Terrible pain & on a waiting list for extraction!

[celtic_girl]

I posted here a few weeks ago to say my rearmost upper tooth was going to be extracted. It has been painful for the past month. I have had 2 courses of antibiotics in a month and my dentist said I will need the hospital to extract it as it has already had root canal work done and my wisdom tooth is behind it.

I went to the hospital today and they looked and said my own dentist should have taken it out himself!

I now have to go back on the waiting list for a new appointment for extraction. I am going on holiday in 4 weeks and I am worried I can't fly after having this procedure or that I will have toothache on holiday!

My dentist is NHS and said it was "too complex" to do in their practice. That's why I am stuck on a waiting list.

I am also concerned that nobody has actually x-rayed my tooth. My dentist sent the hospital my x-ray from last year which was a full mouth x-ray taken because I was registering as a new patient. I didn't have toothache back then. I am 99% sure it is this tooth but with nobody checking properly I am worried they will pull out my tooth and I still have pain. HELP.

Also, my pain is coming and going. Some days none at all, some days manageable, some days horrendous.
I have terrible pain this evening and pain killers aren't working. Is there anything I can do to make it go away? The pain is making me feel sick.

 

[italiannyc17]

I posted here a few weeks ago to say my rearmost upper tooth was going to be extracted. It has been painful for the past month. I have had 2 courses of antibiotics in a month and my dentist said I will need the hospital to extract it as it has already had root canal work done and my wisdom tooth is behind it.

I went to the hospital today and they looked and said my own dentist should have taken it out himself!

I now have to go back on the waiting list for a new appointment for extraction. I am going on holiday in 4 weeks and I am worried I can't fly after having this procedure or that I will have toothache on holiday!

My dentist is NHS and said it was "too complex" to do in their practice. That's why I am stuck on a waiting list.

I am also concerned that nobody has actually x-rayed my tooth. My dentist sent the hospital my x-ray from last year which was a full mouth x-ray taken because I was registering as a new patient. I didn't have toothache back then. I am 99% sure it is this tooth but with nobody checking properly I am worried they will pull out my tooth and I still have pain. HELP.

Also, my pain is coming and going. Some days none at all, some days manageable, some days horrendous.
I have terrible pain this evening and pain killers aren't working. Is there anything I can do to make it go away? The pain is making me feel sick.

I will never understand why there is a waiting list for something like this. I just got my molar pulled that had a root canal done on it and it came out. The only thing I can suggest is to go to another trusted dentist. Maybe a private practice and let him pull it himself. You will get charged of course but it might be alot better then waiting. Extractions are not the most expensive things in the world, esp if its not surgical. For now, 2-3 advil every 6 hours might help.

 

[Chess]

Hi,

I'm not a dentist but I can empathize as I am going through something not dissimilar myself. To be completely homest I would opt to go private if at all possible, especially if it is only the one extraction you require to be pain free. I have a private appointment booked for Monday morning as I have been living with toothache for almost a year. Mine is a broken root canaled tooth that has already abscessed twice in the past and it desperately needs pulling. I cannot afford to have dental treatment at all and am having to leave bills etc in order to foot the bill. I can't even think about that - sometimes you just have to go. It seems that NHS dental treatment is virtually non-existent nowadays and I fear myself that it will one day be totally obsolete. It's a real mess.

Is there any way you could contact your doctor Monday for some prescription pain relief? They usually prescribe dihydracodeine, although I take tramadol (which is prescribed for another condition) as I am highly allergic. Occasionally it does take the edge off but I don't think anything is totally effective at alleviating dental pain. Some people say ibuprofen helps, although I've personally never found that to be the case. Also, orajel can be quite good for numbing and temporarily helping with the pain.

I genuinely wish you the best of luck with this. Stick around and let us know how you get on.

 

[celtic_girl]

I am still on my 2nd course of antibiotics which don't seem to be working. I am also taking ibu profen which makes the pain a little better but by no means is it going away.
I had dihyrochodine in the past for extreme toothache a few years ago (I needed a root canal) and it made me have terrible side-effects where I suddenly felt sick in a shop and they had to sit me down with a bucket, so I can't have those again.

