotics. If an emergency dentist is open, you could also try there.

MeteorMedow · 21/10/2018 22:26

@pretending

But I was the OP on the Friday, one course of antibiotics down...feeling awful and being told ‘not to go to A&E’.
If 24/7 emergency dental care isn’t provided then it’s unreasonanle to tell someone in crippling pain not to go to A&E.

How about we question why ‘NHS’ dentists aren’t required to work ‘on call’ shifts and no 24/7 dental care is provided like A&E. They’re in the same class as doctors but get away with it- totally ridiculous

DishranawaywiththeSpoon · 21/10/2018 22:27

Major swelling would be seen by maxfax near me if you turned up at a&e but not toothache.

The thing is is that Drs don't know an awful lot about toothache and don't know how to treat it, the most effective painkillers are actually paracetamol when treating toothache so theres no point even prescribing something stronger. The only thing they could is presribe more antibiotics which haven't worked anyway.

meteor but you had hallucinations and a fever, that's not toothache that's systemic infection caused by a toothache.

Also no NHS dentist is going to tell you you can have it out tomorrow if you pay privately! This needs to be referred to a dental hospital because it's too complex for general practice, if it goes wrong your looking at numbness of your lip and tongue potentially forever.

Swipe left for the next trending thread