mysterious dental pain

[ilovexmasme]

someone please help me..
for the past 5 weeks i have developed toothache in my top 3rd back left tooth, i went to the dentist who said ti tub sensodyne on the gum area... 3days later i had to go to an out of hours dentist as the pain was getting worse, he said hat it was probable that i would need root canal surgery or a tooth extraction on the tooth but couldnt work out which tooth was casusing the pain as i have several fillings in same area and to go back to my dentist, (at thi spoint i didnt have a clue which tooth it was either) so off i went to my dentist who took xrays of back left teeth and said there was nothing bad there (eg abcess etc)she did however say the gum aorund my wisdom tooth was red and inflamed so gave me a 5 day course of penicillin. i knew then it wasnt my wisdom tooth causing the pain, but took the antibiotics for peace of mind.
that was 2 week ago, i took the penicillin for 5 days and still the pain...i ran an icelolly around my mouth and have identified the exact tooth, it also hurts when i have a cold drink.
yesterday and today the pain is immense and i am ill with it. the left side of my nose feels weird and also the tooth feels numb,but every hour or so i am getting sharp shooting pains from my left cheek area and they are awful, i have been crying, i can now drink a freezing cild glass of water with no effect to that tooth .... i really dont know what it is,i will ring the dentist tomorrow as i am certain its a dental problem.
can anyone help me please, im in agony

sounds like the inside of tooth has become inflamed and you need a root canal,phone emergency dentist or take some good painkillers and call your dentist first thing in morning-sympathies

if u ring dentist they should have emergency contact no on answerphone

You sound like you have pulpitis - the nerve inside the root is dying off.

You will need root canal work for this - in the meantime if you have access to an out of hours dental service, then do use it. They are normally open in the evenings.

As Fanjo says the number will be on your normal dentist's answerphone. (probably)

They can put something inside the tooth for you in order to stop the pain until tomorrow when you can try to get an emergency appt to have it filled.

Ibuprofen and paracetamol should help a little. If you can take co-codamol or codeine based painkillers then do so, as well.

Good luck, it can be sorted.

thanks for replies, its awful
i have been taking paramol (paracetamol and dihydracodeine)im on a 12 hour shift tomorrow 9.30-9.30 and theres no way i will get to dentist untill tuesday i would iv heard root canal is painful is tooth extraction not a better option? i just want it out i think

The discomfort after root canal work is nothing compared to major toothache, and wears off pretty quickly.

If you need root canal work, you could ask about sedation.

An infection might also be affecting your sinuses or cause some swelling that's niggling a facial nerve. That's one of the problems with facial structures - there's a lot of them packed into a fairly small area so it can sometimes be difficult to pinpoint exactly where the problem is.

I hope it gets sorted out soon.

If you're sure there's no out of hours service then continue with the painkillers - don't use a heat pack or hot water bottle as it can spread the infection, if there is any.

I would seriously try and get seen this evening as by Tues it's likely to be worse.

Google your area and emergency dentists.

yes root canal is a breeze when you've had pain like this. As soon as the anaesthetic goes in you feel so relieved, it's bliss.

i rang the out of hours this morning, and was told its highley unlikely that they will be able to do anything as its quite a limited service they provide, also my filling on the affected tooth is intact so couldnt be filled with anything else, the pain has subsided in the last few hours yesterday it was awful.
the dentist also told me that root canal is only temporary and will keep needing redone every few year or so....
think the only option is for me to have it removed
i am petrified about the thought if getting my tooth out yet i have had 3 caserean sections

Your dentist sounds a bit odd if you don't mind me saying!

Root canal work if done well with a bit of luck can last for many years.

Yes, it's probable that at some poijt it will need crowning as RC weakens the tooth - but once crowned it'll possibly be fine for 20 years or more.

Glad you are in less pain now. Take it easy and go as soon as you can.

I have a couple of crowned root canal fillings - one's been there for 5 years, the other for about 15. Nobody's ever mentioned them being temporary - am slightly aggrieved they might only last 20 years!