I will have no choice but to call my doctor on Monday if this pain keeps up because I think it will be another 2 weeks at least before I am seen at the hospital.

It is so annoying. This is the second NHS dentist I have had since last year. I had to move from my old one because of problems and lack of service.

 

[italiannyc17]

I am still on my 2nd course of antibiotics which don't seem to be working. I am also taking ibu profen which makes the pain a little better but by no means is it going away.
I had dihyrochodine in the past for extreme toothache a few years ago (I needed a root canal) and it made me have terrible side-effects where I suddenly felt sick in a shop and they had to sit me down with a bucket, so I can't have those again.

I will have no choice but to call my doctor on Monday if this pain keeps up because I think it will be another 2 weeks at least before I am seen at the hospital.

It is so annoying. This is the second NHS dentist I have had since last year. I had to move from my old one because of problems and lack of service.

Antibiotics are not working because the more you take them for the same infection that does not get killed, the more resistant and stronger they get. I personally would forget about waiting, get to a new dentist and let him pull it. A private one

 

[brit]

My dentist is NHS and said it was "too complex" to do in their practice. That's why I am stuck on a waiting list.

This indicates an inexperienced NHS dentist to me. Go private to get this sorted if you possibly can - it's probably a really simple extraction based on what the hospital said. Then find yourself a dentist (NHS or private) who qualified before 2000 and this problem will likely go away, unless they referred you for anxiety issues?

 

[celtic_girl]

This indicates an inexperienced NHS dentist to me. Go private to get this sorted if you possibly can - it's probably a really simple extraction based on what the hospital said. Then find yourself a dentist (NHS or private) who qualified before 2000 and this problem will likely go away, unless they referred you for anxiety issues?

Hi

No I didn't get referred for anxiety. They said it was because it was "too complex" to do in their practice as the tooth is root treated and because my wisdom tooth is behind it. Then the consultant said they should have done it!
My dentist only qualified in 2008. It's interesting what you say about qualifying before the year 2000. Has something changed since then?
I am going to ring around tomorrow and perhaps try the out-of-hours service today. I have seen them take out people's teeth so reason why they shouldn't do mine. However, I am going to have to try the Preston one (I am equal distance from Preston and Chorley). My own dentist does the so-called emergency cover for Chorley and when I started with this terrible toothache, I called them and got a very rude receptionist who refused me an appointment as I didn't have bleeding or swelling (well maybe I did have swelling - it's a bit hard to tell at the very back of your mouth!). The service from my own practice has been terrible. I can't even get through on the phone. It's constantly voicemail and if I call when I am on my lunchbreak, they call me back when I am back in work and I can't answer my phone and then I try and call them back again and get voicemail again!

However, my husband (who never has dental problems) is just telling me to wait. He thinks if I go private they will find other non-existent problems just to charge me a lot of money!!!! Like I say, he has never had dental problems and doesn't know what it is like to have toothache.

 

[celtic_girl]

I just called the Preston emergency centre and they've given me an appointment in one hour's time.
The dentist will x-ray it and if they feel it's not too complex I should be able to get it extracted today and that will be on NHS.
Shame my own dentist with their so-called emergency service would not see me when I was in extreme pain. That's why I called the Preston one first this time.

 

[Kim]

Hope you get on alright hun.

Kim

 

[celtic_girl]

Well I just got back from the emergency centre and they have extracted the tooth which they said was straightforward and definitely did not need hospital! It came out in one piece, no roots left in.

They took an x-ray first like I wanted and it clearly showed the wisdom tooth is growing in towards that tooth and pressing on it. It's either that causing the pain or that the root treatment had failed (although there was no infection on the x-ray).

Anyway, it took about 2 mins to get it out & although my mouth was numb, just the feeling of them trying to pull my tooth out was making me feel squeamish and sick (I fainted at blood tests for the same reason).
My husband came with me and drove my car home because I was shaking afterwards.

So it's been about 25 mins since it was taken out and I still have the dressing in my mouth to form a clot and I can taste blood which is making me feel sick.

What can I expect over the next few days? (I don't want to be panicking about anything!).
When will the blood taste go away and what foods do I avoid?

They told me not to rinse my mouth out so when am I safe to do that?

