Any dentist on here who can advise me..my dentist said I have to put up with the pain?

[Mammajay]

A week ago I had a checkup and told the dentist I was getting a sharp pain whenever I ate on one side and the pain was between two lower back teeth. She said I had gum erosion ( I am an older patient!)and painted some coating on the lower edges of the teeth. No mention of hope this works. There was no change in the pain so after 5 days I contacted the surgery and they told me to go back in. She showed me the x-ray taken on the previous visit and said there was no decay and it might be a hairline fracture which she couldn't see and therefore couldn't treat. I joked about eating on one side for years! I then asked whether I was using the most suitable sensodine and she gave me some duraphat toothpaste to try( she wasn't suggesting that until I asked). No invitation to go back if the pain doesn't improve. My dentist is NHS and I have been going to her for years. She is very nice and I have mostly been very happy with my treatment but don't quite know what to do now. I get tense whenever I eat. Even chewing a room temperature tomato made it hurt like hell. I would be really grateful for any advice.

If it's a back tooth, then I'd have it removed. Private removal costs about £300 per tooth here, if your NHS dentist won't do it.

I had a lot of problems, and had a full tooth and jaw scan (privately), but it did cost £1500.

My NHS dentist has stopped doing NHS work, so I had no alternative than to go elsewhere.

Lollygaggle you seem to have expert dental advice ( are you perhaps a dentist). I think I know exactly the tooth causing the problem because when I apply duraphat directly to the back it hurts a lot. So, perhaps Duraphat rather than sensodine might help? My husband and was told by the same dentist 70 percent sure his pain needed root canal minimum of a thousand pounds and had to be done at a different practice as they don't do root canal. Lockdown came and he ended up using sensodine and after about 2 months the pain stopped. I seem to remember he got bad pain when eating which reminds me of my tooth pain. I just wish my dentist of many years had been more helpful. Two of my friends changed from her to another dentist so perhaps I should do the same. Oh dear. Lovely sunny day.. apologies for being a moaning Minnie!!

I use Duraphat 2500 for brushing and put Sensodyne Pro enamel on the tooth nightly. I was having the same issue, no hole or crack visible on a heavily filled tooth. My dentist did a good, thick coating after I'd completed a course of antibiotics. The meds dealt with the pain, coating with the sensitivity and with the routine advised above, no more pain.

Thanks Mabelface. The huge variety of sensofine is really confusing. I was surprised to get pain when I applied the duraphat

I used to work in a practice with a CBCT/OPG scanner and we regularly took referrals for NHS patients and private patients as we were a combined practice.

@waterrat Where I worked (very recently) they do Root Canals for between £500-750 (it's generally only over £1000 if you get a crown as well)

Must depend on area/demand!

Worth an ask, hope you get sorted OP! X

You can refer for opg , but in order to interpret a cbct you need to be trained and a dentist , if they don't have a cbct in their practice , will not be able to interpret.
Unless someone is referred to tier two for oral surgery for wisdom teeth a general dental practitioner cannot refer on the NHS for a cbct and report for a fractured tooth.
A dentist certainly can refer on the NHS for an OPG , they can report on it themselves but it is worse than intra oral x rays for a fractured tooth.

A tooth can stop hurting either because it gets better or because the nerve dies off . Eventually a tooth with a dead nerve will give problems so your husband should have the tooth re xrayed when he next has a check up.

As to your tooth difficult to say anymore as can't see the tooth, the X-rays etc but obviously if things are getting worse or don't settle down see your dentist again.

For the pain, Oragel is your friend (available in Boots and some supermarkets. Comes in a red box).
Specifically for this type of thing

Lollygaggle..a big thank you for your advice..I am trying to understand. First visit the dentist x-rayed the lower back teeth. No decay or sign of damage. Big old fillings in both. She applied some coating to lower edges. She sprayed something ( to dry it?) and it hurt like hell. Next visit after I phoned to say no change to pain whenever I eat on that side e.g room temperature tomato, she didn't look in my mouth at all, just showed me the x-ray said nothing she could do till something happens like infection or part of tooth falling off. I queried whether I was using the best sensodine variety for it. She prescribed duraphat 5000. On the duraphat it does mention it can reduce sensitivity. My confusion is you saying duraphat is not for sensitivity and also that when I apply directly to one particular tooth it hurts like hell. So, should I continue with duraphat, continue with the sensodine rapid relief or buy a different sensodine like pro enamel. I hate keep asking questions but not as much as not being able to eat an ice cream in this heat 😁 Very, very grateful for any advice.

If it is sensitivity from the root it will hurt to apply anything on it at first.
Different people find different toothpastes work better for them and sometimes you have to try a few out , if it is sensitivity.
Sensitivity toothpastes do not work straight away they take a time to build up a layer to block off the nerve endings.

If the pain doesn't settle down the next thing is to take the old fillings out and see if there is a crack underneath . A crack will not show on x rays or in the mouth. However if you have exposed roots those can be very sensitive as well.

Lollygaggle you are a star! My dentist put some coating..not sure where. I will use Sensodyne rapid relief for a month..if no improvement I will go back and ask her to take the filling out ( have to woman up to do that!) in spite of her saying nothing could be done as she couldn't be sure which tooth was the culprit. Only one tooth hurts when I put toothpaste directly on it so I think that gives her a big clue. Thank you very much for you advice.