Dental Torment

Kanno

Hi everyone,


I am looking for some advice in relation to my dental woes.
I have had problems with the left side of my mouth for the last year .
It started when I was getting an xray for a tooth on the right hand side of my mouth and a cable from the machine got caught in my mouth and was pulled away quickly.I instantly felt a sharp sting on my lower left first molar .
The first lower left molar was heavily filled a few years ago and the second molar was filled 10 years ago,both amalgalm fillings.They never bothered me until that xray incident.
I would get a strange pain in the lower jaw that would come and go without explanation.
All of a sudden I’d get terrible headaches .
It wasn’t triggered by heat or cold or chewing.The teeth weren’t sensitive to heat or cold or chewing .
The symptoms would disappear for weeks only to return again.


I had the teeth examined by my local dentist who I have used for the last 30 years and he could see no damage or decay.
I went up to the CUH dental hospital for a second opinion but they could find nothing wrong either.
I was examined by a Professor there .
The dentists said they didn’t want to work on a tooth that they couldn’t find a problem with.


A few month later I started getting twinges of pain in my upper first left molar ,which has a very old amalgalm filling,21 years in fact .It felt like a metallic strain as if something was pulling on the tooth ,it was very strange.
Some days I’d have pain in the upper jaw then it would go down to the lower jaw and vica versa ,it was bizarre.The pain would then disappear only to return again a few weeks later.


I went to my doctor and he said I may have gum neuralgia and tmj so he put me on a dose of Lyrica to see if that would work.That seemed to stop the upper jaw pains but the lower jaw problems still persisted.It felt like pressure building up in the tooth,pulpitis I though but my dentist said the xrays didn’t show this.


At my wits end I went to see an Endodontist to see if he could find out what was wrong.He prodded the teeth ,did cold air tests ,pulp tests,took xrays and pictures with his microscope but he couldn’t seem to find much wrong either !


The teeth pain came and went for the next few months ,I took painkillers like Nurofen and Panadol but the only relief I seemed to get was with clove oil .
I could never pinpoint the pain in the two lower teeth ,first and second molar ,it seemed like it was between the two of them.
I had to sleep on my right side and couldn’t lie on my back as my teeth would often bang off each other .I do not think I was grinding my teeth in my sleep,my wife says she doesn’t hear me doing so.


In December I tried another Endodontist who conducted his tests and after about 30 mins of probing the second lower molar gave a severe response to cold. Cold had never been an issue before .
He said I had a small crack in the top of the tooth at the front of it ,I could see it on the microscope picture.
He said it needed a root canal and the first molar was slowly dying and calcified and that may need a root canal too down the line.
He put an orthodontic band around the tooth to protect it .


When he did the first stage of the root canal he had to repeatedly inject the tooth to stop the pain,I could feel alot of pain.It was actually farcical the amount of injections he had to do .
The tooth was very sore for 10 days after the root canal ,I had a hot burning sensation .
The metal orthodontic band seemed to be irritating the gum and now the first lower left molar was ultrasensitive to heat.
I went back to the Endodontist and he said the first molar also need a root canal .
He put an orthodontic band on that tooth as well and the first stage of that root canal was painless , I only required one injection.
After this the teeth settled down a bit and the pain disappeared ,I thought the problem had been solved,I was horribly wrong.


I went back to get the second molar finished off ,this was about 5 weeks after the first stage of the procedure.
The Endodontist said the tooth had alot of decay, despite numerous xrays showing no decay , so he drilled it out .I had the same issues as before with feeling the procedure so he gave me extra injections .One canal in particular was extremely sore ,he kept on injecting it ,with some force I may add, he was leaning in on the needle and digging away at my jaw,it was frankly ridiculous.
He must have given it 6 or 7 jabs,I was nearly passing out with the pain .Eventually he numbed it .


