Dental abscess spreading

[Pantone363]

Tooth broke a month ago, dentist can't remove so I need to go to dental hospital at the end of this month.

He put a temp filling in, then I got an infection/abscess. Went back for antibs, finished them last week. Still infected, last night it was horrendous, no sleep last night, infection has spread along my jawbone, lip is swollen, glands on one side all swollen, neck tender and now my shoulder is in pain. Tooth pain is indescribable.

No emergency appts at dentist. Rang 111, they said dentist have to see me. Dentist says no appt try another dentist or ring tomorrow. Rang other dentists they said they can't see me as I'm not a patient and ring 111. 111 said no ring other dentists.

I understand why people pull their own teeth now. No GP appts either, self medicating with painkillers and diazapam.

What now?!

Op are you in London by chance? There is a 24 hour dentist in Baker Street. I calked them up at 1am one night and by 3am and about £280 poorer, they extracted my tooth. Hope you're better now.

Not in London and the dental hospital has no emergency clinic ....

I'm absolutely asking for a private appt when I get the consultation I can't take this much longer

Have made a rice bag, two mins in the microwave then on face seems to help.

Tomorrow can't come quick enough!

This is awful for you! I can't believe your lack of treatment. Jeez, I hope yours isn't a typical experience. Good luck tomorrow, OP.

How are you Pantone?

Please tell me you have been seen by now.

Antibiotics are almost never the treatment for toothache. Even if they can't take the tooth out they can drill it, drain it and dress it.

My Sunday clinics are full of people like you whose dentists fob them off with ABs and it pisses me the fuck off.

OP, please tell us how you are getting on.

Hi all

Had the appt at the dental hospital, first appt they could offer was may 28th..

I'll admit I then went back into my dentist and cried! Luckily got a new dentist who couldn't believe it had been left that long (luckily or not infection was now tracking on my skin). He drilled tooth, drained filled with antibiotic stuff and filled again.

The relief is immense!!! Tooth is still vaguely hurting but fine with minor pain relief. I honestly could've kissed him. Thanks for reading my ongoing moan, I was posting here as a distraction from the bloody awful pain!

Hooray. Pleased for you OP

on a one woman mission to stop prescription of antibiotics for dental pain with no systemic involvement

Who do you report dentists to? Is it your pct? I'd be writing to them tout suite for leaving you in such a dangerous situation. Hope you continue to improve.

You should complain to the surgery in the first instance. Was it NHS or private?

NHS

Surgery will have a complaints procedure if you feel you'd like to complain. That should be your first port of call, happy to help with letter/response OP if you'd like to pm me.

mrsmorton I am with you in your campaign? drives me bonkers in the Out of hours clinic.
worse still patients whose dentist has said they can't extract the tooth while it has an abscess

Absofuckinglutely. Ok, don't extract it but at least open and dress it. FML.

Patients have been conditioned to expect antibiotics, on here as soon as someone says toothache it's " ooh you need metronidazole". No! You need a drill and some ledermix.

Poor you. glad you're feeling better. I have had this 3 times. I know understand the phrase 'climbing wall in pain'. I ended up in a and e twice and the second time saw a facial surgeon and ended up on drip it was awful.
seemed to me emergency dentists didn't know what to do.

You poor thing. I completely understand your pain.

I would rather give birth than have dental pain.

I was in agony!

Glad someone is sorting it. Xx

This all sounds hideous! Were you able to have a local anaesthetic for the treatment? I have heard that sometimes anaesthetic doesn't work/can't be used if there is still an abscess.

Yes but 6 injections because of the infection. My left eyelid stopped working so I had to manually blink my eye for two hours!

I know I should complain but I feel so pitifully grateful that they sorted it in the end

Sounds like you would have done it without the anaesthetic, the amount of pain you were in...

Manually blinking! Not heard that one before.

Sometimes the anaesthetic can spread to the facial nerve which does the blinking thing. It usually wears off fairly rapidly. Bit scary the first time it happens to you (as a dentist) but it happens (I've seen it twice in ten years).

Interesting! It happened the last time I had work done too. Maybe I have weird nerves or something.

It's a very strange feeling, I kept poking myself in the eye because you expect your eyelid to close when you put your hand up to it!

But no pain now at all other than where the first four injections were in the hinge of my jaw.

So so so relieved!