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.

See an endodontist, they can arrange full head dental x-ray

I had this. Had 2 root canals the second one they split my gum open and went in from the top because they said it was a kinked nerve so the first one hadn’t worked. Same dentist had to pay for another root canal treatment. Eventually after I kept getting a lot of sensitivity (no nerve though!) I had to have it pulled out. I wish I had never had root treatments. I’ve had four and every affected tooth has since broken had them repaired broken again. May be cheaper in the long run taking the leap of faith and having it pulled out and a bridge or whatever. No more pain, no more infection, no more sensitivity. Wish someone had told me that originally would have saved me loads of money, pain and angst.
hope you get it sorted out soon life’s too short to be in pain that can be sorted out. Good luck

There are some dental hospitals in London where students in their final year work on your teeth for free. Of course, you need to be able to fund your travel costs. I went to Guys where I had 2 root canals and tooth whitening done. Unfortunately after 5 years, I have a dental cyst and it's looking like I'm going to have to have the tooth removed. I'm lucky enough to have an NHS dentist which is a whole lot cheaper. I'm trying to get a bridge at the cost of £280, most dentists do plans with 0%apr. I'll have to save for an implant later in life. Good luck with your treatment, root canals are not guaranteed to work and personally I'd rather be in a little bit of debt than live in pain!

Sorry haven't read the whole thread but it sounds like trigeminal neuralgia to me. Ask your GP for amitriptyline which dulls nerve pain

I had a root canal done just before lockdown but because the tooth was broken I had a cap placed over it. It was uncomfortable from the moment it was done, I assumed it just needed time to recover from the root canal bruising. Then lockdown happened… so I basically lived with the same pain you describe, only when I ate on it, sometimes a dull throb for a while if I had accidentally eaten on it (I just used the other side of my mouth to chew). Couldn’t get another appointment between lockdowns and so basically just endured it for all that time.:.the pain has now gone and it’s ok to eat on again. Might offer you some reassurance if nothing else can be found but don’t endure it until it’s been properly investigated

You also don’t need to justify why you don’t want your tooth pulled, I’ve lost three over the years and each loss has compromised the stability of surrounding or opposing teeth, asides from the fact it effects my confidence and I’m not even a particularly smiley person!

Sounds like it your roots are near your sinuses. I have the same problem and completely understand your pain. Sending hugs

I would try another dentist as a second opinion or go the gp

I’m voting YABU solely because you won’t get it removed. Your choices are either have it extracted or live with the pain, there’s no infection present, there is nothing else they will be able to do for you.

I say that as someone who lived for 6 months with 8 front teeth removed due to the pandemic. It was extremely embarrassing but in the grand scheme of things it was either live with excruciating pain or spend a few months feeling self conscious.

I started a root canal in march 2020, it was temporarily left open to drain then would be filled then the world shut down, it got infected and NO ONE would help for over a year due to covid.

It did FINALLY get sorted (well the gums distroyed but the tooth doesnt hurt) and I had to have a second root canal too due to damage... this one I had exactly what your having, agony ESPECIALLY when biting but no infection.

The dentist revoved the filling and left it open, the pain stopped instantly as the pressure releaved but then when they finally placed the crown agony again... dentist ended up sanding away a courner out of the tooth above and the pain went away and has been fine since (although my other tooth feels all rough and scratched).

It seems the teeth didnt sit together right and when I close my mouth the top tooth was ramming the bottom tooth into the jaw, it hurt even when my mouth was open just due to the constant trauma.

I had a similar thing to you, got a second root canal (very common) then 3 years later got infected AGAIN. Eventually needed to have the tooth removed because the infection was affecting my sinuses and hearing (I was getting titinnus). The root was really deep and root canal was not killing it completely, so I would have recurrent infections.Since getting the tooth removed all problems are gone. Yes I have a big gap and currently working on getting an implant. In the meanwhile and while I get that implant the dentist made a small prostatic fake tooth that I put in that space to cover the hole. It was not too expensive, like 300 pounds.

