Pain in the Jaw

Eek.

So I got three cavities filled four weeks ago... following proper procedure to take care of any needed dental work during my second trimester of pregnancy.

Within hours of my face regaining feeling, one of teeth was achey. Evey website I visited told me that having a large cavity drilled and capped can leave the root sensitive and cause a little pain for anywhere for a few days to a few weeks after the filling, which will eventually cease. For that reason, I waited... and waited. The pain subsided slightly, but then came back with a vengeance at about 130am this past Monday morning. I don't think I've really slept since. My mouth throbs constantly... I can barely tell from which tooth the pain is originating anymore. It hurts to chew, it hurts to smoke, it hurts to talk and it hurts just to breath. This is a pain so intense I can't concentrate on anything other than its existence and would do anything to rid myself of it.

So I started looking Monday afternoon for 'at home remedies' to ease the pain until I can get it looked at... salt, tea bags, lemon rinds, ice packs, drinking water... everyone had an answer... and when everyone has a different solution to a problem, you can almost be guaranteed that none of them will work. That's what I came into. I have coated my sore tooth in salt, rinsed with salt water, slept with an ice pack under my cheek, and followed every other piece of advice and can't seem to get a moment of peace from this pain. The only thing I have found to work is holding Listerine in my mouth in that area for a while. This helps to burn the pain away for a very brief period of time.

Being pregnant, pain killers are for the most part out of the question. I am allowed Tylenol, but apparently the powers of Tylenol are futile against this pain. I'm starting to think there is infection involved as well, since I woke up feverish this morning and sick to my stomach. Luckily that feeling passed by early afternoon. I have given up on Tylenol almost altogether... safe as they say it may be when pregnant, I'm sure I'm not supposed to be popping it like candy. I'm also sure it's not good for me to be in this much pain and not able to sleep for three straight days, so I broke down and made an appointment to go back to the dentist tomorrow morning, bright and early. Wishing I could go now, and maybe get some sleep tonight, but alas... I must wait.

It makes me wonder though... yes, this was apparently a big cavity, and yes, it was sensitive to hot and cold... but no... it NEVER hurt this bad. I rarely ever felt the tooth until after the cavity was drilled out and then filled in, and have been in at least mild pain/discomfort ever since. I chose to get it filled knowing I should avoid dental work in my final trimester and alas, I'm now feeling like I would have been better off to let it wait until the baby was born and deal with it then. At least then, when the filling caused an abscess, I'd be on maternity leave and have more time at my disposal to deal with such things. As it is, we're moving this week and I haven't been near as productive when not at work as I would otherwise have liked. Right now all I want to do is go home and soak my face in ice and try to get a wink of sleep before the throbbing commences.

Wish me luck everyone... Trinity isn't enjoying the pain her mother is in now. By this time tomorrow she and I should be all better, and hopefully not by losing a tooth in the process... eek... I kinda need this one.