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.

My advice would be to go to a specialist.

The root canal probably failed. I had a tooth like this. I had also had it crowned. In the end the whole tooth had to come out. It was hideous but was the only way to stop the constant infections.

Overall is a root canal worth it when the tooth is badly damaged?

This. Sadly for many reasons a rct doesn’t always succeed.it’s isn’t a gairenteed fix.

There is nothing like the pain of toothache, I have had abscesses twice and have had to cut short a holiday overseas to get one of them dealt with, absolutely unbearable. So I came to your thread with considerable sympathy.

But you are rude to posters and seem to be refusing to do anything about it. I assumed you didn’t have an NHS dentist, which was another reason for my sympathy, but you have and you still won’t pay for treatment. You won’t find £300 for treatment (credit card, overdraft, save £5 a week for the length of time you have been suffering), you won’t have the tooth pulled. No amount of gels or painkillers are going to fix your tooth.

You need to list the options available to you, one of which is do nothing and carry on in pain, and pick the least worst one.

Haha it’s funny how most other posters managed to offer advice without banging on about how I can just afford it if I try. How many times do I have to say it for some people? I DONT HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY. It’s not rude to get frustrated at saying the same thing 10 times to someone who keeps saying but it’s only £300? You can just find the money for it if you try?

your comment ‘you still won’t pay for treatment’ just shows how bloody clueless you are. I DONT HAVE THE MONEY.

honestly this thread has been mental, some people are so stuck up their own arse.

thank you SO much to everyone else who has connected with advice or tips, even if the advice was to get it removed I really appreciate you taking the time to comment (I’ve only been annoyed at the commenters who can’t seem to grasp that I CANT afford a 300 quid bridge, even if it ‘just £300’) but I am so grateful for everyone else’s advice.

the other reason I’ve been reluctant to get it removed is I don’t actually know for sure what’s going on and if it’s definitely infected. It’s been so strange- when I first posted this thread it was really painful, then the next day it was fine and I could eat on it. Then last night it hurt again to eat on. Now today I’m eating breakfast on it and it’s fine. I might be wrong but when I googled it it said an infection would hurt all the time? Arghh I’m so fed up of it all!

thanks again to the majority of posters who were genuinely lovely.

and a big massive f* you to the ones that weren’t x

When I had an infected tooth it was the worst pain I have ever had in my life - I am very sympathetic

I know you’ve said you don’t have any money - which I understand

but just to share my experience- I went to a very goodnlocal
dentist who x rayed couldn’t see anything etc but I was goingderanged either pain - so I ended up paying a lot of money to go to a top private dentist in London and with their absolutely state of the art technology they detected a teeny fracture that was causing the whole problem.

so your dentist might well be very good - but just can’t see the problem.

i know that doesn’t really help given your financial situation- but the point is that it might be worth pursuing better tests - are there nhs dental emergency hospitals?

could it be if food debris is getting stuck there? I found i would have have insane tooth pain, if i got any thing set stuck in one of my back teeth until it got taken out.
my mouth was so small they couldn't fit an X-ray, but i did get it removed by the NHS for free? can you ask the dentist to refer you to the hospital for treatment?
ALSO there is a free student dental hospital in whitechapel that you can also be referred to and they will do quite a lot of things, so i'd look them up.

dental.bartshealth.nhs.uk/emergency-clinic

If I was going through that much pain I would have the tooth out. You would just have to put up with it being seen, which yes would be horrible but possibly better than going through all this agony.

Yes it usually hurts all the time.but it can be random.but it won’t have gone.it never just stops.and something will set its gong going at some point

I too had similar and just got the tooth out. I am going to get implants eventually, but on a payment plan. It’s going to be an extra hundred quid a month when I do get it done but without the payment plan I couldn’t afford it either. I feel for you, tooth pain is just dreadful. The dental bills are not much better. I understand the worry of the facial changes. My dentist said it would take a lot of teeth being removed to do that. As it happens he was right I have two back molars gone beside each other and no facial changes. I don’t know what extractions you have but maybe you won’t have changes too?

