Dental Abscess - has anyone had one?

Saturnalia

I've had a fair few. I'm diabetic and have a knackered immune system, and when I'm run-down I get an abscess somewhere.

So I've needed a lot of root canals and I can honestly say that the most painful part of them is the jaw-ache from keeping your mouth open for so long! However, that and the slight bruised feeling once the anaesthetic wears off is blissful compared to the abscess pain!

cazziebo

I'd heard so many people say how bad root canal is that I was dreading it but tbh it wasn't that bad at all. As some of the posters say the worst is keeping your mouth open so long!

Hope it goes well for you

annie_d

I had three absecces across my three front teeth when i was pregnant 30 years ago. NO ONE has been more terrified than I was when i had to go the dentist to get it sorted cos my face had swelled up like a chipmunk, the pain and the smell were staggering.
It was fine! I had the root canal, three crowns fitted and then a coupe of years ago they were replaced (privately) no problems, no pain, nothing. xx I was told at the time not to worry.......i wish i had listened!

sulkisu

I won't ignore it - wish I could, but I'm already starting to look like a gerbil. I made the mistake of Googling it and the problems caused by not treating a front tooth abscess, including brain damage and death, scare me far more than the thought of root canal.

*zippy*

Sulkisu I had my root canal today and didn't feel a thing. My dentist has a new tool which has cut the time it takes so it didn't take as long as I was expecting. It is an odd sensation, but no pain or discomfort during it or after, i didn't even have a headache like I usually do with a filling.

Hope it helps you stop worrying about it a little and all goes well with yours this week.

littlerat

2nd hand as I've never had one, but I've been told not as bad as the abscess is.

sulkisu

Update.

I wanted to update this thread, just in case there is anyone out there in the same position. The dreaded root canal treatment has finally been completed :T and the abscess has gone :beer:.

In the end the dentist had to go in twice (so two root canal treatments) as the infection was quite bad. A many of you said, in the end it turned out to be nothing to worry about. The most painful part was having the injection to numb my mouth, and even that was bearable. The root canal procedure itself was pain free and took no more than 30 minutes each time. Not something that I would want to do every day, but it really wasn't too bad.

BitterAndTwisted

bizzybee wrote: »

Yes, had one on lower jaw, ended up having an apicoectomy at my local hospital.

You're lucky, my dentist persuaded me to have one in the chair. To say I was petrified would be an understatement. After several tries with antibotics to get rid of the infection, the apicoectomy and consequent root-canal were an absolute doddle.

I was a text-book "nervous" patient before all that happened but I'm not now, so it's all good.