Urgent Question - DH on the Floor with Toothache

[Anonymous]

DH is scheduled for a root canal next week. He is on a heap in the floor crying due to tooth pain, trembling and alleging that this must be worse than childbirth. He already has taken two vicodin and 1000 mg of Tylenol. Does anyone know if the ER can do anything for him, or is he stuck waiting for an emergency dentist to open in the morning?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH is scheduled for a root canal next week. He is on a heap in the floor crying due to tooth pain, trembling and alleging that this must be worse than childbirth. He already has taken two vicodin and 1000 mg of Tylenol. Does anyone know if the ER can do anything for him, or is he stuck waiting for an emergency dentist to open in the morning?

Ouch! The ER can give IV dilaudid. I don't know whether they would do this or not, but I have never heard of tooth pain that bad. Perhaps the infection has severely affected a nerve. I think he has reached his limit on Tylenol and would not take more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:DH is scheduled for a root canal next week. He is on a heap in the floor crying due to tooth pain, trembling and alleging that this must be worse than childbirth. He already has taken two vicodin and 1000 mg of Tylenol. Does anyone know if the ER can do anything for him, or is he stuck waiting for an emergency dentist to open in the morning?

Ouch! The ER can give IV dilaudid. I don't know whether they would do this or not, but I have never heard of tooth pain that bad. Perhaps the infection has severely affected a nerve. I think he has reached his limit on Tylenol and would not take more.

Thank you - I'll pack up the kids and take him in. I wasn't sure if they could do anything without a dental expert and Dr. Google was not proving very useful.

[Anonymous]

Good luck!! Yes, I would take him too

[Anonymous]

Well, they might be able to give him antibiotics for the infection.

Maybe try an urgent care facility?

[Anonymous]

I think you are doing the right thing. He could have an abcess and if he is not taking an antibiotic he may need one right away. Linking to an article that says:

"Once the pain kicks in, people who have dental abscesses will often describe it as the worst they’ve ever experienced. If you’ve ever had a root canal (see below), you might have had an abscess.

Get help immediately. An abscess will not go away on its own. Worse, the infection can spread as quickly as overnight (in some cases, however, it can take years to spread). An abscess can cause death when the infection spreads to the brain or heart or when swelling cuts off the airway."

Also, validation for going to the ER:

"If you can’t see a dentist immediately: Consider going to an ER if you have severe pain and/or swelling. If you are having trouble breathing, go to an ER right away."

http://bottomlinehealth.com/a-toothache-can-turn-deadly/

[Anonymous]

They probably won't be able to do anything about the tooth itself unless they have an emergency dentist on call but they can give him better painkillers and antibiotics if there's an infection. Worth going in.

For future reference, don't stack Tylenol and Vicodin, especially not at those doses. They both contain acetaminophen and you may be taking more than you realize.

[Anonymous]

Good luck OP! Let us know how it goes.

[Anonymous]

I have had that kind of pain and it was worse than childbirth.

[Anonymous]

Yes good luck. Take him in at least to get antibiotics

[Anonymous]

I hope you have gone to urgent care or hospital. If not go immediately. As described above, an abscess can become a huge problem. I had an abscess that developed into a sinus infection that put me in the hospital. Make sure you get care and mediately. I'm sorry,I know this must be stressful. Good luck!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They probably won't be able to do anything about the tooth itself unless they have an emergency dentist on call but they can give him better painkillers and antibiotics if there's an infection. Worth going in.

For future reference, don't stack Tylenol and Vicodin, especially not at those doses. They both contain acetaminophen and you may be taking more than you realize.

This. Too much acetaminophen. Good luck with the tooth.

[Anonymous]

Never take Tylenol with Vicodin! You could cause permenant liver damage.

[Anonymous]

Agree re: stronger pain meds and antibiotics at the ER. Same thing happened to my husband - luckily it was daytime so we called around for an emergency dentist - but they started w/ antibiotics and pain killers and made him come back after a few days on antibiotics. The tooth was so bad it had to be pulled even though it was scheduled for a
Root canal.

[Anonymous]

Oil of cloves.