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After a dental exam on Fri 4/21/00 the dentist told me I have an infection. The tooth causing the problem is on the left jaw side of my mouth. I had a root canal done on this tooth (by another dentist) just a short time ago. The dentist gave me two options a. pull the tooth and put in a bridge or b. try to save the tooth and redo the root canal. The problem is that this is the only tooth on that side of my jaw and it has no bone support. MY QUESTION: He gave me Lortab 7.5 mg and Amoxicillin 500 mg. I took according to instructions and immediately threw-up...yes, I took them after eating something. I have only been able to eat yogurt, juice, & soup...in very small amounts. It is Easter week-end..no help available.. AND I AM IN SO MUCH PAIN I can hardly stand it..Is there anyone out there who can advise me on what to do?? I've called my dentist answering service (hours ago) and no response. Help....Help...Help...

Though I hope you have found relief since writing your e-mail, it sounds like you should attempt to have your doctor change your medications. Though it sounds like you are beyond mild discomfort, home remedies such as ice packs and rinsing with warm salt water rinses may also do the trick. Also, I highly recommend visiting an alternate dentist in the meantime, or even visiting the ER if you are experiencing excessive pain. Some hospitals have emergency dental wards as well. There are a great number of reasons why root canal treatments might not work properly, including the 5% of cases which fail for no explicable reason at all. Often, re-treating the tooth will improve the result dramatically, so I wish you luck in whatever final treatment you decide upon. I certainly wish you the best of luck.