u/Bubbly-Stuff2007

Edit: added a much better picture

I don't drink or smoke. Some backstory:

My left lower wisdom tooth and the molar next to it hurt. This started a few weeks ago with some uncomfortable tingling which went away after a few days.

Wednesday: I tried to remove some food from between my front teeth with a tooth pick, which made my gums bleed. The whole area started hurting again. I tried using clove oil, vanilla extract, salt water rinses. Apart from the salt water, everything made it worse.

Thursday: the pain had become unbearable. It was a burning sensation in the area that radiated to my ear when I moved too much. My partner bought me chlorhexidine and diclofenac. Ibuprofen, paracetamol and diclofenac all didn't remove the pain even a little bit. However, by Friday the pain was less bad. Chewing did give me stabbing pain but that stopped too and it has been stable since.

From Friday to now it's been mostly waking up with sensitivity in the area and then later in the day a throbbing in step with my heartbeat. It feels as if it is under my second molar. Not painful exactly, but extremely annoying and making it hard to concentrate on anything else. It gets worse when I lie down. Painkillers still do nothing.

Yesterday I went to the dentist. She looked, felt my gums, tapped the teeth to test sensitivity, scratched my gums in the area. She asked me if I'm sensitive to hot or cold (been sensitive to cold in that area for years). She wanted to take a picture but I gagged whenever I had to bite down and couldn't keep it in place. She said there's another way to take pictures, but that would have to happen in the hospital. I guess she was referring to the oral surgeon?

Her judgement was that she didn't see much to worry about. She said that my wisdom tooth was probably causing my gum to be infected. She said she didn't see caries or tooth decay that would cause this pain. I asked her about the blackness on the wisdom tooth and she said that it's caries in the beginning stages. She said the wisdom tooth eventually needs to be removed but not at emergency speed. She prescribed me chlorhexidine and said if the pain doesn't stop, to call for antibiotics.

My question is: is she likely to be right? Can I trust that this will go away after a few days of chlorhexidine?

TLDR: I've had painful radiating tooth pain that shifted into continuous throbbing that felt like it was under my second molar. Dentist couldn't get an x-ray because of gag reflex but suspects pericoronitis. She prescribed chlorhexidine and suggested antibiotics if pain doesn't improve. Can I trust her judgement?

Last Wednesday a toothache started that became unbearable by Thursday. In a panic, I woke up early and immediately called the dentist I had signed myself up for when I felt some uncomfortable tingling in the same tooth a few weeks prior. Originally my first appointment would be June 2nd. Now they would book an appointment for me the next day.

At first I was so relieved that I thought I was going to be able to do it, but as Friday crept closer I started to freak out more. That whole night, I was shaking, sweating and had a very fast heart rate from the anxiety. It continued in the morning. I called the GP, hoping they could help me somehow, but they couldn't do anything. They did recommend me to contact a dentist specialized in anxiety. Then I called the dentist's office. They told me I was only allowed 0.5mg oxazepam because of its numbing effects, which does nothing for me. I secretly took 10mg instead but it still didn't do anything.

Eventually I was so scared that I stood there sobbing loudly while my boyfriend held me. I ended up not going. The assistant called me when I didn't show up and was willing to give me another chance this upcoming Monday (my birthday too 😢). I promised her that I would try to practice. She blamed me for taking up other people's spots.

All weekend I could literally think of nothing else but either the pain or the fear of Monday. I have barely eaten or drank because of both. My period also had the worst fucking timing by showing up yesterday - and I have PMDD, making my emotions almost uncontrollable sometimes. Thank god I can sleep though, and the pain was worst on Thursday and has been less but stable since. Today I did try to practice. I made it to the train ticket machine, then felt like I was going to pass out if I went any further. So I went back home.

I spent all weekend looking for other solutions. The dentist that is nearest my home wasn't taking patients last week according to their website, but they do now. I immediately signed up. The second nearest only takes patients on a waiting list, but I emailed them, explained my situation and begged them to help me. My final option would be calling the anxiety dentist, which is a bike ride slightly further away, but at least I won't have to take the train. My GP could send me there. My therapist also recommended this to me. The emergency dentist is not an option because it's an hour away from my home.

Tomorrow as soon as I am awake I'm going to try all of these. I really, really really hope they will be able to help because I am feeling desperate and like I'm losing my mind. This amount of anxiety and pain makes me feel existential. I can't imagine the future right now.

It's a long-winded story but I had to vent. I just want to know that I'll be okay even if I don't go tomorrow.