More midnight pacing, clutching my face in agony. Just wondering if anyone else out there is battling toothache at the mo. Here in the UK there are no dentists currently available. Apparently they're about to open these hubs for emergency extractions, but I wonder what kind of waiting list there might be. The painkillers I've been prescribed are pretty good, but there's a gap period between doses when I have to wait for the next to kick in, so it's pretty vile. I really hope noone else is struggling with this.
I've never done it, but I've heard clove oil rubbed on the offending tooth and gum can really reduce swelling, pain and infection. Might be worth looking into? Hot water bottle or ice pack depending on which brings you more comfort?
Obviously not enough here to say if they're appropriate, but might be worth asking the question.
Also, you could look to see if you can "fill in" the gaps between doses with a different sort of painkiller, in the same way that you can have ibuprofen and paracetamol at the same time?
Thankyou guys. Was so nice to hear your replies. I think half the burden was feeling like I'm totally alone in this, (which of course I'm not, I know someone else who's going through the same.) Yeah, frozen peas and clove oil helps. I think the worst thing is the broken sleep, and the uncertainty of it. You're basically assessed over the phone, and there's no knowing how long this is going to take. Weeks? I worry a bit about what the painkillers are doing to my insides. Thanks again for hearing my whimpers, you're stars x
Really sorry to hear you're suffering, I've had a couple of abscesses in the past and the pain is truly vile so I know what you're going through. You may well need antibiotics in addition to painkillers. My understanding is that dental treatment is currently undertaken but in dental hospitals or dental depts within general hospitals. Can you try and get a referral to one?
Cpb60 said: Really sorry to hear you're suffering, I've had a couple of abscesses in the past and the pain is truly vile so I know what you're going through. You may well need antibiotics in addition to painkillers. My understanding is that dental treatment is currently undertaken but in dental hospitals or dental depts within general hospitals. Can you try and get a referral to one?
Yeah, basically it seems it's phone call assessments only at the moment. The dentist that I spoke too said that there are these hubs that they're starting to open now, but they are strictly no-drilling/extraction only places. And the way he explained it , you're started on the lowest level of painkillers first, then get another phone assessment five days later to see how to proceed. I guess despite my pleas my level of agony wasn't deemed emergency enough to warrant more. This all started last week for me so this is as far as I've got.
Mat, that's awful. Toothache is never an emergency as it's never life threatening but its effect on you is enormous. I wish there were more I could do, I know how utterly wretched it is. C
Cpb60 said: Mat, that's awful. Toothache is never an emergency as it's never life threatening but its effect on you is enormous. I wish there were more I could do, I know how utterly wretched it is. C
It's felt a bit of a nightmare. I'm so glad I shared it on here though; part of the battle for me has been the feeling of having to carry this on my own, (I'm not really a Facebook person,) so thanks again to you guys for your words of encouragement x
Deepest sympathies. I had this happen right across the Easter double bank holiday a few years ago. I managed to get an emergency piad-for appointment about 50 miles away but when I went, it turned out that, like you just mentioned, they weren't set up to do drill and fill, just basic inspection etc. so it wasn't much use. (Obviously I didn't have to contend with a Covid lockdown either!)
By the time I managed to get in to see my dentist on the Tuesday, the pain had started to subside a little. He explained that this was because one of the 3 nerves had basically died off so people think that because the pain reduces when the nerves die off, the problem has resolved itself. Without capping off the nerve's root canal (which he did for me), it would ultimately have resulted in loss of the tooth anyway, perhaps a few months later. In the interim, you might hope that the pain does die away a bit if the same thing happens but will obviously need to get it correctly dealt with in due course.
Just a thought - if some of this is happening because of porosity rather than purely a cavity (though the latter does seem most likely) I wonder whether rubbing a 'sensitive' toothpaste like Sensodyne into the tooth might help? Anyway - read the label on everything you eat/drink and steer clear of anything with sugar in it the meantime!
Lizzie_Claymore said: Deepest sympathies. I had this happen right across the Easter double bank holiday a few years ago. I managed to get an emergency piad-for appointment about 50 miles away but when I went, it turned out that, like you just mentioned, they weren't set up to do drill and fill, just basic inspection etc. so it wasn't much use. (Obviously I didn't have to contend with a Covid lockdown either!)
By the time I managed to get in to see my dentist on the Tuesday, the pain had started to subside a little. He explained that this was because one of the 3 nerves had basically died off so people think that because the pain reduces when the nerves die off, the problem has resolved itself. Without capping off the nerve's root canal (which he did for me), it would ultimately have resulted in loss of the tooth anyway, perhaps a few months later. In the interim, you might hope that the pain does die away a bit if the same thing happens but will obviously need to get it correctly dealt with in due course.
Just a thought - if some of this is happening because of porosity rather than purely a cavity (though the latter does seem most likely) I wonder whether rubbing a 'sensitive' toothpaste like Sensodyne into the tooth might help? Anyway - read the label on everything you eat/drink and steer clear of anything with sugar in it the meantime!
Good luck!
Thankyou Lizzie! Yeah, that's my hope too, though I'm beginning to wonder if the pain I've had in my front teeth is connected to a dodgy one right at the back. I've been blasting it with Sensodyne too! I suspect that there are many people in exactly the same boat or worse at the moment. I'm kinda getting "into the swing of it" if that makes sense,. Hopefully one day in the non too distant future we can all laugh at the memories. Thanks for your help x
Hi LisaMoomin! I good thanks, and I slept better. Feeling a lot more optimistic. I've timed my painkiller doses better so I get a better sleep. Also I talked to a tai chi pal of mine, and he's given me a lot of stuff I can work on so yeah, feeling enheartend. X
Hi, Bud! This is great news! I'm sorry to hear you've had to go through a toothache during an already stressful time of unknowns. Hope you continue to get better sleep and the the pain subsides or you find a way to see a professional. All the best to you!
You my friend just need to keep your mouth full of whiskey at all times
I can't imagine not being able to see anyone, especially for an undefined amount of time. That makes me wonder what it's like over here in the US right now. I'm fortunate in that I have not needed to go for anything like that.
I hope that you're able to get in soon, especially because you could develop an infection that could become quite serious.