dental abscess? panicking! help!

[Jamie.d]

I just phoned an out of hours emergency dentist because I think I have an abscess...
I suffer from incredibly bad medical anxiety which I told her!
She just turned around and said 'there's something else going on because an abscess wouldn't cause ear pain and a fever you need to go to a&e'
OH GREAT!
sat at work panicking and not wanting to go because now i'm afraid i'm dying
The NHS website (which is the only thing I take notice of on google) literally says this!
symptoms of an abscess in your tooth or gum may include:

an intense, throbbing pain in the affected tooth or gum that may come on suddenly and gets gradually worse
pain that spreads to your ear, jaw and neck on the same side as the affected tooth or gum
pain that's worse when lying down, which may disturb your sleep
redness and swelling in your face
a tender, discoloured and/or loose tooth
shiny, red and swollen gums
sensitivity to hot or cold food and drink
bad breath and/or an unpleasant taste in your mouth
If the infection spreads, you may also develop a high temperature (fever) and feel generally unwell. In severe cases, you may find it hard to fully open your mouth and have difficulty swallowing or breathing.

Is she stupid? or is there something seriously wrong?! omg

 

[Nivetha28]

Hey Jamie, sorry you’re going through this. Did you call 111 or your actual dentist? When I had an abscess my symptoms were pain all down one side of my head and swelling, I called 111 and they were great. If it wasn’t them you called, I’d definitely try them and hopefully they’ll be more helpful xx

 

[kirlou92]

Sounds like she doesn't know what she's on about! An infected abscess can indeed cause those symptoms. Ring 111, they are usually pretty good and will tell you the best place to go. They might send you to either an out of hours walk in centre or out of hours GP. Whenever I have rang, they have sorted me an appointment out with a Dr who can prescribe. Sounds like you may need antibiotics if it is infected. Give them a call hun, it's better than going to a&e where you'll be waiting for hours especially if you struggle in those situations. Hope you get it sorted, hugs x

 

[Jamie.d]

it was 111 who referred me to them, I called them back just now and they said it sounds normal for an abscess so at least I know I'm not dying!!
They said to call back in the morning and book an out of hours dentist, thank you ladies! I was in full blown panic attack mode then thinking something was wrong with me!