Toothache - need root canal but not till after birth, what can I do for pain till then?!

[spackcat]

I need root canal treatment on a molar but that can't be done until after the birth as I need general anethestic. It was fine as long as there was a temp' filling in it but now it plays up whenever it feels like it. The pain is a dull ache all over my cheek and into my ear that becomes so intense sometimes it's unbareable - paracetamol doesn't touch it when it's this bad. I don't really know what to do about it, my baby is not due till late January and my appointment's not till May! Do I have to keep popping pills until then?! Anyone else in the same boat? And any ideas as to what I can do. Thanks

Sorry, don't really know but I used to find that a hot water bottle wrapped in a silky scarf on ear ache or tooth ache used to help. Might be worth a try if you havent already!

You can't surely be expected to put up with pain like that for the next six months?? Is this what the dentist has told you - that you just have to put up with it until after the birth?

can't think what you can take while preggers. I had root canal done while awake. If he just drills down to release the pus that isn't too bad. Better than waiting and the infection can spread. Once the tooth is open it will drain (mine was left over for a month) then a temp non-mercury filling can pack out the tooth.

If it's a molar could you not just get it extracted? I got mine taken out a couple of weeks ago at 33 weeks pregnant because it was giving me hell. they gave me the option of root canal but you can't see it when I smile etc so I just got him to take it out.

Ledodgy, whats it like having a tooth out? I have an abcess under an incisor which is already root filled so this time they want to take it out. I'm pretty scared.

Poor you spackcat. I suffer terribly with my teeth - am due to have either root canal or extraction on Thursday I can't imagine how painful it must be if you can only take paracetemol. Surely they can do something? Do you think antibiotics would clear any infection?

Neverfree- I've had a couple of teeth out. The first one was so quick I couldn't believe it - miles better than a filling. Second one was a different story - twisted roots or something. Couldn't feel that much but 40 mins of pulling is a bit much to take ....

Go to the gp. They hopefully will be able to give you something stronger for the pain. tere is no way you can carry on like that.

I hate to say it spackcat... but it will only get worse. You cannot go till next May with this. I had root canal treatment a week ago (have had it before) and it really is not that bad. I was in the chair for an hour and just had local injections. It was bearable and far far better than the pain I had been having from this tooth.

I suffer a lot with my teeth and the toothache is always far worse than the actual treatment. There are varying degrees of anaesthetic that a dentist can treat you with... I know there is a relaxant one that doesn't knock you out as such... but takes away any nerves totally. Don't leave it, and just pop pills, you need to be able to concentrate on yourself and your baby... not toothache. When it hurts, it rules your life, and you don't want that.

Hi helliebean, my dentist did tell me I would have to wait till after babys born because I would need to go under for it. Neverfree, I don't believe the tooth is infected it's just the cavity is so deep it leaves the nerve exposed which is what is causing the pain, probably why an extraction would be no good either as it is the nerve itself that is the problem. Longmeg- when I saw my dentist there was no pain as long as there was a filling in it, it is only now it is playing up regardless so my dentist thought I would be fine, getting an appointment with them is like gold dust though (nhs!), I would have to wait at least a month. Thanks for all your help, I think I might go to my gp for the pain and try and bring my dental appointment nearer to after the birth if poss',thanks againxx

Not questioning toooo much... spackcat, but I have had 3 lots of root canal treatment and I have never ever heard of anyone being put under for it.
Can you ask him why, cos it sounds most unusual. A root canal is a root canal after all.... Why would you have to go under for it?

Root canal treatment is when they remove all the root pulp and nerves to prevent infection(the reason why there is no pain afterwards) and it is then filled. I think if you are left with pain at this stage, you will possibly end up with an abscess or something... sorry to sound doom and gloom, but it has happened to me.

i've had several root canals, tooth removals, crowns and even a bridge and you don't need a general anaesthetic.

NO WAY!

also, if you don't have it done, sometimes the tooth can absess.

aside from being unpleasant, it's not a good idea for have such an infection so close to your brain.

i'd switch dentists.

sorry, but May is way too long to wait for that.

you could wind up losing hte entire tooth.

You probably will end up losing the entire tooth because you will be so desperate to get rid of the pain! When you have bad toothache, a minute seems like an hour TBH.

When I have had bad bad toothache, prior to root canal treatment, it got to the point, that I had THE strongest painkillers lined up on my bedside table to take every 4 hours. When I took them, I would fall to sleep through exhaustion, only to wake in excrutiating pain thinking four hours had gone by, and I could take the next lot of painkillers. I would then look at the clock and realise only half an hour had gone by, and I had 3.5 hours to suffer...

You have a baby to think about... get yourself back to the dentist on an emergency appointment, ask why you need to be put under, and demand treatment. All NHS dentists are obliged to offer emergency appointments.

in some larger cities, there's an emergency dentist clinic. your city might have one. you show up, wait your turn and get seen.

