I have some hydrocodone and ibuprofen, how often can i alternate them for a tooth infection?

Get antibiotics . . : For infection, you will need antibiotics to reduce the bacterial growth, and then treat the tooth asap. This is much more important than the pain meds. Pain medication can simply mask the symptoms and allow the infection to grow stronger. As a general rule, follow the prescribed instructions for narcotic pain meds and the recommended dosage for otc medication.

Every 3 hours: You should use these medications as your doctor prescribed them. But i advise my patients to alternate between Hydrocodone and Ibuprofen every 3 hours.

The way prescribed: If u want to avoid experimenting with medication and decreasing the chance for addiction , u use them the way u doctor has suggested.

Pain Medication: Read the prescription label , it should say how often you can take them. Don't take medications that were not originally prescribed to you in order to prevent adverse effects. Most pain medications are prescribed to be taken every 4 to 6 hours as needed for pain. If you are having a toothache that requires pain medication, you need to see a dentist to save yourself a lot of pain and suffering.

Masking the problem: Follow directions on package for proper dose and dose interval. Do not exceed printed directions. Understand, however, that pain killers will not eliminate your infection, and the longer it goes untreated the worse the infection will become. Please see your dentist asap to have the infected tooth treated.