What would you do in this dental situation?

You could take the antibiotic until you can be the seen by an endodontist.

I agree with @cheebdragon. Take the antibiotic until you can get in with the endodontist.
Take the Tylenol as needed for pain and good luck!

Take the antibiotics. If it is an infection the sooner you treat the better.

I just called the dentist to tell her i’ve found the tooth and will see what she wants me to do next. Thanks.

Take the antibiotic now while you await an answer. It will be easier on both you and the dentist if your jaw isn’t swollen beyond recognition when you return.

@stanleybmanly I’ll use my judgment – thanks. It’s not that kind of a toothache as yet. But you may be right.

I’m just loath to take antibiotics if they’re not necessary but I guess I should.

Update: I’m going in to see her on Monday morning.

In cases where tooth pain is unidentifiable but very much there, a prophylactic antibiotic is very much par for the course in the US. Generally, if there isn’t a visible sign of an abscess, giving an antibiotic for generalised tooth pain usually isn’t necessary. If you are in the US, the ADA has recommended against prescribing antibiotics. A good, old fashioned, cotton ball loaded with a mix of clove oil could help relieve the pain, in the mean time.

I would also do the antibiotics. Sometimes a chip may have cut your gum, or a popcorn kernal has wedged itself in.
If you dont find it, it could swell or even (forgive me) puss up inside your mouth. Better safe than sorry.

Please let us know what you learn Monday.

^^ Will do. It’s tolerable but I am not looking forward to finding out what needs to be done.

It may be some kind of referred pain which doesn’t originate in your teeth at all but best to get it checked out. Personally, I wouldn’t take antibiotics until I had an infection. Anyway, good luck on Monday.

I’ve known people with sinus pain to think they have tooth pain and they go to a dentist and the dentist sends them to their GP. I knew a brilliant orthopaedist who specialised in cranial and neck problems. He often got referrals from dentists because other issues with nerves in the face can feel like tooth pain. Issues with the TMJ or even damage from old ear infections. If it’s not your teeth, I would encourage you to pursue the source of the pain further. I hope it’s a simple fix.

@sorry Thanks. Yes, I’ve been aware of that and it has happened to me before – referred pain from sinuses or grinding manifesting itself in the teeth. That’s why I’m taking it slowly and cautiously on this issue.

About 25 years ago, I had pain with a tooth over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. Tuesday came and I went to my dentist. He was an old school dentist – he pulled out wisdom teeth, even impacted ones, just with Novacaine, kept things simple, got it done. Anyway, he said “I’m going to tap on each tooth and you tell me if it hurts.” He tapped on each tooth in the area and nothing hurt. Then he took an x-ray and saw that I had a defect, which is basically a hole in the bone. It had food in it, which was what was causing the pain. Long story short, I got the defect repaired with cadaver bone (by a surgeon, not by him) and it’s been fine ever since. It was very deep, so there’s still a slight defect but not like it was and it no longer gets filled with food. Perhaps that is what you have.

Update: It’s been subsiding and I thought of not going back this morning at all but I do go in. I had self-diagnosed it eventually as a tooth that was hitting high. They confirmed it, ground it down a bit and didn’t charge me.

I had started taking the antibiotics on Friday but I think I will discontinue them as there is no infection present.