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OT - Dental abscess, root canal......I'm a mess!

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Posted 3/1/2013 12:14 PM (GMT 0)
I've lost a solid week, never knew you could feel so ill from having an abscess (my first but not my first RC, my dentist said we always caught my previous teeth before they got to the abscess stage). Yes, we don't have dental insurance and an extremely tight budget but I only waited 5 hours on Monday after his office opened. The pain began over the weekend.

Turns out you need to be on meds right away for severe dental pain and my dentist would have prescribed them over the phone over the weekend.

Anyway, he knew I had a touchy gut - ha, such an understatement! - but he still said I needed antibiotics, an anti-inflammatory and Vicodin. I don't recall Vicodin upsetting my stomach but I was wrong, wrong, wrong. Brief memories of trying to take it after my first surgery, going from Morphine, IV (broke out in hives), Demerol, IV and then orally Percosette, then Vicodin, both gave me nausea, shakes, dry heaves. The only med out of the 4 mentioned I can now take is Demerol. Good ole Demerol. I hope I never have another major colon or any surgery! Yikes!

Anyone else ever experience severe dental pain from an abscess? Mine seemed to come on suddenly too - odd. My dentist said there was nothing I could do either, it was "that tooth's time to get one".

Feel like I've been hit by a train and the worst flu of my life.

Thanks for allowing me to vent. I am not quite in your "camp" but struggle a lot, on a daily basis. GI wise. And you've all been so ever so nice to permit me to hang out here.
Posted 3/1/2013 12:37 PM (GMT 0)
I've had a tooth that caused tremendous pain before I had a root canal. It was baaaad pain. I never took any RX pain killers for it. I tried topical Orajel & aspirin/ tylenol/ ibuprofen, but none of those helped. Basically I just toughed it out.

I scheduled the root canal, got an RX for antibiotics, but then chickened out and cancelled it. Eventually, of course, I scheduled it again some months later (it was baaaaaad pain, but I really didn't want a root canal). I asked for another RX for antibiotics, and they told me it really wasn't necessary! So I had it done without the antibiotic and everything was fine.
Posted 3/1/2013 1:06 PM (GMT 0)
I have had bad tooth pain before. Basically came out of nowhere and it was throbbing so bad I called my dr. and he prescribed me some painkillers and antibiotics and had me come in the next morning. Of course I needed a root canal. That kind of pain is always a root canal. But the pain was so bad I was crying. It was a week or so before I had the root canal done but after a few days of the antibiotics the pain lessened considerably.
Posted 3/1/2013 2:51 PM (GMT 0)
I feel your pain! I had an abscess once and boy oh boy did it hurt! I'm like you too...very sensitive to pain killers. After my foot surgery I had to take Norco but thank goodness I had Zofran because that made a big difference. Right after my surgery they gave me Dilaudid and Norco with Zofran and I still felt so sick. But I hope your pain goes away soon. Tooth problems are just miserable!
Posted 3/1/2013 4:43 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks everyone. I'm sorry you 3 experienced past experience like this though. Eleventlyseven - you're braver than I am!! But kudos for being so brave. Sorry you both went thru similar ordeals Sherri and Sherry. I've been told if you ignore an abscess the infection can spread to your neck, your ears, prevent you from breathing without great care and in dire cases, go to your brain! My God......one tooth can cause so much trouble!

One thing I did do the night I knew I couldn't tolerate Vicodin, was to ice my cheek for 15 minutes on and then off. My dentist suggested this. Since I couldn't sleep soundly anyway, I took a bag of frozen peas, put it in a twist tie food storage bag and used that nearly all night long. Occasionally I'd toss it back in the freezer and by now I've thrown them away, I knew they were not safe after being thawed and then refrozen all night long. But that simple approach truly helped ease my pain.

I also took 2 Benadryl that night - ha ha. My dentist didn't even bat an eye and said - that was probably not a bad idea!

I still feel only about 60% myself. My cheek is now black and blue. Lovely.

Take heed if any of you experience severe dental pain.
Posted 3/1/2013 5:07 PM (GMT 0)
Oh wow...I've never had one, but can only imagine your pain/suffering from when I had an infection around a wisdom tooth and had to have it pulled. It was then I realised codeine wasn't my friend...Demerol is the best for me as well!!

When will you be getting the root canal done?


Double your probiotics for sure.

