Massive Tooth Infection

Is it a massive tooth? Or a massive infection?

There is nothing quite like tooth pain, I can empathise.

I had an abscess and subsequent antibiotics & root canal a few years ago. Fortunately - for some value of fortunate - it didn't hurt thanks to having had the nerve burnt out during reparations from a tooth / school desk interface some years prior. So I did the natural thing and ignored it, my gum would swell, I'd give it a good squeeze and it'd burst like an egg yolk oozing nastiness betwixt gum and tooth. With the benefit of hindsight, quite I thought this was an acceptable state of affairs I do not know.

I finally got it sorted out, the dentist did the drillage and oh my god, there was no nerve so no pain but Jesus H Christ and all the sodding disciples the smell. 🤢 It was like someone had opened a raw sewer, in my face. It was diabolically grim.

Ouch, when I've had extractions/RTC before they have given me a weeks worth of amoxycillin as a preventetive, and with an extraction they put some sort of thick gel in the socket as well...dunno what that contains, (I think) some sort of antiseptic/antibiotic I guess.

It is a pretty big tooth, with an even bigger (thankfully now smaller) infection. It almost made my jawline look great on one side if it wasn't for the added double chin in gave me.

@mattyfex - I have had a couple root canals done before (my younger self was a bit wayward with the old oral hygeine) but never for something quite as extreme. I have not been given preventative ABX before, assuming because of the whole Antibiotic resistance thing it seems they were not so keen to hand them out. This time though the dentist had pen to paper for the prescription before I had even taken my jacket off.

And honestly, you had me at "third back molar." I think I've got four molars in my head total (plus a wisdom tooth which decided to partially erupt for a laugh somewhere around my 50th birthday). I had four perfectly good ones removed as a kid to "make room." I wholly sympathise for your pain, but my cup runneth dry over sympathy for your gap.

@scaled has form for this!

@Cougar - haha I don't know the terminology, maybe it is the pre-molar. In any case, I have a probably irrational fear of having gaps in case my face decides to shrink because of it when it older like a bog body. I don't think that really happens with a few missing teeth but nevertheless.

I did for a second decide I could possibly jab it with a needle, but then after a quick google I got scared of sepsis haha! Plus I would not have known where to even go in.

Had a molar abscess 2 years ago. The pain was horrific and I genuinely hoped for death a few times just to make it stop.

I feel your pain OP!

Tooth pain from an abscess is the worst pain I've every felt, worse then any broken bones or dislocations I've had from bike crashes. Being stuck in Devon on a bank holiday weekend at the time made it even worse.

I did for a second decide I could possibly jab it with a needle, but then after a quick google I got scared of sepsis haha! Plus I would not have known where to even go in.

I am generally a fiend for minor home DIY surgery but I think I'd draw the line at anything toothy. It's in my face and nothing dental seems to obey physics.

I thankfully have no personal reference point here, but can tell you that the lyrics of Insomnia by Faithless were in fact inspired by the suffering of a dental abscess.

Hmmm, brings to mind those cause of death records from the 1600's.

Sore toothe ....17

**Goes and flosses**

I've never had any problems with my teeth but the description of pain sounds like an ear infection that I've had a couple of times.

It's like having a knife in the side of your head but the knife is also on fire. It makes you absolutely delirious.

Of all the broken bones I've had I'd happily repeat any one of those to avoid another ear infection.

I had a root canal done one morning and then flew out to Germany for work for a week. That evening I started to suffer pain and my face started to swell up. The next day the pain got worse and I went to a pharmacist to get as much paracetamol and ibuprofen as allowed. Double the allowable dose made the pain tolerable for a couple of hours, but didn’t stop the swelling and my eye was starting to close. Next morning went to the medical centre at the messe we were working at and the doctor was worried that the infection would reach my eye and gave me the number of a local dentist. Went to the dentist, who was able to drill out the filling and it helped relieve the pain a bit. There was still the worry that flying would make the infection worse - fortunately a colleague was driving back the next morning and I was able to get a dental appointment for when I got back. The dentist drilled right down and described it as a ‘gusher’ and the pain relief was immense - I was spitting crud for hours after.

I had a tooth removed in the past and had what I think is called a "dry socket" (ooer). Basically, the hole left when the tooth came out didn't heal back up. It just remained open. After a lot of discomfort it kind of skinned over a few days later and then became red and inflamed. The pain was unreal.

