# Owwie!!! Dental Pain Isn't Fun



## SuperSizedAngie (May 19, 2010)

Eh, unfortunately, I've just found out that I have a tooth that's unhappy with me. It's got the first signs of an infection under the gum. It started hurting yesterday, so I went to the dentist today, and he's prescribed some antibiotics for me to use. 

I guess eating so much wonderful, tasty food has an impact besides just on the width of my hips.... LOL. Or, well, I'd laugh if it didn't hurt so much right now. 

Anyone else having problems with their teeth?


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## CastingPearls (May 19, 2010)

Ang, the meds indicate an abcess, but did the dentist mention the possibility of an extraction or root canal? He/she can't work on you until the infection is cleared up. By the way, what antibiotic did he prescribe? One is VERY hard on the stomach..........

I've been having extensive dental work done for the past six months. Very painful but thankfully close to the end.


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## SuperSizedAngie (May 19, 2010)

Yep, he told me root canal or extraction were the two options, but mainly prescribed the antibiotics and mild painkillers simply because I don't have the money to pay for either treatment until sometime next month or July, maybe. 

He prescribed Amoxicillin as the antibiotic, which I know I had taken as a child and wasn't allergic to (which was the main concern). Apparently one of the big problems with it is that it has some potential to cause yeast infections, but I am already downing yogurt like a mad-woman to make sure *that* doesn't happen!!


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## CastingPearls (May 19, 2010)

SuperSizedAngie said:


> Yep, he told me root canal or extraction were the two options, but mainly prescribed the antibiotics and mild painkillers simply because I don't have the money to pay for either treatment until sometime next month or July, maybe.
> 
> He prescribed Amoxicillin as the antibiotic, which I know I had taken as a child and wasn't allergic to (which was the main concern). Apparently one of the big problems with it is that it has some potential to cause yeast infections, but I am already downing yogurt like a mad-woman to make sure *that* doesn't happen!!


You're lucky you're not allergic to Amox'. Clindamycin (Cleocin) made me want to commit Hari-Kari.


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## SuperSizedAngie (May 19, 2010)

My only experience with Clindamycin was as a cream for acne that I used to have to rub on my face when I was younger. I don't remember it affecting my tummy badly then, but using it as a topical cream probably has far different side effects than taking it internally.


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## kayrae (May 20, 2010)

omg, I feel you. I need to get a root canal and a tooth extraction. Booooo


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## ThatFatGirl (May 20, 2010)

I am not experiencing dental pain, only frustration. I need a lower front frenotomy and possibly a skin graft in the same place. The consultation is billed to dental insurance and the procedure itself to medical at most offices, but I was having a tough time finding a local oral surgeon who takes both of my insurances. I thought I found one and saw him yesterday, only I was told afterwards I was given wrong info and they don't accept my medical. Now I have an appointment with a second consultation with a new doctor, but I have to drive almost an hour (each way) to his office which bites.

I liked the doctor I saw yesterday. He seemed very competent and he was super sexy (young, Latino.. meow). I think the procedure would have been somehow more _bearable_ with him as my surgeon. Alas, it is not to be and my dental insurance now gets charged with a second consultation fee that they may or may not cover.


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## SuperSizedAngie (May 20, 2010)

Yeah, unfortunately, my dentist is HAWT. Like.... gorgeous platinum blonde hair, kinda spiky hairdo, biggggg blue eyes, and of course, PERFECT teeth. 

It makes me so embarrassed to open my mouth in front of him, especially since he remembered my teeth after I'd only seen him once before, about 5 months ago.


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## Paul (May 20, 2010)

SuperSizedAngie said:


> Yeah, unfortunately, my dentist is HAWT. Like.... gorgeous platinum blonde hair, kinda spiky hairdo, biggggg blue eyes, and of course, PERFECT teeth.
> 
> It makes me so embarrassed to open my mouth in front of him, especially since he remembered my teeth after I'd only seen him once before, about 5 months ago.




Angie,

I had to have a root canal two years ago. Maybe I was lucky, or had a very good dentist. I'm not sure. Anyway the procedure was not that bad at all. I had very little pain. I had expected a root canal to be one of the more painful dental prodedures. Not at all. For me it was a breeze.

Don't put off the root canal, even if you have to scrimp and save in order to afford it. If this is not taken care of you can have real trouble later on. Good luck.


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## CastingPearls (May 20, 2010)

If the nerve is dead--the root canal will hurt a lot less. Also depends on where the tooth is. Just my luck--it was one of the big ones in the front--worst ever.


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## SuperSizedAngie (May 21, 2010)

Oh, I've had a root canal before (long story, little brother shot me in the face, one of my teeth stopped it), and unfortunately, the doctor put a crown on it that didn't fit, so less than 5 years later, it needs to be retreated. I had them x-ray it the other day, and it's not re-infected or anything, but still needs to be redone at some point. Thankfully the nerve is removed so it doesn't hurt at all. 

