Jaw pain from cavity in Wisdom Tooth

[PremiumCoffeeBean]

So I took the first step and had a consultation today. It's been about 7 years since I was last at the dentist due to anxiety and lack of insurance. I was so scared and was expecting the absolute worst but everything that was wrong with my teeth were the ones I already knew about. I have to wait until the 20th to have 3 wisdom teeth taken out, 1 molar extracted, a root canal, and a cavity filled all in a 6 hour procedure with oral sedation.

Recently though I've been having a lot of pain in my lower jaw. I was sure I must have an abscess but it turns out it's just a really bad cavity. The dentist didn't give me anything for it and I'm concerned how to manage the pain for the next 2.5 weeks. I've been alternating Tylenol and Advil but it gets really sore and doesn't seem to dull the pain at night especially. Does anyone have any suggestions on what might work?

Thanks!

 

[drm]

Tylenol and Ibuprofen are the best pain control you're going to get over the counter. Orajel and other numbing type agents aren't going to do much for the toothache. I'd recommend alternating relatively high doses of the tylenol and ibuprofen every 3 hours. The higher doses as well as alternating the two every 3 hours will get you pretty good pain control. Here's an example schedule...

6 AM - 800 mg Ibuprofen
9 AM - 1000 mg Tylenol
12 PM- 800 mg Ibuprofen
3 PM - 1000 mg Tylenol
6 PM - 800 mg Ibuprofen
9 PM - 1000 mg Tylenol

You get the idea. It's really important to remember that these are the maximum daily doses of these medications and you don't want to take any more than what I've recommended here. Max doses per day are 3200 mg for Ibuprofen and 4000 mg for Tylenol. It is ok to take these doses for a couple of weeks but you don't want to go too far beyond that.

 

[Deck2015]

Premium - if the pain becomes unmanageable with the OTC medications, do call your provider and explain your symptoms. They may be able to see you sooner just to deal with the problem tooth so that you're not suffering for half a month (!!) and/or they might be able to prescribe something stronger. Don't suffer in silence, most Dentists keep some time available for Emergencies from established patients.

I find that for true dental pain, only Advil (Ibuprofen) seems to help me whereas Tylenol (Acetaminophen) is useless and does nothing for me. Generic is fine, too. But if alternating Ibu and Acetaminophen isn't cutting it, call your provider.

Look at it this way: If you have anxiety about having the treatment, remember how much better you'll feel when it's all over!

I've been told (and read) that it's common for dental pain to feel more severe, intense at night. You're more distracted during the day and when you lay down at night and get quiet, the pain seems more intense ..less distractions. I've also been told that the act of laying down can increase the pain -- something about the flow of blood to the affected areas...something like that (it made much more sense when my Dentist explained it to me years ago). If this pain is ever waking you up or keeping you from functioning entirely, don't hesitate to call your Dentist immediately.

Best of luck to you.