anyone had a dental abscess?

[worldsgonemade]

Hi, to aanyone how's ever suffered from an abscess once you started taking antibiotics how long was it before the pain started to improve? Generally not a wimp, had 2 babies without as much as a sniff of paracetamol but this is excruciating. My whole jaw, gum, cheek, face and ear are absolutely throbbing and ibuprofen and paracetamol at not touching it. Sorry for typos not slept for 3 nights because of the pain thank you.

It was about 48 hours for me. The swelling didn't go until right at the end but my high temp, general pain and aching went on about day 2/3.

Hope you feel better soon!

I've had two, from my experience it takes a couple of days for the antibiotics to kick in.

If it's getting worse call your dentist.

In the meantime neurofen plus which is ibuprofen and codien, and orajel will help. Try and sleep sitting up too as it'll reduce the blood flow and the pressure.

It's excruciating it really is. You have my sympathy

I have had a few and one last year recurred 3 times before we finally got it knocked on the head. The first time it came up, my dentist said i didn't need antibiotics when i saw her on the Friday as an emergency appointment. On Sunday morning, I was just about up the wall and ended up at the emergency dentist, who was horrified that i hadn't had antibiotics. On the Tuesday, I went to my GP for pain relief, as what I had been given wasn't touching the pain and she gave me a second antibiotic. Because of the mismanagement - and subsequent further mismanagement by the original dentist, the abscess came back. I got a lovely new dentist, who finally got the infection eradicated, gave me a root canal and finally crowned the pesky tooth (I am horribly dental phobic, so this caused me a lot of grief). Usually, a few days of antibiotics sees the worst of it over. I do hope it clears up quickly for you.

I have had a couple - you have my sympathy, the pain is awful. Took a couple of days of antibiotics for the pain to go. Hope you feel better soon!

I've had one twice, both times when pregnant and they're bloody painful.
Antibiotics worked within a day for me

You have my sympathy. It's the worst pain I gave ever had, worse than my two labours.
I had antibiotics, but the pain didn't go until the abscess burst through my gum.
Hopefully you have sorted yours out sooner than that and you feel better soon.

I have had an abcess, the pain was awful, worse than childbirth (maybe). My whole jaw physically swelled up and it looked like I had a golf ball in my mouth. Antibiotics started working within a couple of days during which time I was taking cocodamol which was only helping very slightly with the pain.
The dentist gave me an appointment for six weeks after the antibiotics so she could do a root canal, unfortunately the infection came back within one week of finishing the antibiotics. I had to see an emergency dentist as it was over Easter and he went spare when I told him my appointment for root canal wasn't for another 5 weeks as he said the infection was always going to come back before then.

I have a recurring absess. When I have taken antib it has improved within 24 hours. If it starts up before I can see the dentist I take ibuprofen with codeine - it must be codeine it's the only thing which really helped me with dental pain

Thanks for replies, been given 2 different antibiotics to take together but no pain relief. Had been using ibuprofen and paracetamol separately but they seem to take nearly an hour to even touch the pain then the affects seem to only be lasting around an hour, on way home from school run will be going to chemist to buy codeine tablets of some sort hopefully that helps.

You may need a prescription for something stronger. I'm surprised the dentist didn't give you one.

Dentists don't prescribe anything stronger because there is no evidence that it works, also antibiotics are the wrong treatment but I've given up explaining that on here because everyone prefers antibiotics to the correct treatment.

Good info is here abscess

Massive sympathies, I had one years ago on the Easter weekend in France. We had to drive to find a dentist open on Easter Sunday and then when the painkillers didn't touch the sides, go to the local A&E - can't remember much about the painkillers they gave me, but they worked!

mrsmorton looking at that link it suggests that antibiotics Are the right type of inital treatment for some types of abscess. The abscess I had resulted in the lower jaw on one side of my face being totally swollen and I'm not sure how the infection could have been brought under control without antibiotics. The dentist did try to burst the abcess to relieve the pressure but she couldn't manage to burst it. She couldn't do the root canal until the infection was under control because the tooth would not anaethestise. I am interested to know what alternatives there are to antibiotics for a rampant tooth infection as if I ever get another abcess I would be keen to avoid antibiotics as they always give me thrush.

But some over the counter co-codamol from your nearest pharmacy, that will help