Tooth abscess

Some local A&E departments deal with emergency dental work. You need antibiotics asap and if necessary I would dial the emergency number which I always mix up with the police number.

You need to be seen NOW.

If you've an abscess, its unlikely they'll actually do any physical treatment until the infection has gone, so try not to panic.
You need antibiotics though.
Try and break everything down into what you need to do in the moment.
For now, you need to find someone to prescribe medication.

There should be the number of an on call emergency dentist on the answerphone of any practice in the town. Most a&e depts won't see dental patients unless they are bleeding heavily.

I had similar problems last Christmas. There is an emergency dental clinic where I live but they are very busy at bank holidays you have to convince them that you're in so much pain you can't wait to see your own dentist.

After all the trouble I had with this particular tooth I did change to a private dentist. It's sooo different. They are so nice and have so much time for you and spend a lot of time putting you at ease it's much better. It costs an arm and a leg but I wouldn't go back to the NHS.

By the way, when I was in a lot of pain, the chemist said to take Ibuprofen and paracetamol alternately two hours apart.

kathsue you would love my young NHS dentist- he explains everything and takes his time knowing I am likely to fly out of the chair. I am slowly beginning to lose my fear of dentists because of his approach.

Suggest you phone 111 and they will advise you and maybe even get a doctor to phone you as they did with me (not dental related). Ibuprofen and Codeine are strong and work well for me when I have neuralgia. Best of luck.

I have a friend with a gagging problem. When he has dental treatment he is given a sedative first. Too late for an emergency like this, but next time you need to see the dentist ask if you can receive sedation.

Meanwhile get to a dentist/A&E/out of hours GP surgery and get antibiotics.

My lovely son called my GP, and he has just been out to see me ( he knows me, and knows how stressed I get), I’m lucky he was on call. Anyway I have some antibiotics, and have promised to call the dentist on Tuesday.

I had this problem last year and like you terrified Nanagran but I m still here minus the tooth and my heads still in place

I must be very lucky as my dentist runs Sunday surgeries
Good luck for Tuesday

You can use an online doc to get a prescription for antibiotics, it cost £20 for the appointment, facetime, and the prescription is collected at your local supermarket.

Nanagem so glad you managed to get some medication to kill off the infection. Abssesses can be very dangerous and need to be dealt with promptly.Not wishing to scare you or anyone else but a distant relative of mine lost her adult son due to the infection travelling to his brain. All because he was scared to go to the dentist even though in great pain. So sad.

The antibiotics will take 48 hours before they start to take effect. So pleased to hear that your son got in touch with your lovely GP. You will just have to stock up with painkillers until Tuesday but you are halfway there. Good luck- it is horrid and to happen over a BH weekend makes it so much worse.

nanagem
When you make that dentists appointment (the one you know you must!) post here again, and we'll coach you through it.

I am so pleased to hear you have got antibiotics,I have suffered with absesses for the past few years and like you was terrified of the dentists chair.
I went privatly to a Practice where the young female dentist understood my fear and she was marvelious she sprayed my gums with a painkiller before she even looked at the problem and I never felt a thing.Good luck for Tuesday.

Dentistry now is very different from many years ago. There is no pain I’m my experience I often think it is the sound of the drill that upsets people. My dentist says put your hand up if you want me to stop and I do occasionally just to swallow and regroup.

Thank you for all ŷour kind words, I feel stupid for getting so worked up about it, my biggest fear now is how I will manage with the dentist chair. Everyone assures me they go low enough for me to sit on, no climbing !, and I know deep down I’ll be fine, it’s silly really, a grown women who has run her own business, raised three children, still have all my mental faculties, if not physical!, to be scared of going out of the house, and then to a dentist !, it’s silly.

Well, that's step one out of the way.
You could ask your dentist to make a home visit, if you really can't face going..
Its not silly; we all have things that unnerve us.

I have had a tooth abscess years ago and, before the dentist could do anything, I had to have antibiotics. In the end, I had a tooth at the back removed.

I don't mean to be an alarmist but I think you must get this abscess/tooth looked at as things could go from bad to worse and start to affect more teeth etc. etc. Even if the abscess subsides this time, it will recur at some point probably.

I wish you the best of luck.

I had the same melanie and agree totally.
Perhaps ask your go to prescribe diazepam as a relaxant, I used it and it really
helped me nanagem. Good luck.

.....ask your gp....

Nanagem thinking of you and hoping the antibiotics kick in soon.
As others have said, tooth abscesses need to be treated promptly.

You are not stupid Nanagem, you have the same fears that many have of the dentist and other difficulties to contend with. If you have an abscess they are agonising; take heart, the painkillers hopefully will help and dentists work miracles now. I had an abscess that had me pacing the floor, holding my face. Our lovely dentist sorted it out and I have never felt such relief, it was amazing. Good luck!

It sounds like an abscess....if you don"t have an emergency number for your dentist go to A & E they can prescribe some antibiotics for you which will start kicking in very quickly.

I'm with you nanagem, I am completely dental phobic. i have not been to a dentist in about 20 years, I, like you, only go when I can't stand the pain any longer. Even in my home if I have to phone to get the appointment I pick up the phone, I am shaking, crying, feeling sick, start to dial the number and put the phone down again, it can take 3 days for me to be able to speak to them on the phone. I wish I could get over this but I can't. If you really can't wait until Tuesday go to the hospital.