# Abcessed Molar Hell **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 21, 2002, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abcessed-molar-hell/99323 "2002-03-21T11:21:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 11:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abcessed-molar-hell/99323/1 "2002-03-21T11:21:09Z")
Didn’t post this yesterday, the pain killers are doing strange things to my head. I do not actually have TMJ, as I mentioned in other threads. Yesterday, my dentist discovered that I had an abcessed tooth instead. :eek: The abcess was growing _underneath_ a filling in my upper right rear molar. No way to detect that easily. It may have been growing there for 3 years. He yanked it. Good use of Novocaine. Good hands. But even with the pain killers getting me loopy, this ain’t fun. Home from work until Monday. Now I guess I’ve finally become an Official Gap-Toothed Tennessee Hillbilly. Does this mean I have to become a Baptist? 😉 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abcessed-molar-hell/99323/2 "2002-03-21T15:27:32Z")
☹ Owowow. I feel for ya Bosda. I’m in tooth hell myself, but I won’t go into details because it helps if I don’t think about it. I just need to get through another 24 hours until my appointment to finish my root canal. _:::Off to take another Tylenol 3:::_ ---
**Author:** ![Tabithina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f04885/32.png) [@Tabithina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tabithina)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abcessed-molar-hell/99323/3 "2002-03-21T18:02:32Z")
Three _years_! Yipes! Well, you’ll be feeling better soon, at any rate. My husband went through something similar. Not fun. ::Hands Bubb…er, **Bosda** a top-quality feed cap and some spiffy overalls for church. Runs to avoid being thumped by bible.:: 😉 –Kris ---
**Author:** ![booklover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/85f322/32.png) [@booklover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/booklover)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abcessed-molar-hell/99323/4 "2002-03-21T20:14:58Z")
Urgh. I’m quite sympathetic—I had an abscess in my jaw a few years ago. Glad your dentist took care of it, though—you’ll feel so much better in a few days! ---
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abcessed-molar-hell/99323/5 "2002-03-21T21:04:14Z")
looks like taking out the tooth did the trick. I had an abscess which led to a root canal and a crown. All fine and dandy for a while. Then I got these little flare-ups from time to time for a couple years. Then the last flare-up got away from me and the whole side of my face swelled up and my molar was a glowing hot radioactive core of the worst pain. I felt like the tooth would shoot off into orbit if let loose there was so much pressure. It turned out that the source of infection was rooted in my jaw just below the root of the molar so an oral surgeon opened up my gum and literally drilled out the infection. And gave me Vicodin. Man talk about blessed relief. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [March 21, 2002, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abcessed-molar-hell/99323/6 "2002-03-21T21:19:05Z")
Been there, done that. Owww…! Glad you got some respite. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abcessed-molar-hell/99323/7 "2002-03-22T00:17:51Z")
> [@](#): > > **Sue Duhnym** —:::Off to take another Tylenol 3::: Try _Aleve_ --a.k.a Naproxen Sodium tablets. Generic versions in your drugstore for half the price. Much better than Tylenol, & much cheaper too. Used it before the dentist. Hard on the stomach, but still great stuff. **Tabithina** --Ghod’ll get ya fer that, girl. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Sue\_Duhnym](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@Sue\_Duhnym](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sue_Duhnym)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abcessed-molar-hell/99323/8 "2002-03-22T00:53:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* > Try _Aleve_ --a.k.a Naproxen Sodium tablets. Generic versions in your drugstore for half the price. Got those, but can’t take them more than every 12 hours. Yes, I am mixing drugs. Relief in 17 hours…and counting. ---
**Author:** ![Tranquilis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tranquilis/32/3639_2.png) [@Tranquilis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tranquilis)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abcessed-molar-hell/99323/9 "2002-03-22T19:53:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* > > > [@](#): > > > > **Sue Duhnym** —:::Off to take another Tylenol 3::: > > \*\* > > Try _Aleve_ --a.k.a Naproxen Sodium tablets. Generic versions in your drugstore for half the price. > \*\* [Tylenol #3](http://www.ortho-mcneil.com/products/pi/pdfs/tylen.pdf) contains 30mg codeine/pill… Yer not getting _that_ over the counter! ---
**Author:** ![Scotticher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Scotticher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scotticher)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abcessed-molar-hell/99323/10 "2002-03-22T22:06:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Sue Duhnym \* > \*\*☹ > > Owowow. I feel for ya Bosda. > > I’m in tooth hell myself, but I won’t go into details because it helps if I don’t think about it. I just need to get through another 24 hours until my appointment to finish my root canal. > > _:::Off to take another Tylenol 3:::_ \*\* I hesitate to do this, hon, since the last time I gave dental advice I got told I was an idiot…somewhat annoying, since I have been in dentistry for more years than I care to remember. But if your tooth is abscessing, putting something cold on it will probably make it feel better. Scotti ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Gretchen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Miss\_Gretchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Gretchen)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2002, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/abcessed-molar-hell/99323/11 "2002-03-22T23:44:03Z")
Um, I’m not entirely clear on the concept of just what an abcess is (but judging from these posts it’s much better that way). Is it like some kind of infection under your teeth or something? 😕