Help! I'm in pain.

[Zander]

I have a bad tooth and the pain is excruciating.

I probably need root canal treatment. My dentist can't see me until Tuesday (4 days from now). I've been taking a paracetamol & codeine analgesic and I've been using a topical painkiller. But they don't help much.

Any suggestions? (Please keep them serious - I'm not in a jocular mood.)

 

[Crothian]

You could try numbing it. THere are numbing creams for teething infants for instance, so I'd imagine there would be something for adults. I suggest talking to your pharmicist about what he would recomend or call your dentist and ask him to recommend something. I hope you feel better.....

 

[Zander]

Thanks, Crothian.

The topical analgesic I've been using is the kind of cream you suggested. It doesn't seem to help. The paracetamol & codeine tablets help a tiny bit. But the pain is still the worst I've ever experienced.

I can't talk to my dentist. He's away until Tuesday.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

 

[Crothian]

you can always open up the yellow pages and just call a random dentist. I've found that most places are willing to help in some way.

 

[MerakSpielman]

The solution in the old days was booze. Drink until the pain goes away.

 

[Eosin the Red]

I am an RN that works in a Poison Center – toothaches are a significant cause of accidental over ingestion of paracetemol (Tylenol here in the USA). Be careful not to ingest more than 4 grams or 4,000 mg per day from all sources combined to take more is to risk liver damage.

Do not drink while taking a narcotic – that is a good way to stop breathing.

You can take both paracetomol and a standard NSAID like Ibuprofen – Motrin etc. It is not really legal for me to give a dose so follow the directions on the bottle.

If you have specific questions email me at eosin_the_red@cox.net

PSS – I second the motion to find an emergency dentist. Barring high speed narcotics dental pain is very hard to control.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I know your pain, the only thing that worked for me ice, chewing it, all weekend until the dentist could see me, could not sleep, coulld not think. There have only been two times in my life pain was worse, getting anti-rabies shots in the gut and when I went blind from an eye infection (was in so much pain on that one could not pee).

 

[orchid blossom]

When I had my "mystery illness" (turned out to be a kidney stone, took them three weeks to figure it out) I used to take hot baths, they were the only thing that helped. I would try either a heating pad or an ice pack on the outside. The ice directly on the tooth may be too much and hurt more.

 

[Zappo]

Ok, I've had to deal with lots of teeth problems. First of all, try a different analgesic; way more often than you'd think, people are resistant to one or two analgesics and changing to another may just do the trick. Nimesulides work quite well for me, for example.

Secondly, you may try ice, but depending on what's wrong with your tooth it may hurt even more. Try with a bag of ice over your cheek, it's a "slow start" to see if it hurts.

Do not take extra-high doses of analgesics. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work; but you can be sure that horrible side effects always work quite well. Never drink when taking medicines, it doesn't help and the effect can be anywhere from annoying to lethal.

On the other hand, you may try to just get completely drunk. Never tried it (not as a painkiller anyway), but it used to work back in the day. It sounds fun, too.

 

[Mercule]

Drill a hole in your hand. It'll take your mind right off your tooth.

(Sorry. I've got nothing better than a joke to help.)