Just to note - all dentist treatment has a 12 month guarantee so any additional treatment is free - this is worth knowing - if you need it pulled to have a bridge for example it should be free - ask

so in my experiance its pressure not infection that caused the pain, even with the infection as soon as the absess erupted the pain instantly stopped because the pressure was gone even though the infection was there it just drained through the side of my jaw painlessly once the fissure opened.

I have a neurological problem and phantom tooth pain is quite common. I've even been sure I have ea gaping hole in the back of a tooth before only to be shown otherwise. Do you have any other conditions that this could be linked too. Diabetics can sometimes suffer neurotic pain too

So sorry you are going through this. It sounds like there may be a second root which is causing the pain - this happened to me. I had my first root canal on the affected tooth, three years passed and I was then suddenly in agony again. My dentist referred me to a specialist who did a root canal on the second root. He told me that sometimes this happens although it is relatively rare. He also warned me that a second root canal has a high chance of failing within a few years, however 12+ years later the tooth seems to be ok.

In all honesty I would try and get the tooth pulled and borrow the money for a bridge/implant (some dentists will also let you pay in installments). Another root canal would be close to £1k with a specialist and then you are potentially looking at paying yet more money if/when that fails (which despite my positive experience it is very likely to).

My tooth also started to turn grey a few years ago and so I had to pay for professional tooth whitening at the dentist to hide it, which was expensive.

Oh Ill also say years ago I had another root canal, all fine no issues and then years later I got tooth ache and could have SWORN 100% it was that tooth, touching that tooth caused the pain even and the other teeth all appeared healthy.

UNTIL the dentist did a scan and found a pin prick hole in the tooth next to it that went directly to the nerve, the tiny hole was between the two teeth where they touch so couldnt be seen at all (but maybe I should floss more).

I have had those 4 root canals (first no problems, second the hidden hole no problems, 3rd the covid infection, 4th the misalaigned one with pressure issues) and they are all fine now.

my dm had the same following dental treatment - had to have a Botox injection into her face in the end - but it worked- no pain ever since

could be a root fracture you won't know if it is until its extracted. It's amazing what they can do to fill a space. I would go back in and discuss it with your dentist. Life is definitely too short to put up with chronic pain.

Get it pulled out. Tooth pain is hell on earth. If you can’t afford £300 for a bridge I would have it pulled and deal with the gap until I could afford to replace it. I would move heaven and earth to get that kind of pain to stop.

Try A&E, ask if you can have a CT scan of your sinuses. Sounds like more than the tooth that’s the problem. Good luck 🤞

You poor thing, sounds awful and it looks like your getting some good advice here. For what it’s worth I think wide smiles are lovely!

Be very careful re infection. My brother in law is currently in hospital due to tooth infection travelling to his throat. It was touch and go for a while ( induced coma and ventilator). He's currently on a feeding tube after throat operations and may need to rely on it for life.

I had something similar a few years back. Not the pain so much but I couldn’t bite down on anything without pain. Did the whole root canal etc. I went to a different dentist for a second opinion and it transpired that there was a hairline crack in between one of the tooth roots. It wasn’t visible from a standard X-ray. I had to have it crowned.

I had similar long problem and also redo of RCT. I also had the blocked nose you describe. The x-rays showed all fine, but I had excruciating pain. I had a CT scan and it showed problem at the root of my tooth and infection had gone into my sinus. I had sinus flush but wasn't enough. Sadly I did have to have tooth removed and still have the gap.

OP could it be migraine or sinus pain. Have you tried alternating between co codamol and ibuprofen for pain relief? Have you spoken to your doctor to rule out any other causes. There’s a lot of nerves in your face so pain can radiate easily. I’d ask them also for some alternative pain relief maybe more for nerve pain such as gabapentin to see if that helps

You can now pay for these on a payment scheme around £30pcm. Is there no way you can save £7.50 from your weekly budget to make this possible?