Gum problems
I think i may have a gum abcess (or some other infection) the back of my gum feels very tender and is slighly painful if pressure is put on it.
I've never had an abcess, or toothache before (i've always had good teeth) but the problem is i'm not registered with a dentist anymore as i haven't been for about 4 years now.
It's not mega painful (yet) and isn't stopping me eating but it obviously needs prompt attention or it could get worse and spread. There's a dentist down the road from work which could be handy though not sure if they'll be open tomorrow as it's the holidays!:sad:
I've never had an abcess, or toothache before (i've always had good teeth) but the problem is i'm not registered with a dentist anymore as i haven't been for about 4 years now.
It's not mega painful (yet) and isn't stopping me eating but it obviously needs prompt attention or it could get worse and spread. There's a dentist down the road from work which could be handy though not sure if they'll be open tomorrow as it's the holidays!:sad:
Post edited by zx1 on
The trouble with tribbles is.......
Comments
envy you not going to a dentist for 4 yrs, my teeth seem to fall apart if I don't go every 6 months
First off, get a dentist. Secondly, it's probably not an abcess and more likely just a gum infection of some kind but it could be due to a problem with a nearby tooth (eg a crack), hence the need to let a dentist look at it. If it is an abcess then you ought to get it dealt with as quickly as possible as I understand they get worse the longer you leave them and have a habit of returning even if they appear to go away.
I had recurring problems with a dodgy tooth for about six years and hadn't been to see a dentist in twelve before I finally got the tooth looked at. Incredibly, it was the only one with any problems.
They were bad problems, though. First it had root canal work done on it, but because the tooth had been in such a bad state the enamel was very thin and it cracked causing me painful gum problems above the tooth. Eventually the tooth was filled with plastic and, following more cracking and another very unpleasant gum infection it was finally extracted.
I had a g/f who was very phobic of dentists, till she was in so much pain she had to go (and no it wasn't because of my singing :D)
Keep hearing all that sh*te over here, it's their stereotype of us.. Have to say that NHS dentistry (or rather the materials they use) IS crap though.. I hadn't been for a while and I managed to get on with an NHS dentist shortly before I ended up moving over here.. I had a few cavities on some of my lower teeth and ended up getting 3 fillings done.. The friggers all fell out in less than a year!
I got them fixed over here and have never had a problem since.
it's like they will only use the white caps IF it's front teeth if you are on the NHS.. and the metal ones at the back.
canada, your paying well for that no doubt in medical insurance etc ? they put a lot of emphasis on teeth in the US, more than Canada from what I've seen.
Had to call the work to say i'd be late, they weren't happy!
I'm on Amoxicillian which means i can still drink, still in a bit of pain though.
Hopefully i won't need the widom tooth extracted.
I had some emergency cloves somewhere but never actually tried them , they're supposed to relieve tooth/gum ache
I couldn't open my mouth properly yesterday, so eating was a bit of a job, had to make do with soup for dinner. I've managed to eat better today though and even though the pain will probably be gone in a day or 2 i'd better finish the course of antibiotics.
They're a bit of a prick-tease TBH.. They work for a couple of minutes tops and reduce the pain a bit, but it comes back just as bad after that, so if you want to be slapping the stuff on all night long, fair enough, but it's just not feasible really.
Paracetamol works for a couple of hours, but it's pretty much two hours on the button and then you have to wait two more hours before you can take more.
Try scrubbing the crap out of the tooth with a toothbrush.. If you've got a bit of debris stuck in there, that can be the source of the pain.. I had a cracked filling once and I ate a Snickers bar.. A bit of caramel-coated peanut got in there and I was in agony.. I couldn't get it out with a toothbrush, and in the end I reamed it out with a toothpick and got the bastard out - it was instant relief once I removed it though. (The bit of peanut, not the filling.)
The one main fix I have found for toothache though is getting monstrously pissed.. Three or Four beers in, you barely notice it unless you think about it.. ;)