Tooth ache, HELP!!

Jungleland

Welcome to my jungle!
Hi family,

Just need some ideas for tooth ache pain. I NEED to see a dentist ASAP but we have no $$ for such "luxuries"!

I am a recovering addict, so pain medications (narcs) are a big no no. I have been taking Ibuprofen 4 (800 mg) every 6 hours and supplementing with Tylenol. They help for about 3 hours, then I am in pain again for about 2 more hours.

Couldn't sleep last night, even with the above medications and a Melatonin.

Any home remedy ideas??

Thanks, Vickie
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
Chewing on a whole clove is supposed to help numb some types of oral pain. I don't know that it would help something as bad as yours sounds.

Are there any dental clinics in your area?

Maybe try an ice pack?
 

Andy

Active Member
Check all the pharmacies in your area for Orudis KT. I am having a real hard time finding it around here. It is an over-the-counter medication like Tylenol and is a miracle for toothpain.

You really do need to find a way to get to a dentist. If you have an abcess, it will NOT get better! It will continue to get worse and can be very bad news if it finds its way into the blood stream. That can get very dangerous.

I don't want to scare you, but this can get very serious. I do know that doctors in ER's can prescribe antibiotics so I would try your family doctor (a non-emergency room, urgent walk-in appointment). It may be that a dentist would be unable to work until the abscess goes down using antibiotics. So if it is easier/cheaper to get on them through your family doctor, go for it. Let your doctor know you have no dental ins. and does he/she know of a dentist who will work with you on the financial end?
 

witzend

Well-Known Member
An absess tooth may go away eventually, but you'll wish you were dead, first. The poison in your system can go to your heart and kill you quite effectively. If push comes to shove you can go to the emergency room and they will treat and/or pull it for you. Is there a dental school in your area? An absess is nothing to mess with.

A tooth abscess complication includes tooth loss, jaw bone damage, neighboring tooth damage or loss, sinus problems, brain abscess, heart damage, hospitalization, coma, and even death.
Some more tooth abscess complications that have been very much explained already: Facial Disfigurement as it eats away the facial bones; teeth falling out as the tooth abscess destroys the jaw holding the tooth; the picture is pretty gruesome.
Here is the list of abscessed tooth complications:

  • Loss of the tooth
  • Spread of infection to soft tissue (facial cellulitis, Ludwig's angina)
  • Spread of infection to the jaw bone (osteomyelitis of the mandible or maxilla)
  • Sinusitis, it is any infection or inflammation of the sinus cavities behind the nose and eyes. It is very common with an estimated 37 million cases annually in the USA. Symptoms vary according to which sinus cavity is infected.
  • Spread of infection to other areas of the body resulting in cerebral abscess, endocarditis, pneumonia, or other disorders
 

Jungleland

Welcome to my jungle!
My problem is that we haven't had dental insurance for forever. The kids are covered, so they regularly see a child's dentist.

husband and I have been suffering along, but lately I have, I think, 6 teeth that need work and those are the ones I KNOW about. I was on an antibiotic for complications of the flu about a month ago. That eased the pain until the last week or so. Now it is MUCH worse. My whole right side of my face hurts and the lower part of the left side.

I will call my family doctor and see what he recommends. I see him next week for a blood pressure recheck anyways, but think I will call him today to see what they say.

I will try the clove idea.

I do know how dangerous this is, but it hoovers because our credit is in the toilet so most dentists that work on credit would deny us.

Thank you all, I did find an online homeopathic tooth pain site that suggests putting ice on your hand in the "V" where index finger and thumb are (where you can pinch for headache relief). Supposedly the rubbing of ice in that area sends messages to the nerves in the teeth, helping to ease pain. Gonna try that right now.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Vicki

I'd call around. Mention the emergency (pain indicates serious infection) sound like you're dying in agony. Get the appointment. Worry about payments later. Once you get in, well, I've never know an office so cruel as to deny treatment to someone obviously suffering.

Otherwise, get thee to the ER. They ought to be able to find a dentist who will treat you. I know cuz my sis's ex is and addict/alcoholic, wasn't working, no insurance, mouth a national disaster area. He went to ER. ER docs hunted down a dentist who would treat him. The man was in mighty bad shape.

I trick I try is fairly hot water in the mouth. Don't swish, just sort o' let it sit there in the sore area. Do it until the nerves quiet down. (seems to sooth them) Don't use any other type of heat and don't do too often it can make the infection worse. But if you just need relief this can help soothe the nerve.

I will say though I've never had a dentist turn me around once I was that bad off.

Hugs.
 

nvts

Active Member
Hey! Try a warm salt water gargle and then use Chloraseptic (you know that sore throat spray?) on it. Then take 3 tylenol or something like it and then let some more Chloraseptic "sit" on the tooth. GO TO SLEEP! Once you sleep, there's no motion and very little saliva "swishing" around the tooth and lets the anti-inflamatories do their job!

Call around to the local er's and find out who has a walk-in dental clinic.

Feel better!

Beth
 

Jungleland

Welcome to my jungle!
We board horses here on our property and the owners of 6 of them showed up today to work with her horses. By the time I got back into the house, it was after 5:00! I am calling him first thing tomorrow morning.

I tried the warm mouth rinses, no chloraseptic but I do have anbesol, I swabbed that on the worst of them. Advil is working so I might be able to sleep tonight. Off to rinse one more time before So You Think You Can Dance is on.

Thank you all sooo much. I will definetly get myself somewhere tomorrow!

