Toothache

[Anubis]

I went to the dentists over a sore tooth last Tuesday, and have been booked in for some repair work at the beginning of February.

 

Anyway, last Wednesday the tooth decides to go volcanic and the pain has been keeping me up till 4am, unable to sleep. Painkillers have proven useless.

 

So I went online in the early hours of yesterday morning to see if the interwebs had anything to offer, and found a single site suggesting using a heavy concentration of sea salt in very warm water to swill the mouth for a few minutes. Obviously, the thought of salt on a painful area suggested it was a wind up, especially as I could only find this recommendation on a single site.

 

Come yeaterday lunch time though, it was either the salt water or pliers. But fuck me if it hasn't gone and worked. After I'd spat the water there was an intense pain in the tooth for about a minute. Then it settled to a dull and bearable ache. And within twenty minutes the pain had gone. Completely gone. I can still feel the tooth's not quite right, but no pain whatsoever.

 

I'm repeating it once in the morning and once of an evening, but so far happy days and no more painkillers.

[Fugitive]

Cocaine.

 

Rub it in you're gums and teeth and you'll be laughing.

[RJ Fan club]

Done the same myself in the past. Salt water is good but not good long term. To be fair neither is any other pain killing measure. After a while you need more salt water more often then eventually it becomes pointless; as does ice water.

 

Clove oil is good and happily for me the missus always has codeine. Nurofen plus works well for a while too.

[Section_31]

Had an abscess last week, the pain was shocking, this thundering shit all up the side of my face pretty much all night. Got to have my tooth pulled tomorrow, 40 fucking quid.

[Fugitive]

I'm saving this thread in my bookmarks to make sure that I remember if I ever get toothache again.

 

It's fucking disgraceful, toothache.

[Pony Princess]

I had a gum infection round my wisdom tooth over christmas and along with the antibiotics the salt-water rinse was recommended by the dentist.

 

if you are in the UK and get that kind of tooth ache, just call NHS Direct, they will route your call to a dental nurse and usually arrange for you to go to your nearest dental hospital or clinic that day. Thats what I did and was well impressed also this stuff is great damage control until you can see a dentist:

 

[RoboRiise]

I know I'm late to the party here but as someone who's had massive problems getting an NHS dentist, this is an area in which I've had considerable experience and I'm delighted to be able to share something genuinely useful.

 

Firstly, as the OP said an extremely concentrated salt solultion will usually give temporary relief - make it with boiling water and let it cool down to warm before using. For pain related to abscesses, an icepack held against the face over the affected area will also help. I know holding something freezing cold over it sounds as wacky as salt water but it works. Don't touch the tooth though, as you will likely murder your entire family in a blind fury before the pain dissipates.

 

My best recommendation though is this:

 

 

Boots paracetamol & codeine caplets - box of 32, £2 odd.

 

The OP said painkillers did nothing. All I can say about these is that I've had an abscess that made one side of my face look like Dizzy Gillespie and have also lost two teeth, both of which went through complete nerve death in my mouth and rotted away (the unmedicated pain of which I honestly can't begin to describe, I'm talking about screaming into the pillows pain here - it was easily worse than peritonitis) and half an hour after taking two of those it just switches off. You don't even realise that it's stopped hurting at first, so subtle is it's work, then it just occurs to you that your face isn't locked in a grimace any more and your breathing has returned to normal.

 

They're basically co-codamol and any paracetamol/codeine combination should have the same effect - the codeine is the key to it, but those ones are cheap and ruthlessly effective. Just make sure you get the caplets and not the effervescent tablets because they're fucking shite. You need to ask for them at the counter, they don't put them out on the shelves. Next forumite to get toothache, try them and tell me if I'm wrong. Oh and rep me if I'm right, obviously - I'll still be coining it in from this post in five years time.

 

My drug of choice for truly monstrous toothache (and just for shits and giggles come to that, it's fucking awesome stuff) would actually be Pethidine but you ain't getting that over the counter at Boots.

[gingerhulk]

Rubbing a ice cube between the thumb and index finger ( the ''v'' shape) on the hand is meant to numb some nerve that is connected to the face or something.

[Guest davelfc]

Rubbing a ice cube between the thumb and index finger ( the ''v'' shape) on the hand is meant to numb some nerve that is connected to the face or something.

 

Is that why I pull a funny face when having a wank?

[Pony Princess]

They're basically co-codamol and any paracetamol/codeine combination should have the same effect .

 

Ahhh co-codamol, it really is amazing stuff. I can back RR up in saying co-codamol will sort any tooth pains, no worries. Codeine is a member of the opioid family of drugs though. Can get you hooked after a while, taking it when you ain't ill gives you a few hours of walking round like you are covered in cotton wool.

[gingerhulk]

Is that why I pull a funny face when having a wank?

 

Try using your left hand

[Guest davelfc]

Try using your left hand

 

I'm ambidextrous, it's like bigamy.

[Fugitive]

Ahhh co-codamol, it really is amazing stuff. I can back RR up in saying co-codamol will sort any tooth pains, no worries. Codeine is a member of the opioid family of drugs though. Can get you hooked after a while, taking it when you ain't ill gives you a few hours of walking round like you are covered in cotton wool.

 

Co-Codamol is shite. Tramadol is far better for getting fucked up.

[Newport]

Toothache is the worst kind of pain I have ever known. I'd always heard that root canals were terrible, but the pain I endured before it I had no problem with it at all. What the hell do we need nerves in our teeth for anyway? Fucking ridiculous.

[Guest davelfc]

I had route canal work on my front tooth, but before it was done I spent 4 days in agony, I couldn't eat and only just drink. The relief when the dentist put the needle in my gum was incredible.

 

If I could have just pulled my front tooth out during those 4 days I would have. it was even difficult to drive, I had to pull over every now and then with the pain.

