In agony with toothache, help

[Nat6999]

I've got an abcess, have a prescription for metronidazole coming in the morning, I've taken Naproxen, 2 co-codamol 30/50 & dihydracodeine but it is still throbbing, I can't sit up or lay down, the pain is agonising. Has anyone have any ideas what I can do? I just want to go to sleep.

What did the dentist actually tell you to take? I have taken codeine for an abscess and it had zero effect. I'd not been advised to take codeine but tried it because there was some in the house and I knew it was strong. Now you've taken all these things,you need to wait for them to clear your system before you take anything else. The metronidazole is not a quick fix. Try holding a hot water bottle or heat pad to your face. Try rinsing your mouth with warm salty water. Phone dentist for advice about painkillers. If they open at 9am - I'd try phoning from about 8am. Sorry,it is very nasty.

No advice but hand hold for you, toothache pain is awful 💐
Hope you can get hold of dentist first thing this morning.

Hopefully you can get hold of a dentist in the morning. If it’s nerve pain it’s horrible I suffer with sciatica and currently having a bad flare up of nerve pain so mu sympathies

have you tried clove oil? It tastes foul but my mum had a really horrible toothache / infection recently and it was one of the only things that helped

PS I recall dentist telling me Ibuprofen was best pain relief for toothache but frankly your level of pain/situation seems beyond that. I’m racking my brains to think of what else I have done when experiencing abscesses. You have my sympathy, it’s unrelenting pain.

I know this won't help right now, but if you go to a chemist you can buy something called orajel. It's benzocaine and I swear by the stuff. It numbs your mouth nicely so that you don't feel the pain.

I've had terrible abscesses and no dentist availability. No painkillers touched it. I was doing the salt and water mouth rinses regularly. I had to get a flight so I squeezed them out by myself. It was gross but it worked temporarily.

Yes this stuff is great

Don't use a hot water bottle/heat pack - it might feel comforting butnit can actually make the abcess much worse.

Generally ibuprofen is the best thing for toothache, Naproxen is very similar so if that's not touching it I don't think there's much else you can take without a prescription. Co-codamol and Dihydrocodeiene wont do much.

Please take care about mixing painkillers and different doses and what types you are taking - Ibuprofen and Naproxen are in the same class of drug so you need to wait between taking them and ideally not on an empty stomach - glass of milk or some yoghurt if you can't face anything solid.

Try an ice pack or frozen peas wrapped in a towel and held onto your face for 10 minutes or so at a time. If you have a supermarket or health shop nearby I've had some decent relief from chamomile granules in the past - or baby teething powders which are generally ok alongside other pain relief. Gargling with salt water might help the infection but probably wont make much of a difference to how you're feeling at this stage.

If you want Orajel, go for the stuff from behind the counter at a pharmacy if you can, stronger and more effective.

I'm sorry you're stuck with this, I've had endless bother with my teeth and there truly is nothing worse. I hope you find some relief soon.

Just remembered I used to sometimes hold some whisky in my mouth for a few minutes then spit it out which definitely helped a bit for short bursts of time.

I've got some orajel somewhere, will look for it in the morning. I'm under the community dentist due to my old one kicking me off his books because there are steep steps at the entrance & due to me being disabled I can't get up them & have to go round the back. The community dentist is OK but I rang first thing yesterday morning & it took them until 5 minutes before closing to ring me back, they sent the prescription electronically & by that time the chemist was closing, ds is going first thing to pick it me up. The pain seems to be settling at the moment & I'm trying to convince myself I don't need to get up for a wee because I know the moment I stand up my tooth will start throbbing again.

You poor thing! Have you tried holding water in your mouth? Whenever I have had an abscess this has helped. (Top tip, get a bucket/bowl and spit it out rather than swallow, as by the time my dental appointment arrived I needed a wee literally every 10 minutes and had to keep getting up from the chair 😂)

also second clove oil. Hope you get it sorted today.

I was going to say orajel as well - works instantly as well.

Clove oil is recommended by a lot of dentists - available in all pharmacies. Has always helped relieve toothache for me.

Also you shouldn't take ibuprofen if you are using naproxen.