Can I ask - you say in your OP that it isn't TN, why do you say this? Just curious as I have TN and it was aggravated by an infection (for which I had successful RCT), but it was still TN that was causing the underlying issue

I would also say that I would have the tooth out in a heart beat to not experience that pain again

@SoreToof That sounds more like a fracture rather than an infection. Depending on the way (length, width, left to right) its fractured will define when it opens up and causes pain. Just fresh air can set a nerve off. Are you stressed and biting down in between eating, or chewing gum etc? Does it hurt less if you chew on the other side?

I’m sorry you are going through this SoreToof, and I can’t advise you any better than the other dentists that have previously posted but I felt I needed to put some facts out there
firstly a plate is not £50, on the NHS it’s band 3 so almost £300
to redo a RCT is not simple, the OP would probably need to be referred to a specialist which, depending on the tooth and the area you live, may not be available on the NHS
trainee dentists do NOT work in general practice

A nerve infection maybe?

Could your dentist refer you to an endodontist?
I had root canal done at the Eastman Dental Hospital by an endodontist - he told me it should last 10 years.
I have some slight pain when the gum is touch (like a mild mouth ulcer), which I was told was some nerve damage.

I cracked my back chewer tooth and was in awful pain. They put a filling in and that did nothing. They looked into a root canal but realised the nerves were too damaged and it would not stop the pain. They pulled it out. Instant resolution.
I think you're going to have to start facing the idea that your only solution will be to have to tooth pulled. Can you do a fund raising thing for your new tooth?

I feel your pain and am sorry you are going through this! Toothache is never ending agony that really grinds you down. I had a similar experience. My own dentist insisted the xrays showed root canal had worked. I ended up in another dentists crying and begging for a second opinion. They xrayed but like my own dentist, couldnt see anything. However due to the level of pain and persistance of it, they referred me to our nearest Dental Hospital who fixed the issue. Turned out the root canal hadnt worked. They said there can be tiny squiggly roots that are difficult to extract or see. So grateful it got sorted. I really hope you get help and relief soon x

The first thing is to visit your GP if your Dentist doesn't think there is anything that they can do.

The second thing is to have the tooth removed. It might not be your preferred option but a gap must be far more preferable to the pain.

Get a second opinion. There is no reason to be in this level of pain in this day and age. I know you like your dentist but they are human and this one might have missed something.

Also, I know you think you can't get it pulled because of how it would look but did you know you can get botox to alter the shape of your smile? So your teeth aren't visible... I only say this because I have had to consider it. I'm not into botox and have never had it but I would consider it if I lost a tooth, which I have had to face might happen to me eventually due to 'issues'. Google botox for gummy smile. Good luck. x

Honestly OP looking at this rationally you are in terrible pain, risking a painkiller addiction, and don't have the money for an implant so all roads lead to having the tooth pulled. When it comes down to it, that's the only option left, so it's worth getting that done now rather than later if it's the inevitable choice. Which it is. Honestly I know it's not ideal but you'll get used to the gap and as time goes on in later years you may be able to pay for a replacement tooth. I remember being in A&E once in terrible pain and begging to have the tooth pulled which I was ready to do, but ultimately it eventually got saved somehow - but I'd have pulled it and loved with the gap.

I had something similar a few years back with pain up one side of my whole face and tooth aches like never before. The dentists said there was no infection and I had already had my wisdom teeth out. Turned out I had a cross-bite and over the years the pressure on one side became too much for the others. It was affecting the nerves of my teeth and my cheek (and even eye). The dentist shaved a small bit off two of my back teeth that were basically pushing down on the others. It took a few days but the pain subsided. Just a long shot but could be something to look into?

@SoreToof it could be deffered pain. Also, sometimes root canals don't work, in which case your option is to have the tooth removed or have what is called an Apicoectomy, whereby a tooth's root tip is removed and a root end cavity is prepared and filled with a biocompatible material.

I've had the procedure but unfortunately it didn't work either, the infection kept coming back, this was over about 6-7 years. In the end I had to have the tooth out anyway and ended up having a bridge. mY one tooth has ended up costing me in excess of 4k. I should have just had it out and had an implant!
In another tooth I have exactly this, there's no sign of infection but some days it throbs. It has got a lot better since I started using Teepee brushes though.

Hope you get it sorted, tooth pain is no fun. x

What you need, OP, is a referral to a maxillofacial specialist. These are doctors who are also dentists, and there aren’t too many of them around.