My dentist prescribed Vicodin for tooth pain. 2 dosages and no relief, why?

Hi there Bren60. Unfortunately with mouth pain it is extremely difficult to ease it. Mouth pain isn't exactly the same as other pain. Opiate based relievers offer some relief but its a mix of the opiate & Tylenol that are helping. Since mouth pain is usually much worse due to swelling & inflammation whether its swelling on the outside for example the left side of your face or its internal swelling around the nerve, tooth root or gums from infection, anti inflammatory drugs like acetaminophen (Tylenol) & Ibuprofen(Motrin) tend to offer more pain relief then opiate/narcotic pain medication. Thats why usually the dentist prescribes a pain med like Vicodin that is a hydrocodone/Tylenol mix as well as Motrin 800mg. Once you get the swelling & inflammation down most often you find that the pain is significantly reduced so that a med like the hydrocodone found in Vicodin can take care of it. If you are not finding relief it maybe due to infection that only an antibiotic can fix. If your nerve is surrounded by infection & swelling it us being majorly compressed & attacked so its going to hurt until you change that. Take Ibuprofen if you are able with the pain med, use hot compresses, take your antibiotic if you need it & if it gets too bad call your dentist. Also if you recently had a tooth pulled make sure the blood clot is still in the tooth pocket. If its not & its been less then 5 days since extraction then your severe pain is caused by dry socket. The only thing that will help is putting oil of clove on cotton & packing the pocket or getting an injection into the pocket by your dentist. Dry socket is the most horrible pain & could also be why pain med isnt working if the pain is too severe for the strength of it. Good luck