Okay, getting the dang thing pulled Tuesday, (back molar) but this has been an interesting month. Lets see,
Anbesol: Worked for about 10 minutes the first time I used it then nothing.
Aleve/Ibuprofen/Excedrin: Progressively became immune to higher doses
Hydrogen Peroxide on tooth: Looked like a rabid dog and did not work
Vodka/Whiskey/ ended up drinking the bottle and passing out and waking up with a headache and toothache.
Vinigar/warm salt water: Nada
Only after I went to the dentist and got amoxicillin and Tylenol 3 (which I mixed with Aleve) did the pain become more manageable. I'm just curious if anybody here had anything that worked for them. I did read that honey is a natural bacteria killer. That no bacteria can survive in honey, but I didn't try that.
I'm no expert, but there's 3 types of things you mentioned.
A) things to numb the pain
B) things to kill germs/infection
C) things that do neither
Please note the following on honey, pulled off the top of its wikipedia page:
"Most micro-organisms do not grow in honey because of its low water activity of 0.6.[4] However, it is important to note that honey frequently contains dormant endospores of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which can be dangerous to infants as the endospores can transform into toxin-producing bacteria in the infant's immature intestinal tract, leading to illness and even death[5] (See "Precautions" below)."
If it's a cavity/hole that needs filling temporarily there is an amazing product called Dent-temp out there.
That stuff is ..........wow! It comes in a teensy little blue container and you roll just a little bit of the paste into a ball and fill the hole, let it dry at least an hour and that stuff is concrete!
If you use this stuff, make sure the tooth is as clean as you can possibly get it first ! Cuz once it's in, it isn't coming out until your dentist removes it.
Also if you think you have an infection in the tooth, I don't recommend this stuff cuz it'll trap the infection in there.
It's available at the bigger chains like wal-mart, etc. in the area where they sell wax for braces, stuff like that.
The only thing you can get over the counter that would really help would contain what's been mentioned already.. oil of cloves or what is properly known as eugenol. I'm not familiar with a lot of proprietary names so Dent-temp that Shellon mentioned may contain eugenol, I just don't know. And eugenol works only if you have a cavity in the tooth so that you can actually get some eugenol deep so that it gets in contact with the pulp (nerve) of the tooth. If you have, say, recurrent decay underneath an intact filling you are just out of luck because slobbering any kind of medication all over a tooth isn't going to do diddly squat when the nerve is hurting and you can't get to it. Swishing with salt water isn't going to help either. Recent studies have shown that antibiotics don't help with painful toothache either though they would help with swelling due to bacterial infection of the dental pulp.
Narcotics (and maybe whiskey?) help a whole lot though. :(
I would call the dentist (he has an answering service) and tell him the tylenol III isn't working and you need something stronger, and don't hang up until he agrees to help! You do not need to be in pain another 2 1/2 days.
Hey thanks all for your responses. Really interesting stuff. I never even heard of clove oil. I'm going to keep my eyes open for that. Short of the internet I don't know where I would buy that. And Shellon, yeah, this is beyond a cavity, but that stuff you mentioned is good to know about. Word Wolf you are right Excedrin is an EXCELLENT headache killer, but for anything else it doesn't seem to do the trick. And I know I shouldn't really be mixing aleve and codeine, but your right, I didn't care at that point. Thanks for weighing in Sudo! I forgot we have our own staff dentist on board! And I think your right, narcotics is the only thing that really helps.
krys thanks for the suggestion, but it's manageable for a couple more days. ;) otherwise I would do just what you said. I'm a woose when it comes to pain.
Ham I swear I will keep your idea in mind. It couldn't hurt. Sounds too simple to be true!
Chloraseptic (or anything else with a moderate concentration of phenol) will probably help. It kills nerve endings. I used it with some success for moderate toothache bbefore seeing a dentist.
I hear ya, when I was in the Air Force I had to have all of my wisdom teeth pulled before going over seas. The oral surgeon asked me if I just wanted 2 now and 2 later, I said yank them all I don't want to deal with this twice.
Well anyway I developed dry socket in all four, and um the pain, hard to describe but maybe like having a hammer tapping my jaws every time my heart beat. Clove oil helped a little but mostly I just had to wait.
Thanks George, I'll add that to my list. I'm assuming you can buy this OTC.
Yes, OTC. Chloraseptic is a brand name. It's available (marketed as a sore throat remedy, primarily -- kills the throat nerves in the same way) as a spray or lozenge. If you put the lozenge between the sore tooth and cheek and let it dissolve, you'll get the most benefit. Oh, and the nerves grow back.
Great people, thanks for all the advice. I'll keep this in mind in case it happens again. One good thing came out of this, it prompted my boss to give me an allowance for dental care each year so I don't neglect my teeth to this point. I got the damn thing yanked, I'm on Tylenol 3 which btw the dentist told me I CAN mix with Aleve... he said it's not like mixing a bunch of downers together...and I'm feeling much better. Thanks all!
