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.

I'd be livid spending money on a root canal if it failed.

I highly doubt there is any reimbursement from the dentist.

I am considering one on a large molar but the rest of my teeth are shit.

I am planning on implants next year so I can smile without shame.

Not sure if it's worth having the root canal now.

The recovery from my last molar extraction is putting me off getting rid of it.

This was exactly me…. I had it extracted. Took 6 weeks to settle because I got a dry socket. No tooth now but no pain!

Hey OP, a little back story I'm an ex dental nurse and I've had a pretty nasty experience with root canal first hand and through patients I've assisted with.
Firstly your original pain to me does sound like infection which is very common in teeth were the root nerve is damaged/dying/dead ...

From my own experience a few years back I had the same pain you described, went to my dentist (not my employer but my actual dentist ) xray showed the typical infection shadow, i got my antibiotic prescription & we made a plan for root canal after 10 days. When I went back I learned my own dentist wasn't performing the procedure but some new lad I didn't know. He open the tooth, removed root and began cleaning the canal, here's were my story is a little different as this idiot went too far with the Milton (past appex) resulting in a bleach burn 🙄 he panics and closes the tooth and is basically completely useless. I had to stay there for an hour incase any serious reaction occurred. Left with pain med prescription. ( later found out the new lad was a trainee dentist and it was his first root canal in clinic and he wasn't even being supervised)

To tell you the pain I was in afterwards brought me to tears is an understatement, my own doctor diagnosed nerve damage and we tried loads of different pain meds which of course were useless as nerve pain is pretty hard to treat. I ended up on lyrica for a while. Finally got an appointment with a root canal specialist to finish the root canal, this lad is convinced I couldn't possibly be in pain as the nerve in tooth was removed as per previous dentists notes regarding the procedure. He does a 3d xray which shows infection so back on antibiotics and back 10 days later, he opens the tooth and is audibly shocked, stops procedure to tell me the inside of tooth was gangrene. The nerve that was supposedly removed was not, well not entirely. The nerve and various tissue had been left in the canal to rot and fester. Turns out in his panic and haste the other dentist had closed off the tooth with out finishing cleaning/rinsing the debre and drying the canal. The root canal specialist gets to work cleaning the canal but says he can't finish the root canal at that appointment so closes tooth again with a temporary filling and tells me to come back in a month that he needed to leave the tooth alone to allow it to heal but did warn me that what started as a small root canal (think narrow passage) was now quite a huge passage, so my tooth was practically hollow with just a temp filling, he insisted I would now need a post for support and a crown. So off I went, still in pain but honestly it was feeling alot better. Then lockdown struck and my appointment cancelled (his clinic was other side of country). My temp filling then fell out, I called every single dentist in my County until I got an emergency appointment, turned out the filling wasn't the only thing gone, most of my tooth was shattered or fractured, there was no saving it, so I had her remove the tooth there and then.

I cried buckets over having it removed since I spent an absolute fortune trying to keep it, but the pain relief when it was removed was almost immediate. I still get a dull pain now starting from side of my nose, a cross my cheek, ear and jaw now, its much worse when I'm out in the cold. But I don't need the lyrica or pain meds anymore, which suggests it wasn't nerve damage but most likely tissue damage/infection, I'm surprised I didn't get tissue necrosis... the lingering pain now is just something I've gotten used too.

I'd suggest going to a different dentist, one with 3d xray. And investigate the success of the root canal. My story is an example of very obvious fail however a large percentage of root canals fail, its honestly not uncommon to perform a root canal this week and then extract that same tooth a couple of months later because it failed, happens all the time in practice.

Friend had similar and tooth removed and all pain gone. Xrays etc showed no infection etc

Exactly. She's apparently screaming and banging her face off the wall unless she takes addictive painkillers but is more concerned with how her smile looks! The issue isn't that OP doesn't have solutions to this problem it's that she doesn't like any of them.

Honestly, OP; I was 19 when I had the accident to my teeth. It was shit having to have 2 teeth out, and 2 more crowned - but we just couldn’t manage to save them all. No one wants teeth out at any age, but you seem to be worried about pain, but have excuses for all of the suggestions being made. It wouldn’t have to be an expensive implant immediately- you could get a plate first of all, and either save for a bridge or implant, or ask about paying it up.

Alternatively,, you live with the pain.

If you’re going to be rude, maybe at least read my OP properly - I’m not banging my face off a wall with pain anymore, I was before the RCT. It’s only painful to eat now. I stated that quite clearly in my OP.

Of course im absolutely concerned with how my smile looks in my early 20s for god sake! I can’t afford an implant so will have to walk about with a hole in the middle of my mouth. Maybe I just wanted to get some other ideas or solutions, which many other people have offered?

Stop being so goady and just leave my post please.