He put in the gutta percha and filled the roots and said it was fine.
I though it strange that he didn’t put something in the canal to soothe it and leave the gutta percha for a third appointment.
I was in agony for the next few weeks with that tooth,it was constantly throbbing and I had to constantly take painkillers,ponstan,difene,nurofen to alleviate the pain.It felt like a deep burning sensation in my jaw under the tooth .
The Endodontist told me I needed to use corsodyl mouthwash and floss ,that would alleviate the pain !
I took 2 courses of antibiotics just to make sure it wasn’t an infection but that made no difference.


A month later I went back to have the other molar finished off and that went fine,that tooth only needed one injection.
I asked the Endodontist to take an xray of the first tooth to see if anything was wrong with it but he said it was fine and he took an xray.
He said I need to get it crowned ,as that would help the crack in the tooth and stop the pain.


The upper left teeth started acting up after this visit ,perhaps from banging from his instruments,but Lyrica calmed them down .
In fact all my teeth seemed to be ultrasensitive .


After another month or so the lower teeth eventually calmed down and weren’t too sore,although the second lower left molar is sensitive when I press down on it near the crack .
The tooth is sensitive to pressure ,it feels as if there is something under the tooth
Its also sore if I tap on the outside of it .
Is there any point in crowning this tooth ,I can’t see how crowning it will make any difference ?
Should I go back to the Endodontist and ask him to redo the sore canal ?
How long can I wait before Crowning tooth with orthodontic band ???


In the last few weeks my upper left teeth have flared up .
There is now a constant dull ache ,a pain that makes it difficult for me to breathe and gives me terrible headaches .

Clove oil alleviates the pain temporarily as does rubbing some Sensodyne Rapid Relief on the tooth .


I think the old filling may be faulty although numerous dentists can see nothing wrong with it, xrays show no decay under the filling .
The tooth in front of it ,a Premolar,was root treated 16 years ago and it is filled ,in fact the filling is joined onto the filling in the adjoining molar .
The numerous x rays show no sign of infection in it ,there is no swelling either and both teeth are not sensitive to pressure .
There is a gap in the filling between the teeth ,its a food trap and in the last year if I sucked salty water in between the teeth I’d get a very weird sensation almost like a migraine .
Could this root treatment have failed and be causing me this pain or is it more than likely pulpitis in the molar ?

I’m fairly worn out at this stage from the teeth , I’ve spent the best part of 2000 euro so far on them in the last year and I seem to be going from one problem to another and there is no sign of an end to my torment.
My local dentist is sick of seeing me .

I feel like I’d have been better off getting some teeth out,at least then I’d be out of pain,I cant keep on going on like this my work is suffering as is my day to day life ,its wearing me down .
The only relief I get is when I go to sleep ,I am walking around in a haze most days .
I’d be very grateful of any advice anyone may have .
Many thanks

btkm8unsl0w5r4

Look nobody can tell without seeing your teeth. But from your symptoms where the pain is jumping around from tooth to tooth, symptoms are coming and going etc...its sound awful like non dental tooth pain. Or like one of the dentist said a neuralgia. I think a visit to a oral pain specialist would be in order and one of your dentist could refer you.

Do this to rule out non dental causes such as nerve dysfunction, and avoid any unnecessary dental treatment (the thing your wise original dentist was trying yo avoid in the first place)

Non dental pain is real pain, its real sensation however the cause is not the teeth but often a problem the nerves that supply sensation to the teeth. This is actually quite common.

No extractions, becoming a toothless hill billy is not the answer.

Kanno

Elisha Fierce Smartness wrote: »

Look nobody can tell without seeing your teeth. But from your symptoms where the pain is jumping around from tooth to tooth, symptoms are coming and going etc...its sound awful like non dental tooth pain. Or like one of the dentist said a neuralgia. I think a visit to a oral pain specialist would be in order and one of your dentist could refer you.

Do this to rule out non dental causes such as nerve dysfunction, and avoid any unnecessary dental treatment (the thing your wise original dentist was trying yo avoid in the first place)

Non dental pain is real pain, its real sensation however the cause is not the teeth but often a problem the nerves that supply sensation to the teeth. This is actually quite common.

