Hi all
Nine days ago, on the Sunday, I started to have toothache so I went to see my Dentist the next morning, Monday 24th. The Dentist did an examination and an x ray but couldn't see anything wrong, so put some desensitising paste on and said it could be as I grind my teeth (I already knew I did that) and am worried about an upcoming hospital appointment so might be grinding more.
The pain came back after maybe two or three hours, so I called again on Tuesday and Wednesday and ended up back there on Thursday, but with another Dentist. The second Dentist did another examination and looked at my x ray, said I will likely need a root canal & crown or an extraction and to see my Dentist again this Monday for a review & extraction (I couldn't afford a root canal so initially wanted that). She did nothing to help the pain. I understand nothing could be done that day in terms of root canal or extraction, plus she didn't want me to decide in the heat of the moment when in pain and wanted to see if the pain went away, or localised to help them to know which tooth
So, I turn up this Monday and my Dentist only had a review booked in (despite Reception asking me to eat before the appointment, and me asking if he'd have time to do the extraction after ... she said he would as they'd moved other appointments around). Another examination and look at the x ray, he decides I may have a tiny crack inside of the tooth that is too small to see on the x ray but is on/near a nerve and some infection has got in. He thinks grinding more may have caused this crack (I do have a mouthguard but always gagged so didn't use it, but started to the moment he said it could be due to grinding, with no problems)
He's given me Antibiotics (1 pills 3x a day for 5 days) 500mg and booked me for the root canal 31st July. This is a private dental practice. Dentist claims he can't prescribe painkillers but two GPs say he can as does a list Dentists can prescribe from. I have had to come off of Lithium (for Bipolar) which is a risk, and cancel a blood test for it, so I can take Ibuprofen but really I need to be on the Lithium and not on Ibuprofen until the root canal. I got told removing the tooth, as I had 4x adult teeth removed as a kid for braces (1 in each quarter), would be a problem without an implant/denture, which is more expensive than a root canal.
Is it true Dentists can't prescribe painkillers if weeks to wait for a root canal and paracetamol and co-codamol 8/500 don't help enough? Will this infection be gone (especially as 1-2 doses may not be absorbed which he says is ok) or am I at risk of it spreading? He says there's some swelling around the bad tooth, it is the only tooth I have a filling in which was done as a kid (maybe age 6 or 7) fell out for 10 to 15yrs, got refilled (almost the whole tooth) and has been ok until now. It's at the top, I think it's a molar, it's third from the back and I do have wisdom teeth but not sure where the previously removed tooth came from. I'm so worried about severe pain and/or the infection spreading and am terrified to just extract it without any restoration
Thanks to any who read this far
Nine days ago, on the Sunday, I started to have toothache so I went to see my Dentist the next morning, Monday 24th. The Dentist did an examination and an x ray but couldn't see anything wrong, so put some desensitising paste on and said it could be as I grind my teeth (I already knew I did that) and am worried about an upcoming hospital appointment so might be grinding more.
The pain came back after maybe two or three hours, so I called again on Tuesday and Wednesday and ended up back there on Thursday, but with another Dentist. The second Dentist did another examination and looked at my x ray, said I will likely need a root canal & crown or an extraction and to see my Dentist again this Monday for a review & extraction (I couldn't afford a root canal so initially wanted that). She did nothing to help the pain. I understand nothing could be done that day in terms of root canal or extraction, plus she didn't want me to decide in the heat of the moment when in pain and wanted to see if the pain went away, or localised to help them to know which tooth
So, I turn up this Monday and my Dentist only had a review booked in (despite Reception asking me to eat before the appointment, and me asking if he'd have time to do the extraction after ... she said he would as they'd moved other appointments around). Another examination and look at the x ray, he decides I may have a tiny crack inside of the tooth that is too small to see on the x ray but is on/near a nerve and some infection has got in. He thinks grinding more may have caused this crack (I do have a mouthguard but always gagged so didn't use it, but started to the moment he said it could be due to grinding, with no problems)
He's given me Antibiotics (1 pills 3x a day for 5 days) 500mg and booked me for the root canal 31st July. This is a private dental practice. Dentist claims he can't prescribe painkillers but two GPs say he can as does a list Dentists can prescribe from. I have had to come off of Lithium (for Bipolar) which is a risk, and cancel a blood test for it, so I can take Ibuprofen but really I need to be on the Lithium and not on Ibuprofen until the root canal. I got told removing the tooth, as I had 4x adult teeth removed as a kid for braces (1 in each quarter), would be a problem without an implant/denture, which is more expensive than a root canal.
Is it true Dentists can't prescribe painkillers if weeks to wait for a root canal and paracetamol and co-codamol 8/500 don't help enough? Will this infection be gone (especially as 1-2 doses may not be absorbed which he says is ok) or am I at risk of it spreading? He says there's some swelling around the bad tooth, it is the only tooth I have a filling in which was done as a kid (maybe age 6 or 7) fell out for 10 to 15yrs, got refilled (almost the whole tooth) and has been ok until now. It's at the top, I think it's a molar, it's third from the back and I do have wisdom teeth but not sure where the previously removed tooth came from. I'm so worried about severe pain and/or the infection spreading and am terrified to just extract it without any restoration
Thanks to any who read this far