Any help appreciated

[Myself2018]

Hi ,

I had a crown put on years back , at the side of my 2 front teeth (upper) , when I went to a dentist a few months back they did a xray and said I had an infection under it , (this was a temporary dentist as I had moved and was on the waiting list) , I'm still one the waiting list since may 2016 ! , I lost my job due to I'll health so I'm not working so I cannot afford private treatment ,

2 months ago I had really bad toothache and ended up in AnE as my face ballooned , they gave me 2 sets of antibiotics , it helped the swelling go down but it still left me with a lump right on top of my gums and its at the side of my nose ,
My crown had fallen out and I had to resort to buying dentist cement to try and put it back myself ,

I'd been having nose bleeds , dizziness , eyesight problems , I made an emergency appointment ,
This was yesterday , they did a xray and the 2 of them fell silent for what seemed ages ,
I'll cut this short by saying what they told me ,

"You have a serious infection and antibiotics won't work as they haven't so far , you need on going work ASAP"

I said "I'm on a waiting list"

And they said "this is serious its already started spreading , it will affect your right eye and your bones in your face could actually crumble , if I were you I'd ring around every dentist possible"

So today after another night of my face going bright red boiling and my feet freezing , could hardly breathe (frightening as I'm asthmatic) bad stomach , pressure by my heart , I rang dentists and no room , I rang NHS who said to ring the health board , I've even emailed my local MP , because I've been unwell for months and the dizziness and confusment is getting worse ,

I didn't think the dizziness could have been associated with this lump I've got , I've had to put up with it for months so it obviously spreading , and I'm scared as I can't find a dentist ,

How will I know when it becomes fatal ? What else can I do , I'm 41 years old and my life has been on hold for the last few years because of my teeth ,

Any help I'd greatly appreciate or if someone had something similar
Thanks in advance

 

[honestdoc]

I'm sorry for your serious condition. I can picture what you are going through. They had put a crown near your front teeth. On x-ray, the dentist found an infection under the root tip. The reason for this is the past dentist had to shave your teeth down to place the crown. The drilling causes trauma to the nerve (root canal). Over time, the traumatized nerve starts to die and became a source of infection. Your 2 options are to get a root canal or to pull the tooth.

The root canal is the only treatment to save the tooth and is costly. With the tooth so infected, the root canal has to be done thoroughly and in multiple visits because all the micro anatomical areas are contaminated. I would only trust a specialist or a very experienced general dentist because most dentists usually do not have the adequate skills or knowledge to fully treat a case like this. However, the costs can be very high.

The other option is to pull the tooth. This is the most predictable option. The downside is you will be missing the tooth on the esthetic zone. You can have a temporary "flipper" which is a acrylic appliance with a tooth to cover the missing area and consider implant in the future. I would stay away from a bridge because like a crown, the dentist needs shave down the abutments to fit the bridge in and you may repeat the experience in the future.

 

[Myself2018]

Thank you for your reply I'm touched you took time out of your life ,

I asked the dentist yesterday if they pulled my tooth would it help the infection and they didn't give me a direct answer and made it out as if it wouldn't help ,

Would pulling my tooth help me with the infection , at the moment I'm laying down trying to bring my temperature down , I feel sick and dizzy ?

Thank you

 

[honestdoc]

Yes, pulling the tooth will remove the source of infection. Possible difficulties are that if you are swollen, it may be hard to anesthetize. You may also become resistant to the antibiotics if you were taking it too frequently. I would have it pulled ASAP.

 

[Myself2018]

I'm not swollen there where the tooth is its right at the top of my gums ,

What would they do with the lump that's there ? Because 3 sets of antibiotics haven't done anything will they drain it ?

 

[honestdoc]

A possibility for the bump is the body is trying to drain it which is a good thing. Do you notice any pus or foul drainage coming out of it? You may be developing antibiotic resistance. I'm from the US but I'm suspecting most of the UK NHS dentists are newly graduated and may not have experience. Once they acquire that experience, they move on to more lucrative opportunities. Just try your best and get that tooth pulled.

 

[Myself2018]

No its solid lump no pus or anything its been there for now 3 months , after my face went swollen (unrecognizable) the hospital gave me antibiotics and the swelling all over my face went down but I was left with this lump I have now ,

I'll defiantly will get my tooth pulled asap
Thank you ever so much for helping me , I feel much more at ease after your advice , I've been so worried , I hope the universe brings you good things

Thanks again

 

[Busybee]

I really do not understand why A&E did not refer you for emergency dental treatment in a hospital. This is something you should have treated as part of A&E services. Which part of the UK are you in?

 

[Myself2018]

Really ? , I'm in wales ,
I've had to ring NHS again just now to beg for a emergency appointment for tomorrow , because the health board booked me one for Friday , and I'm feeling so unwell I don't think I can handle another few nights laying in bed feeling dizzy and sick and in pain till early hours ,

The woman who booked me the appointment for Friday was not very nice to me , she seems annoyed that I wasn't happy with the dentist I'd seen telling me the bones in my face could crumble and I need treatment ASAP but couldnt give me any advice I'm so thankful for the info on here as now I'm able to tell the next dentist "take my tooth out"

 

[Busybee]

I'm relieved that you have an appointment. There are definitely emergency dental units in hospitals. Just looked at Cardiff and Vale and they have a dental helpline. They also have a note on their site to say you can have free supervised treatment by dental students. I guess if you're in a more remote part of the country then access to services will be far more challenging.

