It never ends
 

I've been having this pain in the back of my mouth for a few days. Well tongiht after I finished brishing my teeth I looked and my wisdom tooth is coming out. The gums around it are all red.

I'm just really ready to give up. What do I do now? I have read all the information about ADR's and dental procedures. This will obviously have to be taken care of which will delay everything, not to mention add more pain to my already 9.5 daily pain level. Also dental surgery is not cheap. I really just don't know what I am going to do.

J,

OK, enough is enough, but you probably have to deal with this right now. It's not likely that anyone will perform anything but emergency surgery with an active infection in your body. I'm sure you're aware of the risks.

About the costs - most dental schools, if you're lucky enough to live close to one, teach all procedures at quite a discount. Any dental surgery will be carefully supervised and let's face it, you're going to lose that tooth anyway.

Just an idea, Dale

When I said I don't know what I'm going to do. What I meant to say is I don't know how I am going to handle this. I know I will have to get this tooth out before anything else. I feel like I am losing my grip. I have no more strength for any of this.

Have you ever used anti-anxiety medication? I had to start using it when I lost all control of things going on around me, and was not able to cope. I felt like I was a wet dish rag on the spin cycle...I don't know if that description helps or not, but I think I understand what you are going through.

My doctor prescribed alprazolam (Xanax), but there are others out there. It is addictive, so doctors are rightly very careful about prescribing it, but when your world is crashing down, sometimes it helps. Again, I am not a doctor and am not trying to give you medical advice, just what helped for me.

After taking that, I was able to 'breath' and cope with what was going on at the time.

Talk to your doctor please...I am very worried about you.

Worried about you...
 

J-,

I'm really worried about you, too. :confused:

I don't know if a dental college is worth a try, but if it is then I can personally highly recommend it. I have had a lot of work done at our dental college at MUSC, and they've done a GREAT job, and usually at less than half the cost of a regular dentist.

One other thing, do you have a church you're affiliated with? Or family members? Way back when, when I was going through a divorce, and was struggling to make ends meet while supporting 3 children by myself, I had a tooth go bad on me and was in desperate need of a root canal, which was out of the question. Somehow, a local church (that I was not affiliated with) found out about everything I'd gone through (losing my house, no child support, making only a few dollars above minimum wage, etc) and all of a sudden, food was being delivered, a moving van showed up, with workers, to help me move into an apartment, the deposits for the utilities were taken care of, and an oral surgeon was lined up to take care of that tooth for free.

If they know you need help, it's amazing what these congregations can pull off. It's also very humbling to receive that much love and kindness from God through strangers.

I was never able to repay THAT church, but I have most definately integrated the Pay-it-forward principal into my lifestyle.

Please keep talking to us...and send me a PM if you want to talk on the phone...I'll send you my number...

Jess

I was able to make a dentist appt. for tomorrow. If he decides that it is not infected and can wait, then I can take the pain that it is causing. If it is infected then it will come out ASAP.

Jason,

I am so sorry for your problems. I can certainly relate as I have had this feeling of hopelessness. While I always leaned on my faith for hope and support, I also used some ZOLOFT for a short time as well. It really took the edge off. I am praying hard for you. Call me anytime you need to talk. Hang in there.

Thank you so much everyone. I saw the dentist today and he was actually more interested in all of my spine problems than any of the doctors that I have seen so far.

He said that the tooth was infected and that it would need to come out. The other wisdom teeth are impacted but can wait or I could see an oral surgeon and have them all taken out at once. He also said that he normaly insists on sedation but due to my neck problems he wants me fully awake just in case he pulls on my jaw to hard and it transfers to the neck. The area will be numbed and he will give me some gas.

So as of right now I have some antibiotics (pills and mouthwash) and that should buy me some time until I can make a decision on whether I want the infected one or all of them out.

oh boy ! It does seem to come in bunches sometimes. Hang in there as hopefully so will buches of better times are overdue.

Jill