[TopMod]

Toothache's for wimps, I've had a thing called atypical facepain for over a year now. It's called that cause they haven't a clue what's really causing it. Basically it feels like toothache in about four molars, top and bottom on the right hand side, the nerve on that side of the face is switched on all the time. Had 4 root canals before I even seen a consultant but he thought I was lucky as I still had my teeth.

 

For 12 months I've been on co-codamol, ibuprofen and tramadol all at the same time. They tried various pain blockers, epilepsy drugs and other things, helped a bit mostly made me sleepy with other horrendous side affects.

 

I've been to pain clinics, dental consultants, facial surgery consultants, had MRI scans, been checked for MS, motorneurone disease so you can imagine that's been a barrel of laughs.

 

Two month's ago the consultant put me on a drug that use to be used as an anti-depressant but isn't anymore because of side affects. Well fuck me but it's actually worked quite well. Took me 2-3 weeks just to get over the come down from reducing my pain killer intake.

 

Now feels ok nearly all day except for some evenings when if feels like there's a slight electricity charge in those same teeth. One ibuprofen sorts that out. Great to have my life back and the wife's happy cause I can actually hump her again.

[RoboRiise]

Tramadol is far better for getting fucked up.

 

This is true but you need a friendly pharmacist or other medically-connected acquaintance to get hold of it unless you fancy taking a punt over the internet and hoping you don't pay £50+ for some shady Chinese dog-worming tablets. Well, it's that or get some black clothes, gloves, a willing mate and the address of a chemists at least three miles away from a police station and let's face it, if you're going to do that, you might as well go with my earlier advice and grab the pethidine whilst you're there.

 

 

I had route canal work on my front tooth, but before it was done I spent 4 days in agony, I couldn't eat and only just drink. The relief when the dentist put the needle in my gum was incredible.

 

If I could have just pulled my front tooth out during those 4 days I would have. it was even difficult to drive, I had to pull over every now and then with the pain.

 

 

Yep, that's exactly the level of pain I was talking about. The worst it ever got with me was when I was at work and I couldn't even do simple sums, it was like my brain had a short circuit with every bright white pulse of pain.

 

I understand the true pain of toothache sufficiently well that I'm even posting this during the f**tb*ll - I really wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Like I said, trust me on this one chaps - there are obviously far stronger painkillers available than the ones I suggested but they'll do the necessary in the vast majority of cases and they have the added advantages of being cheap and available over the counter in a high street chemist.

 

I've got to admit I don't really experience the soft and fluffy codeine buzz myself but from what I remember of the debauchery I indulged in during the nineties, that's hardly surprising.

[RoboRiise]

Oh and I forgot to mention that as TopMod says above, you can take Ibuprofen with co-codamol without problems as long as you're sure it's just Ibuprofen and doesn't have any paracetamol mixed with it. Just buy generic 200mg Ibuprofen tablets from Boots or Superdrug, don't waste your money on Nurofen and the like because it's the same stuff anyway. Also don't buy "fast acting" anything, just have a really strong cup of coffee with them because if you check the packaging, you'll find that the only added ingredient in those fast acting pills is caffeine.

 

Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory drug and works in a different way to analgesics like co-codamol, the two of them together can be very effective for really bad toothache.

 

More half-baked medical advice from a completely unqualified bloke on the internet may follow.

[Lee909]

Jesus christ,were have the men gone

toothaces what do you think Bourbon for

 

[Section_31]

Had my tooth out on Monday and it's the frist missing tooth I've got. It's the next to last tooth on the bottom right but the gap feels HUGE. I can't bring myself to eat on it, the idea of food touching my gum knocks me sick. Anyone got any missing teeth? Does that feeling pass and will I be eating steaks again anytime soon?

[RoboRiise]

Had my tooth out on Monday and it's the frist missing tooth I've got. It's the next to last tooth on the bottom right but the gap feels HUGE. I can't bring myself to eat on it, the idea of food touching my gum knocks me sick. Anyone got any missing teeth? Does that feeling pass and will I be eating steaks again anytime soon?

 

 

Thanks to the miracles of NHS dentistry (the miracle being finding one and often the remarkable lack of competence when you do) yes - I have 4 (including the one you've just lost) and it's embarrassing as fucking hell because one of them is at the front.

 

As for steaks and the like, of course you will you big jessie - it takes some time and I know what you mean about the gap feeling massive but ultimately, you get used to it depressingly quickly.

[Antynwa]

I can honestly say without a moments pause that root canal is the single most painful thing I've ever felt in my entire life. I was brought to tears in the Dentist.

 

Seriously.

 

Fucking not on

[piscinin]

Thanks to the miracles of NHS dentistry (the miracle being finding one and often the remarkable lack of competence when you do) yes - I have 4 (including the one you've just lost) and it's embarrassing as fucking hell because one of them is at the front.

 

As for steaks and the like, of course you will you big jessie - it takes some time and I know what you mean about the gap feeling massive but ultimately, you get used to it depressingly quickly.

 

Do they not do bridges and implants over there?

[Section_31]

I can honestly say without a moments pause that root canal is the single most painful thing I've ever felt in my entire life. I was brought to tears in the Dentist.

 

Seriously.

 

Fucking not on

 

Sure he/she didn't fuck up there with the anesthetic? It didn't hurt me.

[DJLJ]

Got 4 front teeth knocked out in a car crash when I was younger plus got 2 of them smashed two more smashed to bits, the nerve was straight out in the open. Every time I breathed, it feels like 2 big sizling hot needles is struck all the way down into my spine and combine that with the bone being smashed also, they picked about 800 pieces of bone out, it was by far the worst days I have ever experienced. The pain. The pain. I can feel it now just thinking about it.