Please let us know how you get on. Even after they remove the tooth it will take a while for such a serious infection to subside. I am really concerned that the temporary dentist didn't do more. After all it must have been a pretty bad infection at that stage.

 

[honestdoc]

I am fascinated with how UK dental system works. Please don't mind me, I love learning from you guys.

 

[AJK64]

The nhs is in a really bad mess with regards dental treatment. I have had problems with a root canal after a badly botched nhs procedure and have had to take a loan and put myself in debt in an attempt to get it fixed privately. It's such a shame as about 20 years ago nhs dentistry was very highly regarded.

I really hope you get it fixed fast myself2018. It's scary to feel out of control and that no one can help.

 

[Myself2018]

You are right about the NHS , I also had botched up treatment , when I would have my check up I'd say that a certain tooth was sensitive and I'd always end up booking an appointment after ending up with toothache and there solution was ....take the tooth out , I wasn't given an xray , and my dentist who i saw would change every few months , so there was clearly something going on at that dental practice ,


Well here's an update , Thursday night I was in AnE hospital at 1am , I felt pressure on my heart , dizzy , high temperature , thirst ,

It was over an hour before a doctor seen me and then had to answer stupid things like "have u banged your chest , or had any falls" ?? , the most ridiculous questions ,

I had a blood test , he did my blood pressure and he mumbled it was low , ( something I've never had if anything its usually high) ,

I had a ECG done (didn't tell me anything) , said I had to wait for a doctor , after 4 And half hours (it was daylight outside) and seeing this elderly lady who had been left in the waiting room in a wheelchair and was falling asleep , I felt so sorry for her , the doctor said to her "I'll be back for you in half hour" ,

An hour and half later she was still there , I was so disgusted I walked out and went home , my partner told reception and they said I could ring my GP for results ,

Friday
Went to the dentist , she gave me anesthetic to numb it , and then pulled it out and sent me on my way , I asked her should I have any antibiotics and she said "No the source where the infection was coming from has been taken out now so you should be fine" ,

I pray and pray that she is right , and I will start to feel normal again , and not have nights where I feel like I'm dying ,

I'll be so happy

Thanks everyone for your input it has helped me a lot

 

[Myself2018]

And I rang my doctors and they said no results yet , why am I not surprised ! I was at the hospital on wednesday night (early hours Thursday morning )

 

[Busybee]

Were the symptoms that led you to A&E related to your dental infection? I am sure that if your EEG was abnormal they would have told you. From what you say you may have been dehydrated. It has been pretty hot lately. Are you drinking enough water? They should really have put you on a drip.

I'm pretty surprised that your GP would get any results from A&E. That doesn't usually happen unless you are admitted.

 

[AJK64]

Hopefully now your problem tooth has been removed your immune system will take care of any residing infecton. Sending you lots of positive thoughts. Please keep us all updated.

 

[AJK64]

Any updates on how you are doing now ?

 

[Myself2018]

Hi , All

I was happy I seen a doctor that explained things to me and was more thorough than any doctor I'd seen before , I've been to the doctors for years (more so in the last year) about my stomach being swollen and I felt was pressing on something , a few months ago I went for a lump in my breast and the doctor said "its very small and its just an infection " and sent me on my way without even a prescription ! ,

What I thought was weird was he said he couldn't access the hospital blood test and xray results ? , he said that he would need a number to access the pathology lab ? So he disregarded all the things I'd had done ,

He has sent me for a blood test to see if I have helicobacter pylori , he said it could be that , that is making me feel pressure by my liver and heart , he said "your very tender by your liver and gall bladder" and if the test result is negative he said they would book me in for a magic eye ,

I did say to him "but the hospital took a few blood samples for testing and that might have been one of them I was tested for" but he disregarded it ,

He said my blood pressure was normal and my lungs were clear , he also put me on this medication that is a drink I have to drink twice a day to help me go to the toilet , it hasn't done anything yet ,

I'm still having waves where I start feeling dizzy and get hot , really quickly , but the dizziness subsides but me getting hot stays and I haven't felt the pressure by my heart (touch wood) , every time I get hot (even my skin reacts as if I've been sunbathing , it goes red ) I also feel my heart beating , it feels like its hammering my chest ,

But that could well be because I'm stressing and worrying that I'll start feeling really Ill and won't be able to sleep ,

I feel I'm getting better because I'm realising now that I am a tooth missing by my front teeth and being unable to afford a implant etc , it makes me feel so sad , because the dentist I'm on the waiting list for will be months again waiting ,

I have only 10 teeth on top of my mouth and 9 on the bottom (chewing food is a nightmare because I don't have any back teeth) ,
When my teeth started playing up years ago and the dentist said "stop drinking coca cola because your teeth are suffering" I gave up drinking 4 Litres a day ,

I brushed them 3 times a day and used mouthwash , gave up smoking , I just had the unfortunate dentists for years where I didn't even get an xray , its such a shame because if I'd spoken up years ago instead of trusting what they said , I might still have had full set of teeth ,
All I've EVER wanted is a nice smile , my teeth weren't perfectly straight I had 2 teeth that needed pulling further front , and would smile behind my hand ,
But that would have been fixable now I have nothing to work with , even dentures cost a lot of money ,


Thank you all for your input it helped me so much x