• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

    Register now to access all the features of the forum.

Impacted & infected - covid delays

D

Devonmaid

Junior member
Joined
Feb 16, 2021
Messages
1
Location
Plymouth
I am very afraid of the dentist and cry during every visit. This has worsened in the last 5 years but I have always tried to go regularly.

In Nov 2019, the hygienist detected an impacted wisdom tooth on lower right aged 48. The other 3 came through in my early 30s, no mention of the remaining one at the private UK dentist I was seeing/not seen on xrays so I assumed I didn’t have one there (stupid I know but the terror takes over and I can’t think straight in there).

I saw my dentist Dec 2019 who saw a lot of pus, sent me for emergency OPG that same day and referred to NHS oral surgeon in Plymouth, UK. I saw her in Feb 2020 - the OPG from December 2019 could not be located and she would not do another due to it being only 6 weeks after the ‘missing’ xray. Verbally at that appointment, she said I would need to be referred to hospital due to the location of the tooth and proximity to a major nerve as well as my absolute terror not helping. I have heard nothing since presumably due to covid. After making a formal complaint, my emergency xray was finally found 14 weeks later on March 27th 2020 but the oral surgeon has not been contactable/I always call on the wrong day/never calls back. All other regular appointments have ceased due to Covid in 2020 but I have been asked to book a routine appointment at usual NHS dentist.

My tooth is now leaking a lot of pus and some blood - I have no idea about pain as I have a distorted pain threshold (2 x 10lb babies with no pain relief so I think I panic and blot it out). The pus is running down my throat, is making me feel sick and I spike temperatures which come and go. I’ve rung my usual dentist who has told me to call the oral surgeon - yet again I called but it’s the wrong day, they’ll call me back etc etc.

Any advice as to what I can do to stop the pus/get it taken out.
 
Hi Devonmaid,

what an ordeal, wow... I guess Covid really makes it difficult to get any treatment.. I am sadly not familar with the NHS too well so I have not other idea than to try to see a different dentist or call a different surgeon, or to try to go private.. Also don’t want to disappoint you, but the tooth most likely won’t stop bothering before it is treated... not sure there is a way to stop the pus temporarily..
Hope you will be able to get help soon..
 
Hey @Devonmaid just wondering how you got on? Hope you got the tooth sorted
 
Back
Top