Great people, thanks for all the advice. I'll keep this in mind in case it happens again. One good thing came out of this, it prompted my boss to give me an allowance for dental care each year so I don't neglect my teeth to this point. I got the damn thing yanked, I'm on Tylenol 3 which btw the dentist told me I CAN mix with Aleve... he said it's not like mixing a bunch of downers together...and I'm feeling much better. Thanks all!
I'm glad to know you have some relief now.
Aleve is a wonder drug, to bad I can't take it any more, it gives me asthma I took it for five years before I read the side effects and put two and two together. Wonderful at killing my headache just makes it impossible to breath.
Even though I'm closing the barn door after the horse has left, so-to-speak...
If I have a nerve hurting, Alleve is the ONLY thing that helps the pain (but be careful, it is naproxin sodium so taking a lot of it can make you retain water -- my ankles were like an elephant's at one point)
If I seem to be getting an infection, taking a fairly large quantity of garlic tablets will usually knock it out (natural antibiotic) but I've found I also have to take some acidophilus at the same time or I will end up with an internal imbalace (yeast infection)!!
Wish I'd known about the dent-temp stuff awhile back when I had a small hole in a tooth but no money to get it fixed right away!! Hopefully I won't ever be in that position again!!
I also had never heard of clove oil. I'll have to look that up and add it to my arsenal.
If I have a nerve hurting, Alleve is the ONLY thing that helps the pain (but be careful, it is naproxin sodium so taking a lot of it can make you retain water
Emphasis on A LOT. An Aleve tablet contains 220 mg of naproxen sodium, which is 9% sodium by weight. Therefore, each tablet only contains 20 mg of sodium. By comparison, a pinch of salt (1/16 tsp) contains about 500 mg of sodium.
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Ham
If you can handle the acid, about twenty grams of vitamin c might do the trick..
some people gastrointesinally "blast off" with that high a dose however.
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RottieGrrrl
Vitamin C? What does that do? I never heard that one.
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excathedra
the ONLY thing that worked for me over a weekend (before i could get to the dentist) was swishing whiskey in my mouth
i'm serious numbed it completely
i think maybe i started swallowing it after a while and d then finally got some sleep
seriously i hate whiskey or bourbon but i did it
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oh when i had gum surgery i put that allo (sp? i know is wrong) plant on my gums
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oh are you saying you're okay now ?
mwah i hope so
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rhino
clove oil is pretty good, not sure it is any better than anbesol ...
I think the "dentist" in Marathon Man used clove oil on Dustin Hoffman ...
Is it SAFE?
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excathedra
i was thinking about clove oil too !!!!
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WordWolf
I'm no expert, but there's 3 types of things you mentioned.
A) things to numb the pain
B) things to kill germs/infection
C) things that do neither
Please note the following on honey, pulled off the top of its wikipedia page:
"Most micro-organisms do not grow in honey because of its low water activity of 0.6.[4] However, it is important to note that honey frequently contains dormant endospores of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum, which can be dangerous to infants as the endospores can transform into toxin-producing bacteria in the infant's immature intestinal tract, leading to illness and even death[5] (See "Precautions" below)."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey
There's interesting information under "modern use of honey" and "precautions".
AFAIK, things to kill germs/infection, useful as they are, don't address the pain itself.
So the amoxicillin (penicillin) you took was important, but didn't stop the immediate pain.
Tylenol 3 is a stronger version of over-the-counter Tylenol. Mixing that with a DIFFERENT pain reliever
worked for you, but I don't know if a doctor would have recommended mixing them like that.
(At that moment, I'm sure you didn't care, though.)
Vinegar/salt water would have been attempts to kill germs, hyodrogen peroxide, too.
The Aleve/ibuprofen/acetominophen are the most directly effective things you took.
Exedrin is an aspirin, but that's not so effective against pain that's not directly to the head,
from my own experience. (I didn't try anything else until aspirin was ineffective against the
pain of an injury.)
Anbesol is a topical pain reliever. I'm a little surprised it was useless, but apparently it's not
meant for pain as large as you were having.
The alcohol-drinking falls in the "pain reliever" category, but only until you sober up.
Mixing it with even over-the-counter drugs is NOT recommended.
Although, I THINK, penicillin products are OK to drink with.
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Shellon
If it's a cavity/hole that needs filling temporarily there is an amazing product called Dent-temp out there.
That stuff is ..........wow! It comes in a teensy little blue container and you roll just a little bit of the paste into a ball and fill the hole, let it dry at least an hour and that stuff is concrete!
If you use this stuff, make sure the tooth is as clean as you can possibly get it first ! Cuz once it's in, it isn't coming out until your dentist removes it.
Also if you think you have an infection in the tooth, I don't recommend this stuff cuz it'll trap the infection in there.
It's available at the bigger chains like wal-mart, etc. in the area where they sell wax for braces, stuff like that.
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likeaneagle
take any type of sinus medicine..gets rid of it pronto!!
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coolchef
whole cloves
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Ham
twenty grams of vitamin C really does the trick.. it takes about eight hours to get the full benefits though. Swelling gone.. infection wiped out.
the tablets don't seem to do it. About twenty grams of powder, dissolved in water works, providing one can choke down something so dastardly sour..
then it takes a few hours for it to go to work.