Not long after it kinda went yellowy and was looking pretty nasty. I needed to relieve the pressure somehow and I went at it with a new toothbrush trying to kinda burst it. Sure enough I did and I popped the top off the void like a pie crust.

Lots of yellow puss and blood came out and it smelled bad!. I then took my water pick and effectively pressure washered the chasm where my tooth once lived.

I still remember seeing bloody water pouring down my chin while I was grimacing from the stench.

Healed up a treat after that!

Aah, I ,literally, feel your pain. I have a problem upper tooth that has had a root canal but I also have sinus issues meaning that often when I get a cold I get sinus inflammation and a healthy dose of toothache to go with it.

Just before Xmas the latest inflammation ended up in an abscess and by god the pain was horrendous, death or self extraction with pliers were seriously considered. I actually managed to get a face to face appointment with the GP, she immediately referred me to the maxifacial clinic and hour away in Aberdeen. After blood tests and x-rays I was sent home with some good antibiotics which seemed to do the trick, but the 3 days until they started working were absolutely grim!!!

I had repeated problems with abscesses under my wisdom tooth, and recognise the description of the agonising pain. In the end, I had them taken out at the dental hospital and have been pain free ever since.

I've had an abscess before whilst on a road trip, moving around each day. Couldn't figure out a way to find a dentist in the country we were in so tried just to gobble a load of pain killers and put up with it.. Couldn't eat very well and half my face was swollen up.

in the end the abscess got so big it burst through my gum right into my mouth. Wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world, but the pain relief was so lovely.

I had an unhappy tooth before a holiday, the dentist gave me antibiotics so against my better judgement and under pressure from Madame I got on a bus for Italy. We started walking to Rome and I started getting random aches in addition to the tooth. When my achilles tendon started bothering me after about 100km in addition to the tooth (no doubt related to the infection) enough was enough. I made an appointment with the dentist and headed for the railway station. I now have a gap to remind me as I coundn't face going back for an implant after the misery of that trip. I've had other implants but when that particular pain stopped I decided to leave that part of my jaw in peace.

Thanks for the replies all! It’s awful isn’t it - still seems weird to me that such a small thing can cause a very very serious infection. I am still super tired and a bit here and there even though this evening the pain is all but gone and the only swelling left is a bizarre baggy neck. Hope that shrinks too haha.

such a small thing can cause a very very serious infection

An untreated tooth infection can easily kill you. It can spread to your heart if not dealt with. I was terrified when I googled my symptoms

In 1998/99 about mid way through the first half of a BUSA cup last 16 playing Loughborough I took an elbow to my top lip. It split quite impressively and I was taken to the nearest hospital and stitched up. It was a bit awkward drinking and my lip is scarred, but otherwise I thought nothing more about it.

In November 2006 I was packing up my home in Brisbane, preparing to move to Hobart the next day. It was really hot and I started to get a really nasty ache above my right front tooth and then radiated along my jaw to my ear. I had a ferry booked and a lot of packing to do, so I soldiered on and got everything ready for the removal van and figured the tooth would have to wait.

I left Brisbane the next morning at 7am, 34 degrees in a 1978 car with no air conditioning and 2000km to drive. I remember thinking I was glad I was alone because I was in so much pain I'd have been a right miserable ****.

Managed to make it a bit over halfway to Melbourne, all windows open, music blaring and eating mainly fruit as it didn't seem to aggravate the pain too much. Got to the ferry on time, thinking, as soon as I get to Hobart I'll find an emergency dentist.

Then i got on the ferry and once we were out at sea I rolled a fat one and went out and smoked it on deck. Woke up in Tasmania with no trace of tooth pain whatsoever. Had a blast camping down the east coast... met a friend who loved my car.

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2020-something I'm sitting around a campfire one evening and get this horrible shooting pain in the gum above the same front tooth. ****!

This time it doesn't go away (and I don't smoke herb anymore) so like the grown up that I am, I see a dentist. He tells me the tooth is dead, has been dead a long time - probably because of a big impact - and there's a good sized abscess which might just be small enough to get away with a root canal, but if not will mean ... well I can't remember because I said "Let's bloody try the root canal then!"

A bit weird having a drill in through the back and up into a front tooth, and even weirder feelling and smelling the root being removed. But a few year's later it's been no problem.

... and we lost the game against Loughborough 🙁

An old dentist (retired disillusioned with NHS cuts) just drilled a hole in the infected tooth to release the pus, instant relief. The pus erupts like a volcano into your mouth, it's the pressure build-up which causes the pain!