Feel better soon!
q

Posted 3/1/2013 5:10 PM (GMT 0)
two weeks ago as I was on my way to my GI appointment i was chewing gum and literally felt an entire tooth pop out. turns out it was a crowned tooth. this only causes massive amounts of stress and subsequent worsening of my UC flare. Turns out the crown actually broke and the tooth is no longer salvageable...

the only good thing out of the entire situation is after 20 years of seeing the same dentist he revealed to me that he has long suffered from Crohn's, we kind of had a bonding experience.
Posted 3/3/2013 6:17 AM (GMT 0)
Yep, dental abscesses are the pits! I got one out-of-the-blue in 11/2011 after a cyst developed above the root of an upper left premolar. That mess required tooth extraction, draining of wound, stitches, antibiotics (which I most feared due to UC), then a whole yr of procedures for dental implant. If your tooth can still be saved by root canal, go for it ASAP. Good luck! / Old Hat (32 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 3/3/2013 11:19 AM (GMT 0)
Had one six years ago when a root canal from years earlier failed and had to be replaced, and when artificial tooth was installed I complied with antibiotics reluctantly and immediately had one of worst flare ups ever of my UC- flare lasted for a couple years- even tho I stopped abx after one day due to the flare, and even tho I took tons of probiotics a few hours apart from the abx. If I ever have to go through dental surgery again , I will not touch abx methinks and just lie and tell them I did. Or I would look into possibility of IV abx perhaps as alternative. Here's hoping your GI response subsides (pound down the probiotics)- and that the demerol does the job now. The worst pain usually ends in 72 h.
Posted 3/3/2013 12:24 PM (GMT 0)
amazing, the remaining portion of the tooth that came out started to hurt this morning. it's been root canaled so i have no idea why there is pain and my dentist said I could wake a few months until my UC calmed down to extract it. when it rains it poors
Posted 3/28/2015 2:29 AM (GMT 0)
You all have dental problems-root canals- and stomach issues. Root canals are always infected-I bet people a thousand bucks all the time (I'm not a wealthy person)that their root canals are infected. I would see a biological dentist and get them out. that may be your cure.
Root canals are basically hidden pockets of infection-always.
I know if I had UC or IBS I would clean up my dental
Posted 3/28/2015 9:25 PM (GMT 0)
That's not true Magoo. I recently had a root canal with absolutely no infection whatsoever. I needed the root canal because my crown wasn't seated properly and my nerve became exposed over the course of a few years.
Posted 3/29/2015 1:01 AM (GMT 0)
I just had a root canal on Wednesday and I had no infection. Mine was an issue caused by grinding my teeth and a crown that cracked.
Posted 3/29/2015 2:59 PM (GMT 0)
You may be right but usually the center of the tooth is full of infection and the bone beneath. You can crack the toot open after pulling it and you will smell it-(gross)
The bone below or above the tooth is usually mushy and blackish-doesn't sound like the surgery went this far.
How did they check to see there wasn't infection-ultrasound? EAV?
The other question I usually ask-does hour dentist ever find infection where there isn't pain?
What is the cause of your ibs?
What tooth got a root canal?
Posted 3/29/2015 3:08 PM (GMT 0)
I kind of regret my root canals, because it is possible for the enamel and dentin to grow back, and then subsequently neutralize the infection. I highly recommend this book for reversing cavities and root canal infections. Crowns are not only expensive, but a root canal also isn't guaranteed disinfect the tooth due to all the nerve channels present in the mouth, as magoo suggested.
Posted 3/29/2015 3:31 PM (GMT 0)
FYI- you are probably right-and I place a lot of value in your instinct.
Though seeing my doctors I find everyone with a chronic illness has root canals or dental issues (metals-infection-two different metals) and I know maybe 50 people who cleaned up their jaw-all got somewhat better I would guess 50% to 100% better.
Right now I know 4 people with als-all 4 had several root canals. I just saw two who removed them very quickly with a biological dentist-they have not progressed( its early) I just never see a chronic disease person get better who keeps their root canals. Some must-I just never have met any.
There is always a cause and when you have done everything else you possible can-look in the jaw
Posted 3/29/2015 5:10 PM (GMT 0)
almost everyone on the planet has a metal filling or a root canal and most do not have AI issues. I know many members of my family have root canals and metal fillings and no other significant conditions. I also have close friends who have these things that are perfectly healthy. I think it's a nice theory but it doesn't hold water.
Posted 3/29/2015 9:35 PM (GMT 0)
Yes many people can handle a root canal for a period of time-years and years-kind of like smoking. Many people's system can handle it for years.

Sorry I didn't make my point right. I do know many people who are in good health who have metals and root canals in jaw. (I used to). If healthy a persons system may well handle it for may years.

