DENTISTRY! Why are my teeth so sore?

[knockmyfaceoutplease]

if anyone could read this and help at sll I would be profoundly grateful.

For the last year I’ve had problems with my teeth.

it started with toothache in a specific tooth (upper molar) which didn’t improve with antibiotics. The specific tooth was painful to eat on and I would get episodes of extreme pain directly from the tooth and across my face and ear etc. The dentist wasn’t sure if it was infected as the X-ray wasn’t definitive, but from my symptoms he said it sounded like it was, so had a root canal on the tooth. it didn’t get better after the root canal and I’ve still got toothache now. I’ve had countless other x rays, seen other dentists and nobody can find any problems with it or any reason for the pain.

to make things more confusing, I’ve actually starting getting pain in another tooth now. It’s a lower tooth and on the same side as the soremolar. It’s the same pattern and type of pain. nobody can find any reason for the pain in that tooth either. I’m not getting the extreme pain episodes anymore thankfully, it’s just like a very deep full/heavy ache when I eat on the tooth.

I’ve been told it wasn’t trigminal neuralgia because it doesn’t fit the pattern of pain and the pain is coming from specific teeth and I could identify which exact teeth are sore, rather than a general pain on my cheek/jaw etc.

I’m actually getting an MRI for possible pituitary problems, I don’t know if it’s possible that could be related or if that’s a completely separate thing? I’ve got congestion and a blocked nose most of the time as well although that’s been going on for over a year at least, although it usually swaps about which nostril is blocked and it’s not always the same side. I don’t know if I’m putting 2 and 2 together and creating 7 and they’re all unrelated, but is it possible that it could all be related?

Are you flossing?

yes I floss, have an electric toothbrush and use mouthwash x

Could be something like atypical facial pain. I don't know enough about that anymore to be of much use OP but things make it worse like cold air or something touching your face.

FWIW- antibiotics are never, ever, ever, the answer to toothache. Sometimes they are a good way to reduce swelling to make treatment easier but for actual toothache that needs root canal treatment- no. The answer is extraction or drilling. If you're ever prescribed antibiotics, it should always be followed by planned treatment. It's so lazy of dentists to do this and it annoys me!

Sounds like Trigeminal neuralgia

You mention a blocked nose for about the same duration as you've been experiencing tooth pain... I wonder whether sinus issues are causing the pain. If my sinuses are giving me trouble I get tooth pain due to nerve irritation.

Thank you so much for commenting! I think I’ve seen your username before and I might be completely wrong but you’re a dentist right?!

yeah I had a lot of antibiotics to get me through until the root canal and it didn’t really make a difference, after the root canal it was better for a week or so then started up again. It’s strange, it doesn’t hurt to touch my face or put pressure on it and nothing triggers the pain. like earlier I ate a sandwich and the molar (the original sore tooth) and the new sore tooth on the bottom were absolutely fine and didn’t hurt, then I ate dinner and it was so achey and sore!

when it was just the one tooth that hurt I thought maybe there was a missed canal or infection, but now the other teeth on the same side are hurting aswell and it started to freak me out! Im probably just worrying about nothing re the pituitary and blocked nose side of it all, I was just worried the pain was somehow linked to that and all part of the same problem!😔

I wondered if it was that but I got told that it’s not consistent with the pain people get with TN. Thanks for helping x

Yeah my dentist said it might be sinusitis, but I’ve had steroid (I think) nasal treatments and flushed my sinuses and I’ve had antibiotics and dental x rays and they said it’s unlikely to be sinus pain because I can feel the pain in a specific tooth rather than a general toothache across a big area in my mouth (or something along those lines anyway, I might have misquoted them but my memory is awful!)

thanks for helping me x

I haven't practised for several years but still registered and in date with my professional development etc.

Fair enough, it seems like an interesting job. I actually wanted to do it when I was as child until I was told that in University the students have to practice injections on each other- suddenly I didn’t want to do it anymore lol.

I hadn’t appreciated how unbearable toothache could be. Never had any problems with my teeth until this year

Not sure if it may help in any way, but I've always had sensitive teeth. I used to need lots of fillings, have had several extractions, crowns and an implant. I was always so disappointed with my teeth.
The implant tooth had two goes at a root canal before being removed and I still had sensation in the nerve above it even then.

My DH was recommended Sensodyne pronamel toothpaste and mouthwash to help acid erosion. I thought I'd try it if it may help. it has made a big difference and now i have had several years of no further fillings or issues and the sensation has stopped.
Not sure if it may make any difference for you, but perhaps worth a try? If I slack on brushing too much or don't do the mouthwash for a week or so and eat lots of sugary things, I can feel the nerve sensation coming back, so it has shown me it does make a difference.

(Not affiliated in any way with Sensodyne, but very glad they have helped my teeth!)

Also with the root canal tooth I got sensation going up from the tooth to below my eye. I went to the gp who referent me to an ENT specialist. They said try those decongestant nasal sprays and referred me for an MRI in case there was some kind of fungal or other infection in my sinus which when it came back didn't show anything.

No answers but I’ve got exactly the same problem!

How are your sinuses? Might be worth seeing a medic?

Are they absolutely sure the rct is successful and there aren't any chronic infections? Xrays won't always show these and I saw a paper that suggested that 12 % of sinus infections came from infected teeth. HAve you had a CT scan?
Another cause might be parafunction or a cracked tooth. Pretty much every time I see a patient and we can't pinpoint the origin of the pain they end up puting up with the pain until one day a piece of tooth cracks off and their pain stops. If you haven't already a trial of a bite guard to see if that reduces your symptoms would be helpful.

Sounds like a sinus infection or something to that degree.

You’re definitely not grinding or clenching your teeth at night? It could be worth checking.
I had something similar a few years ago. Turned out my dentist had replaced a filling in a tooth that was cracked. So the crack widened slightly and gave me 6 weeks of continuous pain. Needless to say I now see a different dentist!

Are you grinding your teeth or clenching your jaw at night? I was back and forth to the dentist with toothache but he couldn't find anything. I woke up one night and my jaw was clenched shut. I had to massage it to open it, it was so night. A mouth guard at night solved it very quickly.

Could be linked to sinus problems. Also, if you have had a filling or similar and it has affected your bite (because not finished off to correct level), that could be causing the pain. (I have experienced both of these problems which caused pain in specific teeth.) Good luck!