I don’t fucking understand this

[SoreToof]

I’ve posted before and still am not any further forward. I’m at my wits end and just don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve never been so miserable in all my life

i had an infection in my upper tooth root (the tooth was already filled) around a year ago and needed a root canal. I was in horrific pain- all across my cheek, my ear and my jaw and I couldn’t bite down on my tooth because it was excruciating. It wasn’t TN and I could pick out which exact tooth it was that hurt. There were nights I was up screaming and hitting my face off the wall it was so painful.

I had several antibiotic courses in the meantime but unfortunately nothing cleared it until I got the root canal. It was fine for a while after this and then the pain started again. Exact same tooth. I had several x rays and there’s no infection left, but I got another prescription at of antibiotics just to make sure it’s completely clear. It was fine for a week after I finished the dose and now it’s started hurting again- the exact same tooth. I can’t bite down on it at all without being in agony.

I don’t understand what’s going on with my mouth. My dentist is fantastic and I trust him and he was a bit unsure what’s causing it as tere’s no infection left behind, it’s been x rayed and the root canal was successful. I’m actually a bit frightened now, why is it still sore? Is it a problem with my face? What could it be if not an infected tooth?

I absolutely can’t get the tooth removed- because of the shape of my face and mouth it would be noticeable and obvious and I can’t afford to get it replaced with a bridge, implant or anything else. I can’t have a big gap in my face

i just want this all to stop. I’ve been in agony for almost a year and can’t keep taking cocodamol like sweeties.

Mine looks a bit like this

You poor thing, there's nothing worse than tooth pain. If I were you, I'd have the tooth taken out, get a price for an implant and live with the gap until you can save up to pay for it.

If it's not your tooth, perhaps ask your GP if it could be Trimegal Neuralgia? That is extremely painful, affecting the face and jaw area, although there are tablets that can work.

If not, get the tooth pulled, and just save up for a bridge - nothing is worth all that pain.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/trigeminal-neuralgia/

I was in my early twenties too When I had the first two upper and lower side teeth removed Age has nothing to do with it
Lots of people have suggested it maybe your sinuses ore your roots but if that’s not the issue then I don’t really see an alternative rather than taking it out unless you can just deal with the pain. A single tooth denture could solve the issue of the gap and it’s cheap too

This sounds very similar to what I'm going through. over 10+ years I've had multiple roots canals and antibiotics for one tooth that causes pain in the the cheek and eye area too, it always feels like pressure there. I eventually had the tooth removed as it was driving me mad nothing changed now I feel the pain in the gum.

My new dentist thinks I have atypical facial pain and I've been waiting 2 years to see a specialist at the dental hospital. I too always have a snotty nose and use antihistamines and nasal sprays daily. I'be got my appointment at the end of this month and i'm hoping to finally get to the bottom of it.

Hardly petulant when op has to keep repeating….up to x ten, ‘I can’t afford it’. Maybe we all need to read threads properly before commenting.

Don't want to scare you OP, but have a read of this
www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2022/apr/20/dentists-would-not-treat-my-toothache-now-my-health-has-been-wrecked-for-ever
It sounds like her situation was different, but also that you should keep fighting for treatment

I’ve had the same problem except mine was a crowned tooth with a post. Same situation where some days it was excruciating and impossible to sleep through the pain other days just mildly annoying. My dentist couldn’t remove the crown and wanted me to go to a specialist. She quoted 2K and advised that to she still might not be able to save my tooth. That was an unachievable amount for me so I held out as long as I could, taking antibiotics and pain killers. When even tramadol wasn’t touching the sides I had to make the decision to get it pulled. I’d like to say it was instant relief but the dentist broke one of the roots and couldn’t get it out so I’m down for dental surgery now to get that bit removed(I’ve been warned that the waiting list is loooong). However when they pulled it they found that there was a crack all the way down the root that hadn’t shown up on X-rays. I was so glad I didn’t go to the specialist as there was no saving the tooth and I’d have wasted thousands. I sincerely hope that yours isn’t the same but if it is a crack in the root structure of the tooth there is very little they can do to save it. I feel for you, it’s miserable.

Not read the whole thread but thought I’d add my experience. Almost exactly the same, had root canal on one of my front teeth about 15 years ago, followed by having a crown fitted. All was fine then 2 years ago I had a nasty infection in it, dentist gave antibiotics and it went away. Few months later same again so he x-rayed it. This picked up that the original root canal was good but didn’t quite go to the very end of the root, it was failing and letting in bacteria! He was surprised it had lasted as long as it did!! Fast forward another year and in March I had an apicoectomy (surgery) at the dental hospital to fix it all!
Don’t put up with the pain and if it’s not right push for them to sort it. My infections would just keep coming back without sorting it properly, and I couldn’t face loosing the tooth altogether nor afford implant etc. Hope you get sorted soon OP

Yup.and that also explain the odd WAKE UP of pain that can be all the time or random.like all of a sudden your face clicks open in pain.wuth a crack this will happen as soon as you nudge it in the wrong place you've set it off.
And it will be a reacuring problem.
Such a horrible diagnosis when they find the crack.
Toothache can bring dread and anxiety like no other. And when the pain kicks off it's awful.

I had this scenario play out, repeated trips back and forth to dentist and eventually the tooth came out. Root canal was my first option but this failed due to retained live nerve tissue. The tooth came out, it was an upper jaw side tooth like yours. I have no implant and I've learned to live with the gap. I didn't like the idea at first but believe me to have a pain free end result made it worth it. It's normal to have teeth out once there's no other option left and I've never had anyone comment. Go for the removal and focus on positives of being pain free.

