Is there a dentist who would please help?

[cinnabuns]

Are there any dentists who might be able to reassure me? I have either a gum infection (pocket?) or an impacted wisdom tooth infection, have spoken to dentist who I also saw at the end of March and had an X-ray, although I have had two courses of penicillin antibiotics already I am collecting metronidazole tomorrow. I am terrified that it won't work and the pain and discomfort won't resolve until whatever the underlying problem is which could be weeks or months before dentists reopen. I am struggling with everyday life, small children and pain and pressure in my face and at the moment literally cannot think about anything else. I don't even want to wake up in the mornings anymore and am having some scary bad thoughts. Can anyone offer any reassurance or help?

If it's an infection then hopefully the metronidazole will help
I had an infection my gum and honestly couldn't open my mouth properly
The metronidazole helped so much

Thank you. I couldn't open my mouth very much 2 weeks back so it has improved a bit and I am doing loads of self care but I'm really anxious that 2 courses of penicillin didn't help. Or that it's not actually infected and hence I need treatment that I can't get

I'm in the same position although my dentist prescribed metronidazole straight away and that hasn't worked either. Normally my old dentist gave amoxicillin and that always worked for me. I'm also really anxious about it. I finished the first lot of antibiotics yesterday and they said to wait a couple of days to see if it improves. I've already had two wisdom teeth out and infection has never persisted this long before. I'm going to give them a call tomorrow or weds to see if I can just get some amoxicillin and see how that goes. I'm doing all the things they advised, corsodyl, salt water rinses, cleaning etc and nothing is working. It's so ridiculous. I literally feel your pain! These infections should be treated as an emergency imo so I don't understand why they won't refer to an emergency dental clinic. Surely this is what they are there for??

@OhWhatAPalaver
Sorry to hear you are having problems too. I am so anxious that the metronidazole won't help either. I don't even know for definite if it is my wisdom tooth. My dentist said that he would refer me to the urgent hub but I doubt they can remove an impacted wisdom tooth anyway. To be honest I'd be happy for them to remove my healthy back molar if if relieved all the pressure and the pain. It's really upsetting me, I am in tears constantly and unable to focus on anything. I'm trying to homeschool one while juggling a toddler.

They can get in there and give it a really good clean out though which is probably what is needed (in my case anyway). We just don't have the tools or skill to deal with it at home ourselves. That's good that thry are referring you to the hub though. They will do an extraction if it's needed but perhaps not on an impacted wisdom tooth. I really hope I can be referred to have mine out because this is the second infection in two months
Good luck with the hub and hope you feel better soon x

Thanks. And you. My jaw is so swollen and painful and struggling to eat. I would happily lose a back molar to get rid of this pain, if it means the wisdom tooth would stop pressing on it maybe. All my hopes on metronidazole, terrified it won't work.

Amoxicillin and metronidazole work on different types of bacteria so if one doesn’t work, the other can be tried. So hopefully if you haven’t had metronidazole before, it will have some effect. There is minimal emergency service available for secondary care (wisdom tooth extractions) but absolutely everything else must have been tried first for a referral to be made and accepted. The system has more demand than spaces and there is minimal PPE so only a certain number of urgent appointments available each day. It’s different in different regions too depending on availability of staff and PPE.

Thank you for responding. I'm hopeful for the metronidazole which I can collect tomorrow. My dentist said if there is any further swelling it would have to be IV antibiotics in hospital plus referral to urgent care. I'm hopeful it won't come to that but conscious my jaw has swelled more since yesterday and I also think more than this morning. Feeling fairly unwell and just got into bed.

Oh gosh @cinnabuns are you going to the urgent hub today? It sounds worse than mine. Any facial swelling is an emergency apparently. If in doubt ring 111 for advice.

I was told to go to a and e if swelling affects my breathing? I could call for a referral to urgent centre but not sure if it's too late in the day now. Plus I'm collecting antibiotics tomorrow. I'm not sure. I'm on codeine now and can't think straight!!