I had an experience not dissimilar to this. Failed root canal that I had while pregnant. Low lying infection for years. Eventually I just got it taken out and replaced with an implant. Cost a fortune but so worth it as I felt so much better straight away. Didn't realise how ill it had been making me for years.

You poor thing, it sounds horrendous. Is your dentist able to refer you? I don’t know what’s available across the UK but if you’re near London and can get to Guys they’re fantastic.

Buy a Nettie pot on Amazon op. They come with salt sachets. It's life changing especially when you have a cold. It flushes all the gunk out.

I’m not making excuses for everyone’s suggestions! I’ve just said several times I CANT afford a bridge or implant, why is it so hard to believe that’s not an option? It’s nothing to do with getting an expensive implant, I can’t afford any of it at all! To say I could ‘just get a plate made’ is more than slightly frustrating when ive literally said multiple times I can’t afford it and won’t be able to in the near future. I’m glad ‘just getting a plate made’ is an easy solution for you but it honestly isn’t for me!

Not read whole thread but feel for you OP, however why haven’t you seen different dentists and got other opinions? I know it’s expensive. I have had loads of dental work and often find that they recommend different things. There never seems to be a right or wrong answer. Sorry if you’ve already mentioned this on the thread.

I went through exactly the same thing. Exactly. A tooth which two dentists couldn't find anything wrong with despite multiple checks, xrays, two root canals and multiple courses of antibiotics and strong painkillers. Just to avoid a gap.

Eventually I saw sense, had it extracted and 2 days later for the first time in almost a year woke up completely pain free. I haven't bothered to have any cosmetic work done on it since despite it being a front tooth because it doesn't really matter at all.

OP, please, please think about whether living with the pain is worth it.

Thank you so much for such a detailed post and also thank you to everyone else that’s commented and helped

im so sorry that other people have gone through this too, I’d never realised how awful toothache could be until this experience. I also hadn’t realised just how common it is for RCT to fail!

I’ll see my dentist this week and ask for a referral to an endodontist or a dental hospital, or at least for another x ray in the meantime to see if it’s reinfected again x

Getting a plate made is less than £50. From memory, root canal is considerably more expensive. But, Y’know… just keep asking the same thing over and over, and being rude to those who were trying to help…. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Thanks, unfortunately it’s for the reason you said- it’s just too expensive, there’s no nhs dentists in our area and private appointments elsewhere is absolutely out of the question. I’ve got a fantastic and very experienced dentist who has given me amazing dental care over the years so I trust him and wouldnt usually go elsewhere anyway but I definitely would get a 2nd opinion if I could afford it x

No I won't leave the thread just because you say so. Forums don't work like that.

Stop being so ageist implying that older people don't care about gaps in their teeth. Your situation is neither unique nor unusual.

Also I will add that I paid about £1000 for a specialist very deep root canal over ten years ago. The tooth has been ok since but it was a very very specialised private hospital based endontics (??) place. I could still lose the tooth eventually but saving it was very expensive.

sorry, when have I been rude? Other than repeating several times that I can’t afford it? It’s not really helping suggesting things I’ve said repeatedly that I can’t afford. Would posting a photo of my overdraft be enough proof?

that’s great £50 is nothing to you, I’m really happy about that. Unfortunately it’s too much for me, on top of absolutely everything else, including the RCT.

Yeah I can’t make you leave my post but staying on a post and continually commenting on it when you’re clearly upsetting someone is a bit sad don’t you think?

I never said anything about older people? I said in my 20s I wouldn’t want to lose a tooth, which is true. Stop twisting my words, honestly this is ridiculous.

thanks to 99% of posters who have offered commented without being rude about it x

I think you have 3 choices. 1. Get tooth pulled out. Get a screw in tooth in its place. Put cost on to credit card and pay off over time.

1. Ask your dentist to redo root canal as original one might be touching a nerve. 3. See dental specialist probably most expensive option.

I hope you get it fixed.

The thing is though, that if you are paying for treatment privately then instead of throwing that money away on what is very likely a lost cause, you can save that money towards cosmetic work. A bridge on the NHS is a band 3 charge which is ~£300. Even if you have a long wait for it that is surely better than popping opioids like smarties.

Ah that’s such a shame, dentistry is so expensive isn’t it! I’m glad they saved your tooth though, what a relief it must have been! Hopefully it stays healthy for you x

I’m not paying for treatment privately my dentist is nhs, hence the long wait for the rct in the first place (over 6 months from it starting), I know what you mean though and if I was spending extra money on private appointments then I absolutely would just save it and get a bridge, but I’m not spending that money in the first place x

Exactly what I was getting at… unfortunately the OP didn’t seem to want to understand that continuing to throw money at a private dentist for expensive root canal work would be a LOT more than an NHS bridge.