The secret to an ingrown toenail (from someone who had a the toenail on his big toe pliersed out WITHOUT anesthetic) is to PAD THE NAIL.
About a week after I had my toenail pulled off (after suffering with an ingrown nail for two months) my brother dropped a keg on his foot and also suffered a similar ingrown big toe nail.
I felt like a complete fool sitting there with my padded and bandaged foot while my little brother washed his toe with antiseptic; scraped off the scab; and pushed a little twist of cotton wool in between the side of his nail and the infected skin, thereby separating the infected skin from the nail surface. Then he dropped a smidgen of disinfecting alcohol onto the cotton wool wedge.
Seems the problem is the interaction between damaged/split skin and the nail itself. The keratin in the nail is recognised as a proteinous invader and an appropriate immune response is triggered: a severe (and continuous) inflammation.
Don't ever get the nail pulled... pad the junction of the nail/infection with disinfected cotton wool. If you're doctor doesn't know about this, tell him: or go to another doctor.
My brother's ingrown toenail was healed within three days, whereas I suffered a doctor's office torture session and spent the next two weeks hobbling around in slippers.
The Luke
PS-I highly recommend the pulling of finger/toe nails as a torture technique... very effective.