Unfortunately, the one that hurts has an active infection *sob sob* I've been applying orajel all day, just went to the store to get more, and it usually helps for about 20-30 minutes at a time. At this point, I'm about ready to just take a sleeping pill and sleep through tomorrow, since when I'm asleep, I can't feel it hurting. 

Lol, I know I'm complaining a lot, but wow, the only thing worse than dental pain is ear pain.


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## moore2me (May 21, 2010)

Angie,

I feel sorry for you having to go thru dental pain. It can be one of the worst kinds of distracting and hard to manage pain we can experience. I hope the antibiotics will kick in soon and the infection will be controlled. If the swelling goes down, the tooth and gums should feel a little better.

I have had been in dental "hell" for the last ten years. If it keeps bothering you, I have a few other things that might help temporarily. My main problems with my teeth have been caused by taking medications that cause me to have a dry mouth. This dry mouth has reduced saliva and set me up for all kinds of little pesky invaders. (A couple of years ago, it was not unusual for me to have fourteen cavities that needed fillings every six months.) 

I am averaging three crowns and two root canals a year. I have also had some teeth extracted and needed bridges. I have needed to have root canals thru the middle of an existing crown. I have needed teeth that chipped built back up. 

I have developed allergies to antibiotics I was given. I have developed thrush in my mouth too. One of the main things affecting me know are receding gums (which leaves more room for cavities).

I am blessed with a good dentist - he is nice to me and so is everyone in his office. In the last two years, I have gotten dental insurance that pays about half of my work. So, I just wrote all this to let you know that I do feel your pain - and hope you get better.


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## Jes (May 21, 2010)

ThatFatGirl said:


> I am not experiencing dental pain, only frustration. I need a lower front frenotomy and possibly a skin graft in the same place. The consultation is billed to dental insurance and the procedure itself to medical at most offices, but I was having a tough time finding a local oral surgeon who takes both of my insurances. I thought I found one and saw him yesterday, only I was told afterwards I was given wrong info and they don't accept my medical. Now I have an appointment with a second consultation with a new doctor, but I have to drive almost an hour (each way) to his office which bites.
> 
> I liked the doctor I saw yesterday. He seemed very competent and he was super sexy (young, Latino.. meow). I think the procedure would have been somehow more _bearable_ with him as my surgeon. Alas, it is not to be and my dental insurance now gets charged with a second consultation fee that they may or may not cover.



are they taking your own skin for the graft? i think they usually remove it from the roof of your mouth. The other option is, and you should be prepared for this b/c hearing it in the chair isn't pretty, 'cadaver skin.'


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## CastingPearls (May 21, 2010)

moore2me said:


> Angie,
> 
> I feel sorry for you having to go thru dental pain. It can be one of the worst kinds of distracting and hard to manage pain we can experience. I hope the antibiotics will kick in soon and the infection will be controlled. If the swelling goes down, the tooth and gums should feel a little better.
> 
> ...


Jeez M2M, you've been through hell. When I was younger I just naturally didn't produce enough saliva and am still prone to quick build-up. When I read that it wasn't unusual for you to have 14 cavities every six months--I could relate--same with me until my thirties....visit after visit after visit...and sulfa antibiotics give me horrible dry mouth. Add a severe allergy to penicillin and I get stuck with clindamycin which feels like shards of glass in my belly. Now I'm finally going to get the crown for my front tooth, after one infection after another has finally cleared up....but what a painful price for dental health. At least I have good gums.


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## ThatFatGirl (May 21, 2010)

Jes said:


> are they taking your own skin for the graft? i think they usually remove it from the roof of your mouth. The other option is, and you should be prepared for this b/c hearing it in the chair isn't pretty, 'cadaver skin.'



Roof of my mouth! Oh dear Lord.. not cadaver skin. EEK!


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## Fat.n.sassy (May 21, 2010)

[/QUOTE]Lol, I know I'm complaining a lot, but wow, the only thing worse than dental pain is ear pain.[/QUOTE]

I don't think you're complaining a lot ~~ IMO, tooth pain is worse than labor!

In fact, I've promised myself that I will go through labor again before I EVER have another root canal. (my husband is early 50s & I'm late 40s - LOL!)

Good luck!


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## Witch-King (May 21, 2010)

When I had to get my wisdom teeth out, the surgeon ran out of anethetics and had to perform the operation with me concious. I had two extra wisdom teeth. It was incredibly painful.


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## moore2me (May 22, 2010)

> Lol, I know I'm complaining a lot, but wow, the only thing worse than dental pain is ear pain.
> 
> I don't think you're complaining a lot ~~ IMO, tooth pain is worse than labor!
> 
> ...



*A couple of tips for the root canal victim. Number one, I have learned to ask the doctor to give me a couple of "booster" deadening shots for the road. This will give you extra hours of numbness after you get home. You just can't chew - you might bite your tongue or inside your mouth. Supper should be something you can take with a spoon or sip. Best for me are icees or sorbees and/or warm soups (no chewing).

