Antibiotics haven't worked - gum infection

[InterstellarOverdrive]

I posted recently about this as I was concerned about the short course of antibiotics given by the dentist. He only gave me a 3 day course of amoxicillin for a gum infection and lo and behold they have done absolutely nothing. He has consequently emailed a prescription of metronidazole to the chemist for me to pick up on Monday but again its only 3 days. Last time I had an infection in the same area both antibiotics did nothing and i had to have my wisdom tooth extracted on order for it to settle. What would be the next course of action if metronidazole doesn't work either? Is there something physical the dentist can do to improve my chances of it healing? I'm starting to get quite concerned that I'll just be given more and more antibiotics until I'm ruined :( the amoxicillin have already given me an awful stomach and diarrhoea after only 3 days. Metronidazole is awful so I'd rather not take it if the dentist can do something else instead. I'm starting to get desperate now, it's so painful.

Well that’s the thing……you get desperate due to the pain, sincerely hope you can get this sorted
Take care 😷

Thank you 🤞

Not a doctor and not suggesting this is your experience, but around 10 years ago I also had a dental abscess. They prescribed me amoxicillin which did not work, followed by metronidazole which did. In fact, it started making the abscess smaller in a really short time, like a day. I think each antibiotic is particularly effective at killing off a specific bacteria, so if you have the wrong antibiotic it does nothing to help. This isn't encouraging for a patient, but I guess they have to save money somewhere so prescribe based on what it's most likely to be / what takes the least amount of time or intervention. Hope it all works out for you!

Its not necessarily incorrect advice, is your face actually swollen?

Its possible its just inflammation and not a collection of pus i.e an infection. Pain does not equal infection

Either way it needs cleaning

My face isn't swollen but my god I'm in a lot of pain. My jaw, my ear, my mouth. So painful. Paracetamol isn't cutting it any more :( back to the dentist tomorrow as I couldn't get in today.

Quite a lot of the gum area is swollen though btw. The second dentist I saw said it was an infection, the first barely even looked properly. Feel like I've been really let down by dentists lately!

So if your face isn't swollen then antibiotics probably aren't appropriate anyway

Yes you need to go back to the dentist and get them to treat the source. Whether that's a clean or an extraction or whatever. But the dentist should identify the source, treat it and if necessary give antibiotics as an adjunct to treatment

Sorry you have been left in pain

@InterstellarOverdrive
Feeling any better Op ?

@KarlMaldensNose I've had to start metronidazole today. I actually saw a decent dentist yesterday who cleaned the area properly but said I should take the metronidazole as it's an active gum infection.
Just had the first tablet this morning and now I feel sick and dizzy. I hate antibiotics. :(

Urgh, scrap that. No more metronidazole for me. Feeling like I've been poisoned. Dentist said to stop taking them and see how it goes. Fingers crossed it'll go away with just corsodyl.

I know this is an old thread but it came up in Google when I was searching for answers.

OP, did your infection ever clear?

My gum is infected and it's spread to my ear and jaw which are in so much pain. I was prescribed Amoxicillin which has done fuck all and now waiting for my Metronidazole.

Fingers crossed! Although I'm rather paranoid I am not antibiotic resistant.

I had multiple courses of antibiotics for a dental abcess, none of them was less than 7 days, the metronidazole was for 14 days, 3 days just won't cover it. Ring back & tell the dentist you have a temperature & feel ill. Dental infections can easily turn to sepsis.

Sorry just seen this is an old post.

@user6482957 in this instance it was due to the gum around where I had my wisdom tooth extracted being loose and food debris gathering there. Antibiotics did not work and I ended up going to a private dentist who thoroughly cleaned the area and told me to use salt water rinses several times a day. This worked, antibiotics didn't and shouldn't have been prescribed in the first place. Not been back to previous dentist as they are absimal. If it's the gum and not a tooth abscess the treatment is different. Hope you can get it sorted.

@InterstellarOverdrive when you say thoroughly cleaned what do you mean did he numb you and do a deep clean this is my issue

@InterstellarOverdrive iv got same had two wisdom out both behind full of bacteria and bottom two wisdom hurt too but got metro as it’s periodontist

@user6482957 did they work