What I haven't seen is anyone cured themselves of a chronic condition while having root canals and /or major dental work. I have seen some people be able to managed their condition with meds ect and have root canals but no cures.
This is just my own observation through my years of trying to cure myself

My digestion got much better once I cleaned out my on dental infections.

Have you seen someone cure a chronic condition and still have major root canals?
Posted 3/29/2015 9:45 PM (GMT 0)
The thing about chronic conditions is that they are not curable. We have a few members who say they have been cured with things like nopal. I am sure some of them have dental work in their mouths. Saying your cured and being cured are 2 different things. Remission could very easily be disguised as "cured". The truth is, if you're cured, you were misdiagnosed. There is no cure for UC. If you're in a lifelong remission, that's as good as being cured, but good luck proving it, there is no way to know when or if your remission will end.

What are you trying to cure anyway? Are we comparing apples to apples?

A root canal isn't an infection, they clean out the pulp of the tooth, usually because the nerve is exposed, and they fill it in. This saves the root enabling you to have a crown instead of being toothless. I personally don't want to go through getting an implant, nor do I want a big gap instead of a molar. That would allow your teeth to shift and probably cause awful jaw issues. That is the last thing i need. That's a chronic condition in itself. I already grind my teeth...
Posted 3/30/2015 2:34 AM (GMT 0)
There is lots and lots of information on root canals and how/why they are infected. Mayo an Price wrote on this a hundred years ago and many good doctors have since. The basic issue is a dead tooth has no immune system running through it and a tooth is porous-which is a perfect place for bacteria to live. Google electron microscope tooth image-just for fun!

If you look you will find many-many dentist and doctors who's experience tells them root canals are always a source of infection. FYI-its the only time we leave a dead body part in the body.
What is the cause of your UC?
When I first got sick I went to NY and saw the doc who was written up as the real doctor house in discover magazine. Nice guy-small office and frankly looked messy. I asked him the same thing montel Williams asked him some months later-why do you find cures others dont? He said he start with the thought that there is always a cause and always a cure and he never stops.
Most docs start with the thought that most chronic conditions are uncurable-I met one doc who told me 30 seconds into our conversation that its probably uncureable-she hadn't even read my records yet. I said "maybe true but lets give it a try-we haven't known each other for more than one minute"
m not saying that everybody will be cured if they remove their root canal-Im just saying that I had a huge health improvement by cleaning out my jaw and know others that have also. My digestion is jut about perfect-other issues and a dental checkup soon.
I would never say anything is incurable until I tried everything-
So what is the cause of your UC?
Posted 3/30/2015 12:34 PM (GMT 0)
The cause of UC is not known at this time but there are many theories. One is they found a faulty gene is people with Crohn's disease and they think that people with UC carry a similar gene. If that's the case then people who have this gene may very well be doomed the day they were conceived. However, not everyone who has this supposed gene will have it "triggered". There are just too many variables in having AI conditions. Yes, having metal and infections in the mouth could be a trigger but if the above theory holds true then once the gene is "triggered", it's not possible to cure - at least not yet.

There are people who believe there is a cure and I sincerely hope they do find one and I cheer them on. I believe that if you find something that works for you then great! I wish continued success.

My UC however, is genetic. My mother had Crohn's, my great grandmother also had an IBD, tho at the time, they had no name for it. I have UC. Mine was triggered by excessive antibiotic use as well as food poisoning.

UC and IBS are two very different ducks btw.
Posted 3/30/2015 5:41 PM (GMT 0)
So its not the genes we are born with-cause we would have been sick from day one. Its epigenetic factors turning on or off( triggering) the right (our case wrong) factors that makes us sick-right?

In your case the trigger was antibiotics and food poisoning-once this happen you have uc for life-correct?
Posted 3/30/2015 5:43 PM (GMT 0)
Guesses, the cause of uc is unknown.
Posted 3/30/2015 5:46 PM (GMT 0)
Marsky

Sorry to hear of your pain. I never had an abscess but had extensive oral surgery (broken crown, 6 implants) done while flaring, no fun at all. They Rx'd Vicodin because I was so nervous and it did nothing at all to calm me for the first visit. I switched to an oral surgeon who gave me IV knock-out (i don't know what drug sorry). Regular dentists can't give IV drugs (at least when I had it done 10 years ago).

The combination of IBS/UC flare and nervousness about dental work is really hard and I wish you the best. I would increase your probiotics amount to counter the antibiotics
Posted 3/30/2015 5:52 PM (GMT 0)
Hey gardner - The post is two years old FYI. It was bumped just recently by magoo.

Interesting that you had the procedures while flaring. I would say this is when teeth are the most vulnerable due to malabsorption issues.
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