Second tip. If you can take class III or higher pain meds, do not leave the dentist office without a prescription for some for the next 24 hours!!!! Many dentists and/or their assistants will tell you to just take tylenol. I tell them that will not do it for me. I need something stronger. For root canal pain, I usually get Percocet. *



Witch-King said:


> When I had to get my wisdom teeth out, the surgeon ran out of anethetics and had to perform the operation with me concious. I had two extra wisdom teeth. It was incredibly painful.



*Well, I see your problem Witch-King. You live in Mordor. What do you expect in a place where they just learned to use fire a couple of weeks ago?

Seriously tho, when you said then dentist ran out of anesthetics, do you mean they couldn't put you to sleep? Surely, they still had novacaine shots and you got these? Who treated you anyway? An army dentist or a veterinarian?*



CastingPearls said:


> Jeez M2M, you've been through hell. When I was younger I just naturally didn't produce enough saliva and am still prone to quick build-up. When I read that it wasn't unusual for you to have 14 cavities every six months--I could relate--same with me until my thirties....visit after visit after visit...and sulfa antibiotics give me horrible dry mouth.
> 
> *It's good to know I have company now other than the local meth crowd. With my crappy dental record, I keep reminding the new hygienists that I am NOT a crack-head. (Maybe a peanut M&M head tho.?)*
> 
> Add a severe allergy to penicillin and I get stuck with clindamycin which feels like shards of glass in my belly. Now I'm finally going to get the crown for my front tooth, after one infection after another has finally cleared up....but what a painful price for dental health. At least I have good gums.


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## SuperSizedAngie (May 22, 2010)

I was going to opt for the root canal, but the pain got so bad and there wasn't anyone around who could root canal it until next Thursday, when I would be out of town. So I got it extracted yesterday. 

It already feels much better. On the other hand, I'm an emotional eater, and all I want to do when I'm in pain is eat. Hah, like that's going to work right now


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## Witch-King (May 22, 2010)

moore2me said:


> Seriously tho, when you said then dentist ran out of anesthetics, do you mean they couldn't put you to sleep? Surely, they still had novacaine shots and you got these? Who treated you anyway? An army dentist or a veterinarian?[/COLOR][/B]



No joke. He apologized sincerely and gave me a major discount for the inconvenience.


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## Cece Larue (May 23, 2010)

Sorry you couldn't wait out the pain, Angie.... I know it's horrible! Are you planning on getting an implant? I'm a dental assistant so I see this day in and day out... I always want to just wrap my arms around the people who come to us who are in severe pain. 

My advice for anyone is PLEASE make sure you get on at LEAST a 6 month cleaning schedule. So many of these problems can be avoided if you do this. We can brush, floss and scrape all we want but those deep cleanings are necessary! Also, I swear by my Sonicare toothbrush... and you may want to talk to you dentist about getting on a prescription toothpaste... I'd suggest Prevident.


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## Cece Larue (May 23, 2010)

Forgot to mention... if you're having a hard time getting the funds together for a procedure... you may want to check and see if your office accepts CareCredit... we've got several patients who use that.


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## CastingPearls (May 23, 2010)

Witch-King said:


> When I had to get my wisdom teeth out, the surgeon ran out of anethetics and had to perform the operation with me concious. I had two extra wisdom teeth. It was incredibly painful.


When my impacted upper wisdoms were extracted they couldn't knock me out because I was taking strong asthma meds at the time and general anethesia would have killed me--so he went with sodium pentathol, novacaine and laughing gas--none of which helped the unbelievable pressure (which was agonizing). It was a very very bad day. Oh...and he dislocated my jaw too....


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## Jes (May 24, 2010)

ThatFatGirl said:


> Roof of my mouth! Oh dear Lord.. not cadaver skin. EEK!



yeah exactly. 

a few years ago, my friend was mowed down by a car (while on foot). She lost a tooth and damaged a few more. She's had extensive work done since then. During her 3rd or 4th painful visit, she'd already been in the chair an hour or 2, and it was going poorly, and then the doctor said he needed a graft and did she want to try... and she was like: WHAT? She started to bawl, b/c of the pain and being overwrought and it was just the last thing she needed. Ever since then, I've always thought: Man, I want to KNOW that there is such a thing as cadaver skin, in case I'm ever in the chair!

I'm lucky--i've never had a cavity in my life, and nothing else of any kind, but i'm sure my day will come. My day will come.


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## moore2me (May 26, 2010)

I thought I'd run into everything they could fling at me at the dentist, but I was wrong. I had a routine appt last earlier this week for my six month cleaning. I always get a fluoride treatment at the end 'cause our water system won't fluoridate our water.

I was driving home and noticed my mouth & lips felt funny. I also felt really thirsty. When I got to the house, and looked in a mirror, the outside of my lips were covered with blisters. The inside of my mouth was red and sore spots too. I called my hygienist and she said they had used a new kind of fluoride that was more concentrated on me. I had no problems with the old formula, but the new stuff gave me chemical burns! In all fairness to the dentist office - I have very sensitive skin and have reactions from other stuff that do not bother most people. The blisters have healed now, so I am ready to go back and get my current pending crown finished in a couple of weeks.


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