Is there anything I can do to help this right now before I can get into a dentist. It seems that it has gotton worse this past week. I have been dealing with it for a while because I have no insurance. Please Please let me know because the pain is unbearable.

Dear, I would mother you now if I could. I had three wisdom teeth removed within a month of each other, so your post gave me flashbacks.

An extraction only costs about $100 without insurance; ask yourself if you actually can afford that for the sake of your sanity. Can you make the sacrifice anywhere in your money situation? Perhaps you could borrow from a family member or friend.

I can't guarantee it, but when I went to the hospital with severe pain in a tooth one night, they prescribed a strong pill that knocked the agony on its butt. A friend told me that his dentist said ibuprofen plus acetominophen works like a prescription narcotic. Ask any medical person to clarify, since that may be cheaper for you.

To soothe the area, lay a whole tea bag on the gum, Grind gently if bearable, but don't rip the bag (very bitter). Rinse with warm salt water to draw out the infection.

Try to get to a low-cost clinic. There is one in nearly all communities, and the fee is based on income and coverage. Don't worry-they can't screw up an extraction.

Let me know how you're doing if you read this before your appointment.

If anyone out there has more to add, I'm sure that Softspoken would be grateful for every possibility. Suggestions??

softspoken, I've had periodontitis (sp?) which for me was basically infection in the gum tissue around a wisdom tooth that was coming in. The tooth had just erupted and bacteria got down under my gums around the tooth, and I know exactly what you mean when you say the pain is unbearable. I've had root canals done and the infected wisdom tooth was worse than that.

Do you live in a city with a College/University with a Dental School? You can go to a dental school and have a student extract the tooth for you there. Don't worry about it being a student and not yet a real dentist - the students are very well supervised by dental professors and never do anything that the professor feels they can't handle. And like the last poster said - they can't screw up an extraction. Even if you need minor surgery to have the tooth removed, you can have it done at the school. Any surgury would be done by a student about to graduate (so he/she will be a dentist in just a few months! what's the difference?) under close supervision of a dental professor (and only the very best dentists become professors, right?) so there is nothing to worry about. Dental schools don't do work for free, but the fee is minimal (just to cover supplies and rent, etc. students don't get paid!).

Even if you have to borrow money from a friend or relative, or put it on a credit card and pay it off over a few months, it is worth it to relieve the pain. Please go see someone and have this taken care of! Bad infections in the mouth/gums occasionally can lead to problems elsewhere in your body (kidney, liver) and really shouldn't be left.

Just so you know, when I had my infected wisdom tooth, I never did get it extracted. My dentist froze it, then flushed the area with a disinfectant, and prescribed two different very strong antibiotics. The antibiotics cleared up the infection and the pain within a day or two. I still have the tooth. I can't have it extracted because I have severe TMJ (jaw) problems and wisdom tooth extraction is very hard on your jaw joint. Anyway, my dentist told me that in a lot of cases, you can leave the wisdom teeth in. That may be an option for you - get rid of the infection but don't worry about the tooth.

Another piece of advice - get an antibacterial mouthwash. Expecially if you don't end up getting the tooth pulled. Rinsing with an antibacterial mouthwash will help keep the eruption area clean and prevent further infection.

Good luck and please do something!
Melanie

Thank you both for the advice. I am sitting here right now with an unbearable amount of pain. Nothing is helping. I am goin to look into it today because I can't take much more of this. I looked at it earlier and it is decaying. It looks awful. It looks like it is impacting my other teeth. I will check on a dentist asap. I will let you guys know how it goes.

Well the pain was sooo unbearable I went to the dentist today. He said that I will definately have to see an oral surgeon and have the tooth out. It is infected and the infection has moved into the second molar and the tooth in front of it. He says that is not good at all. He prescribed an antibiotic and pain medication. Now I just have to try and see if I can come up with the money for the oral surgeon. They said it would be about $300 if the tooth wasn't impacted which mine is. So I am up the creek without a paddle.

Thanks for all the advice you ladies gave me. Anything is much appreciated.

Hi, I read your post and I know how you feel. I have had terrible problems with my teeth and no insurance. Now I have a great dental plan which cost me $19.95 per month for my family and I save a lot of money on my work. If you want more info on the plan, e-mail me at elboopster@aol.com. or call me at 631-981-5895.