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13 November 2006
OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW TOOTHACHE Kill me, please, just make it stop
I went to the dentist this morning, for a checkup on all the periodontic work I had done a few months ago. Nasty scrapiness. I rewarded myself with a double choc-chip muffin with a jammy forest fruits centre. *Never learns*
Go see a dentist. I had a toothache a few years ago that wouldn't quit. Turns out I needed an emergency root canal, which was unpleasant, but when the dentist stuck in that needle and the pain left, I wanted to kiss him.
Rub some whiskey on it! (That was my grandmother's answer to pretty much anything.) Then go to the dentist, ASAP. I know someone who died of a tooth infection. Died! (He had other problems, but the infection is what did him in, apparently.)
Seconding jonmc: DENTIST. NOW. I had an abscess that I left for four days, then went to the dentist. He drained it and it felt better, but by that afternoon my face started (painlessly) swelling. Turns out the infection had spread, and it was off for an emergency visit to the oral surgeon for him to open it up and clean it out (under general anaesthesia).
flopsy and sci: Dentist-time! (Just like what everyone else is saying)
FWIW, my mom swears by whiskey-rinses for mouth-related ills. Better than Listerine, she says. Although (jon: cover your eyes), she doesn't swallow it.
Most dentists will see you right away, if it's an emergency. As others have said, GO NOW! (I also had a friend who nearly died from a tooth infection; it had spread to his throat and he had to have an emergency tracheotomy when his throat swelled and he couldn't breathe.) Be on the safe side. Sooner the better. Hope ya feel better.
(looks around guiltily... it's been awhile since I've been to the dentist myself)
my mom swears by whiskey-rinses for mouth-related ills.
It's what my mom rubbed on our gums when we were teething. That may be where I developed my taste for the hooch.
And jonmc, I actually did have a Maw but she was my great grandmother. Not to be confused with my other great grandmother MawMaw. They were both from Kentucky. Fancy that.
I just made it down to poor essexjan's post, and what killed her George was what almost killed me. The original source of the infection, though, was my tooth abcesses. Besides the tooth pain, my only symptom was generally feeling tired and crappy, and I chalked that up to not sleeping because of the tooth pain.
photo by splunge
photo by TheophileEscargot
photo by Kronos_to_Earth
photo by ethylene
