Dental abscess

I am sorry Babs, I have had tooth abscesses twice and treated both times with anti biotics which worked initially, but the infection returned. I was advised to have the teeth removed.
What relief. Hope you feel better soon.

Thanks Sparklefizz
Xx

for you Babs03 xx

Lalah65, that sounds horrendous. Am happy to say the swelling has reduced but there is still some pain and puffiness, is day four and imagined it will all have magically gone as it says on google. 48 hours seems to be the timeline.
I had to pay £50 to just see the dentist for as long as it took to get an X-ray. I might need to see the dentist again if these antibiotics don’t completely get rid of the abscess. Another £50. And as you say the doc won’t prescribe.
Can’t go any time yet though DH going into A&E today with another suspected bleed on the brain, he has had three since a stroke in March. So the abscess has to go on the back burner. Thing is should have had my tooth extracted in March but the appointment was the day after my DH had the stroke. Then I just never had the bandwidth.
Oh well.
😬

I’m so sorry to hear that you are going through this - I had a tooth abscess last year which spread throughout the bucal membranes and into my TMJ. It really was the most excruciating pain and I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.

I alternated paracetamol and ibuprofen; with codeine at night (this was all that the dentist was able to prescribe). It doesn’t agree with me, but it did help me get a little sleep. I couldn’t tolerate cold compresses, but found that a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel did give partial temporary relief. It didn’t help that one of the antibiotics I was given gave me hallucinations (which is a known side-effect). It was very odd! I use Difflam for mouth ulcers - it’s very effective for this. But it’s a local anaesthetic - and I’m not sure that it will have much impact on an abscess, which is further down in the gum.

Do please set yourself up a proper system for monitoring your painkillers. I was in so much pain and so tired from not sleeping that I got really confused about what I had taken and when. I became quite anxious that I might take too much paracetamol in error. I had to make sure that I wrote down what I’d taken and when.

NB I was unable to get support for pain management or for an allergic reaction to the first antibiotic I had been prescribed. I had to go to A&E! Also had to pay for private prescriptions for both the antibiotic and the codeine, plus £40 for an extra visit to the dentist!

Dentist surgeries are just not set up to provide ongoing medical support - my dentist had gone off on holiday, none of the partners wanted anything to do with me. A dental nurse emailed him and fortunately he responded later that day. My GP surgery refused to provide any advice as they are not insured for dental issues. I felt isolated and frightened. I was unable to open my mouth to eat and could only drink through a straw.

Although I was away from home when it started, and 111 were brilliant at getting me an initial emergency dental appointment, I could get home and see my own dentist.

Ps,I also think using a mouthwash about 4 times a day helps too it seems to numb the pain plus keep it hygienic.

I've had this problem, the swelling in my face went right up into my eye,I went back to the dentist she said its going to burst soon so should feel better then,she also gave me two lots of antibiotics, I've since had another infection in another tooth while waiting for an appointment, I checked my gums virtually every day sometimes there was a little head forming with swelling so I'd get two cotton buds and squeeze the head till it burst then it felt better,perhaps for much relief you could look if you can do the same ,I promise it will feel better then once its burst whilst your waiting for your appointment ,i had a deep root canal on the tooth.good luck.

I used Max Strength Orajel - read the label carefully as there are a couple of different formulations, you need the one that goes directly on to the tooth. Also the dentist advised me that the pain is worse lying flat as it puts pressure on the nerve so he recommended putting something under the mattress to prop it up ( not just an extra pillow as you will probably roll off it in the night.)

I had one a year ago- my sympathies! It’s excruciating but more bearable after 2 days of antibiotics. I needed to rake probiotics as all the antibiotics really upset my stomach, so perhaps you should start them straight away. Good luck!

FranP

You are lucky. I have an abcess and cannot get even an emergency appointment for 10 days. I had one last year and the dentist refused me antibiotics - "govt policy" was quoted at me. Now the doctor is quoting the same, telling me that they cannot prescribe for dental problems.

