dental/facial pain

helen_vasey

I am sure that I have seen a dentist's posts on here so here goes; for about a month now I have had recurring dental pain, one night the pain built up and then I heard a crack and in the morning my back tooth was in bits, I managed to get an emergency nhs dental appt. he said that I had an infection and dosed me up with amoxicillin, telling me to go back in a week for an extraction , which I did. The extraction was extremely painful requiring 3 injections and the next day I woke up in absolute agony. I went back and he cleaned out the socket ( agonising!) then packed the socket with foul tasting (like tcp) wadding. I have just finished a 5 day course of metronidazole but I still have quite a bit of pain, it is mainly in my jaw but also in my ear and neck, it feels like cramp in my face and is really wearing me down, I am sick of taking painkillers (paracodol and ibuprofen together), also the tcp taste is making me feel sick and is tainting everything that I eat or drink. the empty socket is a bit tender but seems to be healing ok. I am now worried that it is something more serious, (damn the internet). I don't know whether to go back to the dentist or go to my gp. Any suggestions please ?

bedshaped

It sounds like what I had when I had an extraction a few weeks ago, although I was lucky enough not to have to have that packing in the socket.

Mine was a dry socket and it occurs when the clot of blood that should form in the extraction socket either does not form or gets dislodged - this can happen quite easily apparently as a result of any activity which involves sucking, eg. smoking or drinking through straws can cause it.

I have every sympathy with you, the pain I was having from this was far worse than the pain from my grotty tooth before the extraction. I'd go back to the dentist as soon as possible.

Teerah

Return to your dentist but it will just take time to fully heal, there isnt really anything more that they can do.

angchris

sounds awful! i really feel for you and understand how desperate and helpless you feel with pain as i have suffered undescribable racking pain with trigeminal neuralgia (sp?) for years in my jawline this was only diagnosed by the docs after having months of treatment/checkups from the dentist who couldnt find what on earth was wrong. i too had pain up my neck/ear/jawline as the nerve originates just behind your ear. i`d suggest to give yourself time to heal up from the tooth extraction and if you are still in pain keep on bugging the dentist and if they have exhausted all possibilities, get yourself into the docs. i only went into the docs after a friend of mine suggested what it might be and i told the doc and sure enough it was but i was so certain before my docs appointment that the dentist would solve it... how wrong was i!:rolleyes: anyway best of luck and i hope you get it sorted out, you are welcome to pm me and chat if needed,hope ive not worried you in any way but in the very remote chance this is what you have i just wished someone had pointed it out to me as a possibility months before so i could get proper treatment, take care .... ang

helen_vasey

thanks for the replies, it is a little less painful this morning, I have managed to go 12 hours with no pain killers and have slept through the night so it must be improving. I have also warmed some oil and massaged the right side of my face thoroughly to ease the muscles, it does seem to have had an effect, I think I have been sleeping with clenched teeth and the muscles have been affected so I will keep up with the massage, unfortunately I have run out of lavender oil and using cooking oil might not be so effective!:p