Advil IS ibuprofen.

Shellie, I'm afraid I don't think you're going to be able to "wait out the pain"....if a tooth has decayed down to the root, it's not going to un-decay, no matter how long you wait. You should just get it taken care of as soon as possible. I know it sucks big time....I'm a huge dentist-phobe myself. I go...but it's a big battle with myself every time.

As for the pepsi...I can relate to that, too. I've been hooked on diet pepsi and diet coke. I know it's a hard thing to avoid when everyone around you is drinking it. I've sworn to break its hold on me, but still have to buy it for my hubby. I can go weeks and weeks without having any now...and when I have some, I'm happy with a little bit, and then no more for another long stretch. It's really just a matter of making up your mind to NOT drink it. Yes, you may very well feel sick for a little while....but you HAVE to feel sick in order to start getting better again. But once your mind is made up, you can do anything.

Hint: Try switching to ice tea with splenda...a nice, sweet drink, but without all the sugar, acid, and other nasty chemicals that soda has.