No extractions, becoming a toothless hill billy is not the answer.

Thank you for your response Fitzgeme,I appreciate it.

I was recommended an oral pain specialist in Cork by my dentist and endodontist so I could go to him .
My own dentist made me a nightguard ,I have been using that a few days .

I suspect alot of the problems I am having could be stemming from large old amalgalm fillings.

The filling in the first left upper molar is over 20 years old and is showing through part of the side of the tooth .
Numerous xrays and dentists say that the filling is ok but it isnt ,I first noticed issues with it a few years ago with cold water and salty water,if I sucked it up between the teeth it aggravated it .
Its been at me on and off over that while and it is getting worse,much worse.
I can upload a recent xray if that would help.

What kind of symptoms would I experience from a failed root canal on the premolar ,I'd imagine it wouldnt be nerve pain or pressure like pulpitis ,it would be tender and swollen and should show up on an xray an an infection/black area ?

I'm in alot of pain with the upper left first molar ,it feels like its going to explode with pain .Rubbing clove oil and sensodyne on it calms it a bit as does Nurofen ,I dont know how long more I can bear it to be honest .

How successful are root canals in general and especially on back teeth that are used for chewing/pressure ?
I have had 2 root canals on molars already and if I get another it would be 3 molars close to each other,does that cause issues ?
Would I be better off getting an implant instead of another root canal ?

My teeth are generally good ,I am only missing one lower molar on the right ,and up to recently I only had one root canal ,I have 3 now .
I did have 4 teeth taken out when 11 for overcrowding issues,I never wore braces.I have my wisdom teeth and they are ok.

My local dentist tells me I have plenty of teeth to see me out ,I can do without a few.
My unfilled teeth are all fine and healthy and dont bother me ,it seems to be old fillings that are troublesome.
Up until last year I had very little issues with my teeth and I do look after them .
My gums are slightly receding and the Endodontist recommended I get an electric toothbrush as this will help ,he says .
I have bought one .

I use MI Paste on the teeth too ,I am not sure how beneficial this is .

I'm going to have to get something done soon with the Left upper molar ,I cant stick the pain anymore,perhaps a visit to the endodontist may help he could diagnose if the premolar or left upper molar is faulty.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

If you have been made reccomendations then follow them, not following the advice and shopping around until you found a person will to do the treatment you felt you needed rather than the treatment you actually needed is why your several thousand down.

Kanno wrote: »

My local dentist tells me I have plenty of teeth to see me out ,I can do without a few.

Find a better dentist.

Kanno

Elisha Fierce Smartness wrote: »

If you have been made reccomendations then follow them, not following the advice and shopping around until you found a person will to do the treatment you felt you needed rather than the treatment you actually needed is why your several thousand down.

Thats very harsh and unfair.
I went to lots of specialists to see could they find out what the problem was and I took their advice on board,I didnt rush into anything and I most certainly didnt "shop" around .

My own dentist and a top specialist at CUH said they couldnt see anything wrong with the teeth ,apart from them being heavily filled.
I then went to an endodontist ,recommended by my dentist ,who is also a pain specialist .
I also consulted a GP and a pain specialist doctor .
In the mean time ,over 6 months I suffered constant pain ,the like of I wouldnt wish on my worst enemy.

The second endodontist I went to ,and these guys arent cheap ,at 800 euro a tooth ,only mentioned the oral pain specialist after I had the two root canals completed .
Perhaps the fact there was a crack in one of the teeth caused it complications and resulted in extra pain after the root canal.

I've tried to do things logically and not rush into things but as i said in my earlier post most days I am going around in a haze due to pain.

btkm8unsl0w5r4

There is a good Orofacial Pain Specialist in Douglas in Cork, get a referral to him.

Kanno

Elisha Fierce Smartness wrote: »

There is a good Orofacial Pain Specialist in Douglas in Cork, get a referral to him.

Thats the guy I was recommended .
I will try to see him this week.