 

[brit]

Hi

My dentist only qualified in 2008. It's interesting what you say about qualifying before the year 2000. Has something changed since then?

No, I simply mean that they will have at least 12 years experience by now if they qualified before 2000.
Congratulations on getting sorted though. I found the sensation of a space in my mouth very annoying for a long time. Eat on the other side and read this extraction aftercare instruction sheet if you weren't given one.



All the best for a speedy recovery.

 

[celtic_girl]

Hi

It says I shouldn't rinse for 24 hours but I can brush my teeth.
How do I do this? I normally just spit out after brushing (I don't rinse away the toothpaste).

 

[carole]

I was told not to do anything with my mouth for 24 hours, then do gentle salt water rinses, let the water dribble out of your mouth, do not smoke or suck on straws. You can brush after 24 hrs but miss near where the tooth has been removed. The blood taste will go, have you tried eating something, on the other side of your mouth.

I am going to get you a link, I will be back

Soft Food Ideas

Lots of soft food ideas for recovering after tooth extractions or other dental procedures, or when you have dental problems.

www.dentalfearcentral.org

P.S I am glad you have got this sorted at last, you will start to feel much better in a couple of days, then from then on you will quite quickly get back to normal. Usually by the 7th day everything has settled down nicely. It does take a bit longer to be totally healed but as far as we feel things 7 is the lucky number.

Best wishes Well done.

 

[celtic_girl]

Yes I had 2 small soft pancakes, eaten on the other side, some ice-cream and that's about it!

 

[carole]

Try and keep eating a bit of something if you can yogurt is very good and will help to freshen your mouth a bit, especially if it is really cold out of the fridge. Ice cream is also good, but the taste of yogurt lasts longer.

 

[celtic_girl]

I am not looking forward to going to work without brushing my teeth tomorrow!
I will take my travel toothbrush and a small toothpaste in my bag and brush them as soon as the 24 hours is up!

It has been about 7 hours now. I am sore all around my gum and pretty sore on the roof of my mouth where I had one of the injections.

When can I stop worrying about getting dry sockets? When I was in the dentist today, the girl in front of me said she had a tooth out on Wednesday and she was in even more pain now! He just gave her antibiotics & she was in and out within 5 mins. I was wondering if the wrong tooth was taken out or if she more likely had a dry socket. I don't want that happening to me! I have been through enough!

The good thing is the dentist said my wisdom tooth will come into that gap now and I will get a fresh new tooth with no filling or root canal in it!

 

[carole]

Hi you can put a bit of toothpaste on your finger and rub it on your teeth if you want or if you feel up to it brush gently on the other side away from the extraction site.

If you are going to get dry socket it will be within 72 hours (3 days) as it was a really easy extraction you should be fine. The lady in front of you had an infection if she was given antibiotics, she may have had dry socket as well, you haven't so don't worry.

Eat whatever you feel comfortable eating on the other side. You are doing really well, the gum will feel sore for a few days but it is normal. Your jaw might ache a little bit as well, all this is normal. Everyone is different and heal at a different rate.

 

[celtic_girl]

Well it's just over 24 hours now and the side of my face and my gum feel sore. It's a bit sore when I smile
or press my cheek. The roof of my mouth is sore where it was injected but the pain overall is a lot better than last night.
I can feel my cheek/gum all the time when I am talking. I am not sure if this is swelling and that my gum is rubbing off my cheek.

I have just used the salt water for the first time and it feels better after doing that so I will use it again before bed. There was no blood after rinsing and I had no bleeding today.

I have tried to just eat soft things but this morning my mouth and jaw were a lot sorer and I couldn't have opened my mouth very wide to get a lot of food in there anyway! I have just drank water all day. I am hoping all this is normal. Right now, I can't imagine eating crisps again!

When does the actual hole close up? Even after the soreness goes away, I worry about food going up there!

 

[Gordon]

It's got a blood clot in it, don't worry about it.

 

[celtic_girl]

It's been over 48 hours now and my pain is now very minor compared to what it was 2 days ago.

I am still eating on the other side and mainly soft foods. There is no blood when I rinse with salt water. My jaw still aches when I try to chew though or open my mouth wide.

Does anyone know when I can start using straws again and eating normal food? I am getting hungry all day as I am not eating properly.