I believe the practice is now frowned upon, but let me tell you it's effective. The most effective treatment I've ever had!

Anyone who thinks toothache is trivial hasn't had a proper one or has been lucky enough that the pus has forced a root out into a soft tissue area aka abscess.

OP you have my deepest sympathies. I've posted on here a few months back about my tooth pain. In the end it was cocodamol in the day and gin/whiskey through the night. Horrendous experience. Wishing you all the best.

I hope it gets better. I had an unexpected tooth extraction yesterday and am still feeling a bit sorry for myself. The dentist was super slick and the process wasn’t that bad itself but she told me that that particular tooth is too close to my sinus to put a simple implant in (I’d have to have a graft first) so I was thinking ‘what if my jaw breaks and my head falls apart’ whilst she was doing it. I’d barely had the thought before she finished though.
I had a broken tooth under a crown in ‘things that can go wrong with your teeth version 9 million and 92’’. Only mild pain but developing a nice infection nevertheless. Ewwww.
GWS

Got an abscess brewing at this very moment with an appointment tomorrow.

Started aching on Sunday. By Tuesday it was keeping me awake and it felt like my head had been poisoned.

Ibruprofen and gargling with salty water has calmed it down to the point that today I can barely notice it. So tomorrow I'm going to walk in to my hastily arranged emergency appointment and potentially drop about £700 on something that is causing me no bother.

Teeth are bastards.

I was supposed to go for root canal before covid. Never went back. if i think about it i can feel it in the side of my face but its not the agonizing pain i used to have so have left it. Seems to be controlled with sensodine.

Unfortunately im guessing the dentist has removed me as last time he said he wouldnt touch it.

@andybrad - I was in the same situation with a previous tooth. Had an appointment on March 26th 2020 or something like that for this very tooth that was bothering me now because it was hurting a little bit. Obviously that got cancelled for nearly 2 years and shortly afterwards the pain totally vanished. It is probably that if lockdown was a week later I wouldn't have had the week from hell that I am currently having!

Saying that, this morning the antibiotics have really kicked in more and I feel and look more or less normal now. Modern medicine is quite an amazing thing. Just 2 more days of those disgusting bitter tablets to go...

Update.

Not an abscess but a crack in a tooth that has had a root treatment but not a crown. Tooth is ruined and need to come out.

Other root treated tooth now getting crowned to prevent the same happening.

£811.

Arseholes.

There is no pain like tooth and abcess pain.    I had this 7 years ago and like above wished for death . Last weekend my rear back tooth started and like a prat I didnt ring the dentist  but by Christ I did monday at 8am ,   Ive since had 4 sleepless nights and more drugs to shack a chucking bag head at . Im on my third day of ammoxicillin and  I hope to god I get more than 3 hours sleep tonight . Im just greatful im NHS registered or I would be at the mercy of a walletoscapy too ...

I had a root canal a few years back and because of the soreness I just had soup, chicken soup. Some of this managed to get into the wound and ended up having an infection, it was horrendous and very painful.

Antibiotics and 3 days later the pain eased up and the treatment was finished. I will never forget it!!

I've had to do a few self extractions over the years as not registered with a dentist, and only way is a visit to the dental hospital who will do no work other than extraction, but unable to wait, so waggle back and forth becoming a more aggressive waggle each time till i could force it far enough over to tear the flesh holding on. These were upper and lower canines, and boy those roots go in pretty far.

But when you've little choice, options become easy.

Just got to make sure you clean the area around the hole 3 times a day by swilling antiseptic.

I was unfortunate in my teens to get a rogue orthodontist who was convincing the parents to pay for work that wasnt needed. Had the wisdom teeth out aged 14, several extractions to apparently allow teeth to space, then crowns, caps or whatever, braces, even braces that were cemented to the actual teeth themselves. Barstard was a complete butcher.

If it had been the US or EU we could have sued the arse off him to pay for implants or such, but in the UK rules like that are very different.

I heard years later the guy was struck off and imprisoned, but the dental authorities refused to pay for remedial work to undo the damage, and in the end lost the lot.

I don't mind really, especially hearing about the problems people are having trying to find an nhs dentist, and think I'm glad not to be caught up in all that.

He tells me the tooth is dead, has been dead a long time

Ah, yes. That's the smell. Ever had a dead mouse under the floorboards? Well, imagine you've just eaten one.