So I sit with a whole mouth spreading infection and painkillers for the next 10 days!

That is appalling FranP! I would phone 111 - they helped a colleague of mine with the same thing (who wasn’t registered at a dentist) and arranged for emergency antibiotics to be collected from a nearby pharmacy. Dental infections can lead to sepsis if left untreated, let alone the awful pain.

I had terrible pain from a tooth abscess last year, and it’s difficult to explain to others how much it hurt! I took the antibiotics and the prescribed painkillers and as soon as possible had the tooth out. No extra advice I’m afraid, but I took as much of everything as was possible. And please don’t under dose yourself, just take what you can.

Hope you feel better soon 💕🩷

Unless you've experienced a full blown dental abscess it's difficult to appreciate how painful it can be. Your dentist has given you treatment that will take a few days to kick in unfortunately. I had one years ago, husband was very ill at the time and I couldn't mope about trying to cope with pain. He extracted it there and then. The tooth is dead anyway and was going to come out in a couple of weeks time. Hardly felt a thing, and the relief was unbelievable. This from someone who was a Registered Dental Surgery Assistant having worked with dentists, oral surgeons and orthodontists.

Poor you - dental pain is simply hideous. I do hope you are over the worst. Hope you've found some good advice from all the replies above. I remember wishing someone would cut my head off many years ago when I had a dental infection of some kind, so you have my sympathies.

I had one over last Christmas and found rinsing with warm salt water for 5 minutes 3 or 4 times a day really helped. Hope you feel better soon.

Doctors get no training in dental problems. Although some of my doctors would prescribe antibiotics another one ( who did anything he could to avoid something he could get out of) refused to see anyone if it was anything to do with the mouth. So I dread to think what’s happening with so many people unable to see a dentist .

You are lucky. I have an abcess and cannot get even an emergency appointment for 10 days. I had one last year and the dentist refused me antibiotics - "govt policy" was quoted at me. Now the doctor is quoting the same, telling me that they cannot prescribe for dental problems.

So I sit with a whole mouth spreading infection and painkillers for the next 10 days!

It was probably metronidazole he was talking about. I often can’t remember the name of them but can remember where on the shelf they were kept and this particular one was half way down middle shelf!

Well I was told not to drink alcohol with my antibiotics, Amoxycillin and Metronidazole.

AuntieE

Unless you should not drink acohol try a glass of brandy or sherry.

Either probably work better as pain killers than the medication you are on.

There is one antibiotic that treats tooth infections ( can’t remember which one it is) that my doctor said ‘ don’t take alcohol with this; if you do you’ll wish you’d never been born’

Taunton: The giveaway is in the name "co-codamol" - codeine is well known for causing nausea in a lot of people. I am okay with it - many aren't. I think that Solpadine is an over-the-counter version of co-codamol - not entirely sure.

Babs: I hope that you are feeling better. Did you solve your window problem, by the way?

AuntieE

Unless you should not drink acohol try a glass of brandy or sherry.

Either probably work better as pain killers than the medication you are on.

Years ago my husband had a tooth abscess, he never made a fuss about pain, but with the abscess he drank a whole bottle of whisky overnight to try and ease the pain. He was still upright with no signs of being drunk at all. I can only sympathise and hope that the antibiotics kick in quickly.

Have you tried ringing your GP and requesting a prescription for strong painkillers just for a few days. Things like tramadol or codeine phosphate could help and as its only for a few days the GP might be ok to prescribe it.

Your antibiotics will kick in by day 2 or maybe day 3.
Dentists will sometimes drain your abscess to relieve pressure and pain, and this is often followed by other treatments, such as root canal treatment or, in some cases, tooth extraction, to address the underlying cause.

Unless you should not drink acohol try a glass of brandy or sherry.

Either probably work better as pain killers than the medication you are on.

Salt mouthwash, 3 times a day. Worked for my tooth abscess when the antibiotics didn't!