Love and hugs, Vickie
 

ThreeShadows

Quid me anxia?
Vickie, I once actually considered jumping out the second story window into a pile of snow because my abscessed molar hurt so bad. I ended up losing the tooth. There are few agonies worst than that one. Please go to the dentist.
With love and concern, me.
 

Stella Johnson

Active Member
Vickie,

There is a tooth ache medication called "Red Cross" and it's next to the Anbesol and stuff like that in the store. It is made out of clove. You put some on the end of a qtip and apply it to the top of the tooth that is hurting and hold it there for a few minutes. It will get rid of the pain. Make sure you do NOT touch your lip or tongue with it though because it will burn. It works better on toothaches than anything I've ever tried.

As far as an absess I've had several. In the spice aisle at the grocery store you can find something called Alum. It is used in canning to make pickles and a few other things. It has a really tart taste to it. You can put a small amount about the size of the tip of your pinky on the absessed gums. Leave it there for a few hours and it will eventually start drawing the absess out. When it does make sure you spit the absess stuff out of your mouth, don't swallow it.

I've had dental problems my whole life. I've been a toothbrushing freak since age 3. Dentists said I was a liar for years and years until they found out why my teeth are so bad. It's the kidney disease I have and then when I came up with a 2nd kidney disease it only made them worse.

I feel your pain. I've been broke and in need of dental care before for long periods of time... years. There is no real dental insurance. Even when you do have it doesn't pay squat and maxes out at 2 or 3k. You can spend that on one tooth.

I did have a discount plan years ago. I can't remember the name of it but there are lots out there like it. It was about $10 a month for just myself and you had to go to their dentists. It did help though because simple things like cleanings and xrays were free or really cheap, much cheaper than if you paid it yourself. Then on the major stuff you get a 50% discount. You could try getting a plan like that on your own. Would at least get you in to the dentist to get a script for an antibiotic and if he only does an extraction I think I only paid $30 for that type of thing.

I hope you get some relief soon. Go get some red cross and alum! :faint:

Steph
 

Jungleland

Welcome to my jungle!
Hi family,

I have an appointment at 2pm today to see a dentist the next town over. They will do an exam, xrays and try to get me out of pain today. I know I need a ton of work done, will have to slowly work on that, but gotta get out of pain today. Cannot take it anymore. They suggested 600mg Ibuprofen 1000mg Extra Strength Tylenol every 4 hours. Kinda what I was doing but a little more often than I was. Not working yet, my whole right side lower jaw is aching so badly. Praying this won't be so expensive that I can't do it.

I was honest with receptionist and told her I am a recovering addict, so NO NARCS! Wow, that was difficult but so freeing! 1 year ago, I would never have done that, would have taken the rx for Vicodin and RAN to the pharmacy.

I have spoken to other recovering addicts and they said it would not be considered a relapse in this circumstance, but why chance it. My own mind just knows this would be the beginning of the end! I have zero will power, 1 is too many and 1000 is never enough!!

Thanks all, will update when I get home this afternoon.

Hugs and love, Vickie
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I would NOT take tylenol at that high a dose. Orudis is awesome, but is the same medication class at motrin, so you can't take both. Orudis is ketoprofen and can be very, very effective.

I would use the anbesol and clove OIL. the whole clove will hurt and may break and get lodged into problem areas (been there done that and OW!). You can get clove oil in the spice aisle OR at a HobbyLobby or Michaels where they have the wilton cake stuff (LorAnn is the brand and they make the flavorings for candies). If that isn't easy to find, a Whole Foods or health food store should have clove oil in the aromatherapy area. Just dab it on with a qtip.

Gargling salt water can help too. If it is infected you can gargle 1/2 water and 1/2 peroxide to get at any surface germs.
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
Andy mentioned Orudis KT. This is the only thing that worked for me. They gave me narcotics for the pain when I had multiple abscesses and they didn't touch it. At all. But one little green 12-mg tablet of ketoprofen and BLAM - pain gone.

I also have seen it under another brand name - I think it's Actron, but I could be wrong - I have had extensive dental work. I think between my parents and I we have paid for several trips to Scotland, a remodel of the dentist's office and a couple of cars... Anyway, if you can find OTC ketoprofen of any kind, it is worth its weight in Hope Diamonds.

Extra strength Orajel was something I used a lot of for a long time. The night time stuff tastes terrible and has a nasty texture but the daytime stuff is good. Warning - you get a numb throat if you swallow any!

Cloves - also good. Take a scant handful and steep in regular tea (boiling!). Tastes good, too, which is a nice bonus.

Last but not least, believe it or not, butterscotch pudding seems to help. And I'm not a big fan of it. Hmm.
 

Jungleland

Welcome to my jungle!
Well, I have at least 2 teeth that need root canal therapy on. Have a referral for an Endodontist. This dentist put me on a strong antibiotic and a mouth rinse that supposedly will help with the pain.

I guess I am a big wimp cause she said the one isn't too bad just a little inflammation and the other is pretty minor as well. She also said that when they are just beginning to go bad, the pain can be pretty intense.

The antibiotic should help within a day or so. There is no way we can afford even 1 RCT, let alone 2. Plus there are 5 other teeth that need attention as well. Hopefully the antibiotic will calm things down so I can wait a while longer.

If it's not 1 thing...
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
Hope the antibiotic works, but I can tell you from past experience... Find a dentist that will let you make payments... Because it will just come back worse if you don't treat it now. I've lost a lot of jawbone and a few teeth due to this. It's gotten to the point that I can call my dentist and say, "I have another abscess, need to get antibiotics called in and an appointment in 10 days." They just do it - they know that I know what I'm talking about!
 
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