Thanks helliebean, I think I will, my dentist definetly said I would have to go under for it because I was quite shocked about it myself and her accent is quite strong so I asked her if that is what she meant, she was quite sure about waiting until after the birth too. My Dad was quite supprised aswell to hear that I would need this treatment too as he has horrenous teeth(!) and has had loads of treatment over the years. This is the first time I have visited a dentist in absolutley years so I am not really familiar with whats what. I think I will phone the surgery again and explain the problem, maybe there is something more they can do at the present?

Your Primary Care Trust has a legal obligation to provide you with emergency dental care. If your dentist won't cooperate, get on to the PCT and ask for their emergency dental service number.

i find myself receiving more and more substandard care from a lot of foreign doctors and dentists.

i realise how xenophobic and racist that sounds, but it's my honest experience.

maybe in wherever it is she came from they needlessly knock people out for a root canal, but they don't here.

and besides, who in their right mind would have a GA in anything other than a hospital or day surgery setting?

there needs to be a trained, certified anaesthetist around when you have GA.

one who preferably speaks clear English.

I suffered a similar problem and it's AGONY. No way can you wait till May. You have two options IMO:

• insist on having root canal treatment under a local anaesthetic )perfectly possible - in fact I've never heard of anyone having to have general!!!
• or (my preferred option) have the tooth extracted. It really ISN'T that bad. The relief will be instant. It's an odd sensation if you haven't had an extraction before - a lot of tugging and cracking noises but really quick. Also - it's a hell of a lot cheaper than root canal treament!!

absolutely expat. As far as I am aware, it is very very rare to be put under in a dentist surgery now. My DD1 needed some extractions for braces, and she was only lightly sedated (the one that makes you feel woozy as opposed to being put right out). We were told that if she wanted to be put right out, it could now only be done in hospital, not a dentists surgery.

When I have suffered like this, I have rung my dentists surgery and gone the same day and you should be entitled to that too. Most dentists keep emergency slots for just this sort of thing, it often means hanging around for an hour or so in the waiting room, but they will treat you then and there if you are in pain.

From your OP it sounds awful... if it is spreading through the whole of the side of your face, and you can't even tell which tooth is hurting... it is bad and you must get it sorted tomorrow.

Last time I had this i ound the best pain relief was snakebite drank through a straw in a tent (!) however that's not generaly recommended in rpegnancy (sadly LOL )

Pharmacist might be able to advise until you get further info from GP or dentist?

My root canal treatment on the NHS I had 2 weeks ago only cost £44. Personally speaking, I would strongly advise against extraction... if you start having probs with your teeth and you need a bridge or something, if you have a gap cos of an extraction, you have nothing to attach the bridge to... the only option is then implants which costs thousands.

Root canal doesn't always work. I have had one successful one that has lasted 8 years, but also one that only lasted about 6 months... but it is worth a try, surely?

spackcat I had root canal work done on one of my back molars (one with 4 roots, 3 of whch needed clearing and filling. I had all this done with local anaesthesia, there is no need for a GA for this type of work and I'm very surprised your dentist is insisting on it. You absolutely should not accept being left for 6 months before this is dealt with. Apart from the pain, the tooth, the teeth along side it and ultimately your jaw bone are open to infection which can be very hard to shift once established and can end up destroying the bone altogether.
Local anaesthesia shouldn't affect the baby in any way but I do know that some dentists are reluctant to mess about with the old type fillings which contain mercury while you're pregnant.
In the meantime, I was told by my consultant that co-codamol is fine during pregnancy but as other posters have said, the pain will only get worse.

in the US, an oral surgeon won't even do IV sedation outside a day surgery centre - too afraid of lawsuits if something goes wrong.

but, look, i have a condition called malignant hyperthermia that causes my temp to go up uncontrolably and all sorts of potentially fatal problems under GA, and i had no idea i had it. till i went under. in fact, the first time i did go under, nothing happened.

second time, i apparently deteriorated so quickly the surgeon had to stop operating and i wound up in ICU - i don't remember any of that, though.

but if that had happened in a dentist surgery, i'd be dead.

I have never heard of anyone having root canal treatment under general anaesthetic. That is absurd to be honest.

Go private and just get it done. I swear it will make you feel very happy that you spend the extra few pounds on it - plus when you go private I find that they use a little more anaesthetic round the tooth so you don't feel anything.

I've had 2 root canals done - one on NHS which I would never recommend and one privately which was brilliant.

Neverfree it's not that bad they just inject you with local anasthetic so everywhere is numb then yank it out. Afterwards ,after the anesthetic wears off it hurts a bit but nowhere near as much as the original toothache. The relief that the tooth that has been annoying the hell out of you has gone is immense.

Thanks LeDodgy. Not looking forward to the temporary denture thingy either.
I've had about 6 root canals in 3 teeth all under a local. The odd twinge but it was more my fear than anything else. Gotta have all 3 teeth out one day as they are so damaged and brittle from 25 years of root stuff. The one thats coming out is the only one that has never been changed so its been in there over 20 years now. But there's an abcess underneath as it wasn't done properly (they left a pocket) but the private dentist and the NHS one says its best to remove the tooth. Takes away the mercury too.