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Sudo
Rottiegrrrl,
The only thing you can get over the counter that would really help would contain what's been mentioned already.. oil of cloves or what is properly known as eugenol. I'm not familiar with a lot of proprietary names so Dent-temp that Shellon mentioned may contain eugenol, I just don't know. And eugenol works only if you have a cavity in the tooth so that you can actually get some eugenol deep so that it gets in contact with the pulp (nerve) of the tooth. If you have, say, recurrent decay underneath an intact filling you are just out of luck because slobbering any kind of medication all over a tooth isn't going to do diddly squat when the nerve is hurting and you can't get to it. Swishing with salt water isn't going to help either. Recent studies have shown that antibiotics don't help with painful toothache either though they would help with swelling due to bacterial infection of the dental pulp.
Narcotics (and maybe whiskey?) help a whole lot though. :(
sudo
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krys
I would call the dentist (he has an answering service) and tell him the tylenol III isn't working and you need something stronger, and don't hang up until he agrees to help! You do not need to be in pain another 2 1/2 days.
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RottieGrrrl
Hey thanks all for your responses. Really interesting stuff. I never even heard of clove oil. I'm going to keep my eyes open for that. Short of the internet I don't know where I would buy that. And Shellon, yeah, this is beyond a cavity, but that stuff you mentioned is good to know about. Word Wolf you are right Excedrin is an EXCELLENT headache killer, but for anything else it doesn't seem to do the trick. And I know I shouldn't really be mixing aleve and codeine, but your right, I didn't care at that point. Thanks for weighing in Sudo! I forgot we have our own staff dentist on board! And I think your right, narcotics is the only thing that really helps.
krys thanks for the suggestion, but it's manageable for a couple more days. ;) otherwise I would do just what you said. I'm a woose when it comes to pain.
Ham I swear I will keep your idea in mind. It couldn't hurt. Sounds too simple to be true!
Thanks everyone for your input, as usual!
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GeorgeStGeorge
Chloraseptic (or anything else with a moderate concentration of phenol) will probably help. It kills nerve endings. I used it with some success for moderate toothache bbefore seeing a dentist.
George
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RottieGrrrl
Thanks George, I'll add that to my list. I'm assuming you can buy this OTC.
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polar bear
Does that mean next time I get a toothache I have a good excuse to get "sloshed".
I think I fell one coming on now.
Thanks
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Seth R.
I hear ya, when I was in the Air Force I had to have all of my wisdom teeth pulled before going over seas. The oral surgeon asked me if I just wanted 2 now and 2 later, I said yank them all I don't want to deal with this twice.
Well anyway I developed dry socket in all four, and um the pain, hard to describe but maybe like having a hammer tapping my jaws every time my heart beat. Clove oil helped a little but mostly I just had to wait.
Ah, the sweet memories of the Air Force....
Seth
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GeorgeStGeorge
Yes, OTC. Chloraseptic is a brand name. It's available (marketed as a sore throat remedy, primarily -- kills the throat nerves in the same way) as a spray or lozenge. If you put the lozenge between the sore tooth and cheek and let it dissolve, you'll get the most benefit. Oh, and the nerves grow back.
George
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RottieGrrrl
Great people, thanks for all the advice. I'll keep this in mind in case it happens again. One good thing came out of this, it prompted my boss to give me an allowance for dental care each year so I don't neglect my teeth to this point. I got the damn thing yanked, I'm on Tylenol 3 which btw the dentist told me I CAN mix with Aleve... he said it's not like mixing a bunch of downers together...and I'm feeling much better. Thanks all!
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Seth R.
I'm glad to know you have some relief now.
Aleve is a wonder drug, to bad I can't take it any more, it gives me asthma I took it for five years before I read the side effects and put two and two together. Wonderful at killing my headache just makes it impossible to breath.
Seth
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TheHighWay
Even though I'm closing the barn door after the horse has left, so-to-speak...
If I have a nerve hurting, Alleve is the ONLY thing that helps the pain (but be careful, it is naproxin sodium so taking a lot of it can make you retain water -- my ankles were like an elephant's at one point)
If I seem to be getting an infection, taking a fairly large quantity of garlic tablets will usually knock it out (natural antibiotic) but I've found I also have to take some acidophilus at the same time or I will end up with an internal imbalace (yeast infection)!!
Wish I'd known about the dent-temp stuff awhile back when I had a small hole in a tooth but no money to get it fixed right away!! Hopefully I won't ever be in that position again!!
I also had never heard of clove oil. I'll have to look that up and add it to my arsenal.
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RottieGrrrl
okay thanks for the well wishes and the further advice! I'm saving this thread on my harddrive in case I ever need to refer back to it again! :)
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GeorgeStGeorge
Emphasis on A LOT. An Aleve tablet contains 220 mg of naproxen sodium, which is 9% sodium by weight. Therefore, each tablet only contains 20 mg of sodium. By comparison, a pinch of salt (1/16 tsp) contains about 500 mg of sodium.
George
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