OP what you're going through sounds very similar to me. Between 2017 and 2021 I had episodes of this kind of pain that would literally make me feel like my entire face was caving in on one side. I went to the dentist multiple times, they mucked about with several teeth, claiming each time they'd finally found the problem. Different dentists as the practice changed hands etc. No infection, no cracks etc. They wouldn't prescribe pain relief, said to go to my GP. GP didn't deal with dental etc. In the end, as it was my whole side of my face from temple to upper jaw I started saying they were migraines. I did then get some painkillers and relief but nothing further investigated. It sucked being off work for days or even weeks at a time trying to control the pain.

Finally in early 2021 I got an appointment suspecting infection again. Nothing. The x ray taken showed a tooth with a massive root that they feared was going into my sinus or irritating a nerve. They said the root was too deep to root canal OR remove in clinic and I'd have to see a specialist. In desperation I said I'd just have it removed. We were still in tier 4 and I just could not be arsed any longer.

So out it came, and the root was completely normal sized!!! WTF?! And the pain didn't subside. Double WTF?!!!

A few months later I was referred to ENT. I've always had hearing loss in one ear since I was tiny and in 2004 I developed tinnitus too. I'd had multiple ear infections through the pandemic that were antibiotic resistant and all on the same side as the bastard tooth. The ENT checked me over, asked if I had any face pain, which I enthusiastically confirmed, and declared that I actually have TMJ.

I went home and looked it up and my symptoms all fit severe TMJ, even down to the supposed ear infections and vertigo I suffer.

I now take a low dose of lyrica twice a day for it and haven't had a major episode since (over 18 months now). I still have an ache and sensitivity in that side of my face, but I can live with it. The GP won't refer me to maxfax at the hospital for a free mouthguard and I can't afford the £400 for the one the dentist wants to make me, especially not as my parents have given me £3k inheritance in advance to get an implant - I can't ask them for more as I'm so lucky they're paying for this. If they hadn't I would have to live with a missing side tooth too. I've always been vain about my teeth, my smile is often something people pick out as my best feature, so I completely understand what you're saying re not having the tooth removed. I just wanted to reassure you that it doesnt have to be the solution. Please explore all avenues. I've fucked around with so many teeth because of this and chances are it wasn't even dental at all!!!

OP i strongly recommend you have a look at this...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3613819/
Your GP can put you on an antiviral which if HZ is the cause should help very quickly.
HZ can pop up randomly when you're stressed/ run down. Good luck.

Your GP is right not to refer you firstly because it’s a dental matter and secondly, if your hospital is anything like my local one, they will not provide a night guard. In fact my local hospital will not accept a referral unless a mouth guard has already been made by the dentist.

Be very careful about having an extraction with infection. I had an infected molar which they took out while the infection was there (they didn’t use to remove infected teeth without a prior course of antibiotics). I ended up having intravenous antibiotics for a week in hospital as I was developing sepsis.

I’m sorry, I’ve not read the whole thread. In your shoes I’d ask for referral to a facial pain centre (like the Eastman clinic at UCLH in London) It could be a pain system problem rather than a dental problem & they’d have the expertise to find that out, & to help.

I second somebody's comments about the jaw. Afterr root canal last year, i went back to dentist three times over next 4 months begging her to remove tooth because of the pain. She xrayed and declined, giving me exercises to do.

1. Middle three fingers on lower teeth.pull downn and push up with mouth. 10 secs each, repeat 5 times.
2. Palm under chin, pushing up and pushing down with jaw. 10 secs x5
3. Right palm on right jawbone and push with jaw to right while pushing left with hand. 10 secs x 5
4. Left palm on left...reverse of 3.

Pain eased quickly and was gone within 3 days.was doing it 3 times a day. Now just do it a couple of times when get a twinge and it works for me

I’m not sure mums net is really the best place to get dental advice.

Your dentist has trained for many years whereas despite their best intentions those
commenting are only going to be able to offer their own personal experience, which may or may not be relevant to you. I would suggest you take all the suggestions here with a pinch of salt and seek out the advice of a professional, be that your own dentist or another dentist for a second opinion.

Your dentist has trained for many years whereas despite their best intentions those commenting are only going to be able to offer their own personal experience

From the OP

Thanks no you don’t sound horrible, I don’t expect anyone here to diagnose me I was just posting in case anyone has had similar and has any advice x

I don’t agree with this, in my experience dentists while well qualified always have different opinions and sometimes there’s no clear cut answer.
You can’t Google your dental symptoms as easily as you can medical ones and often there’s simply no clear pathway.
I think MN is a great place to discuss these things although of course you need to use your own judgement and critical thinking skills before you take advice from here.

Once the pain gets bad enough you will be begging the dentist to take it out. I had root canal on a tooth and would get intermittent pain in for years. Eventually I decided to have the tooth extracted - it was the best decision I ever made. Being pain free is so much more important than looks.

I've not RTFT, but I had pain return after a root canal treatment. Turned out that there was another miniscule root which my (great) dentist had missed. It was so tiny, it didn't show up on the x-ray. I had to go to an endodontist, who was able to treat it using microscopic techniques. It was excellent and saved my tooth, but cost a lot. Any chance you could be checked out by an endodontist via your local dental hospital, so on the NHS?

@Reassemble did you get it re done and you didn’t have pain

I did get it redone. I didn’t have pain before or after. There was lingering infection in the bone from the missed root though, before the revision. I wonder if it was the cause of some persistent fatigue I had that has seemed to have eased, though.

@Vynalbob my max consultant was useless he was a 70 year old man with no clue wasted my time and money