All appointments for today will have been allocated, there are only a few each day. Take the metronidazole and if still no improvement, call your dentist back to discuss. They can refer, but it’s not up to them whether you will be seen. The cases that come in are rated in order of urgency and the most urgent are seen at the urgent care centre.

@MilkLady02 thank you.

No problem, hope the antibiotics work for you!

How are you feeling today @cinnabuns?
I'm waiting for the dentist to call me back again, praying they give me amoxicillin!

Hi @OhWhatAPalaver

Pretty rough to be honest. My face was very swollen yesterday and sore, I had to get codeine from the pharmacy. I've just picked up a 5 day course of metronidazole and taken the first dose, I'm hoping that shifts it. I've noticed that he gave me a higher dose than usual according to the leaflet. The whole thing has made me very anxious and upset and tearful, I'm terrified they won't work and will be left with a spreading infection and no treatment. The dentist did come to the door himself and talked to me, he said if they don't work he will refer me to the urgent hub but doesn't know if they will be able to extract an impacted wisdom tooth. I'm not sure it was a very helpful thing to say as it just set me off panicking again. I don't seem to be coping with it very well and tearful all the time, not sure how much that might actually be a result of being unwell though. Just feel wobbly and sleepy and not myself at all.

How about you? I hope you are ok and the dentist prescribes you some antibiotics.

I have got some amoxicillin now as I called them again this morning but they seem to want me to wait a bit longer for it to settle. Not sure what to do really.
Sorry your still feeling so rough. Hope you start to feel better soon. Metronidazole can make you feel pretty rough so don't be worried if you start feeling sick. If you have any probiotics then take them, they help with any diarrhoea. I felt really tired and a bit out of it while taking too, they are strong. Fingers crossed they work for you x

That's so annoying. How uncomfortable are you? I know it's not great to have unnecessary ABs and obviously if you don't need them they won't help, but you don't want anything to get worse. When can you call back?

It's so confusing but I decided to start taking the amoxicillin anyway. I hate antibiotics but I want to make sure this infection is definitely gone. I just want to feel better. Let us know how you get on at the hub etc. Take care.

How did you get on with the metronidazole @cinnabuns ?

Thanks for asking @MilkLady02

It isn't as painful but not cleared up completely. I have had 4 out of 5 days on it now. Swelling in face and jaw gone. My gum is still sore to brush and feels a bit raw if I smile or something but it more feels like a lot of pressure now than pain. I don't know if that's good or bad.

I'm still really concerned that it is something serious and will take ages to clear up or just get worse again.

I'm actually wondering if it could possibly be related to anxiety, or being exacerbated by anxiety 😢

Good news @cinnabuns
Try to keep it as clean as you can, even though it’s sore. Soft or child’s toothbrush. Try Corsodyl mouthwash for 7 days. (You can get Corsodyl toothpaste too but it tastes vile!) The key is to try to prevent it getting infected again. Hope it stays calm, but call your dentist if it starts again.

Thank you. I do really appreciate your help and advice. Yes I have got corsodyl toothpaste I don't mind the taste. I've stopped using the mouthwash tho as it's staining - I have oraldene and listerine. Would the pressure instead of pain indicate anything, would it suggest it's clearing up just a bit more slowly maybe?

Corsodyl Daily doesn’t strain the way the usual one does. It’s good stuff so stick with it. I developed a very bad infection after surgery to remove a complicated wisdom tooth. Ended up with lock jaw as well as an infection. Eventually I was on amoxicillin as well as Metronidazole and it did Eventually clear. It was sore and tender for a long time. What my dentist did eventually realise is that the codeine was making me worse. The pain was better but I was anxious and shaky all the time. When I stopped taking them I improved. Maybe worth considering?

Thanks @mondaywine

How long did your infection take to clear? I feel like there is improvement but it is a long slow haul.

Did you mean codeine making you anxious? I don't really need painkillers anymore although it's uncomfortable. I think the combo of an infection and metronidazole has really wiped me out tho.