Any dentists about?

[DentalPainTotallySucks]

Lost my NHS dentist at the start of this year and of course 2 weeks later develop dental pain!

Aching pain and sensitivity in a crown on my upper molar but only when eating or drinking something hot. The ache stays for a while after that.

I'm pretty sure it's the crowned tooth as when I tap it there is slight sensitivity there but not a lot.

Managed to get an emergency appointment with an NHS dentist yesterday who took xrays but said he couldn't see the problem as the crown looks good and there are no obvious signs of decay or infection.

He did mention that my sinus was large though so could it be that?

His advice was to see a root canal specialist for a consultation but I can't even afford that at the moment let alone a root canal done privately.

So I guess my question is, could this kind of sensitivity be caused by an enlarged sinus? I have a bit of a stuffy nose but none of the usual telltale signs of sinusitis.

Otherwise, what could this be? Other than potentially very expensive(!)

Anyone?

No advice Im afraid ,you can call 111 for advice on tooth pain apparently. Did the Dentist have anything else to say? Maybe see if you can get a second opinion perhaps

This has happened to me twice. Had pain, dentist says there's nothing wrong, pain develops & eventually get told it's an abscess. Both times I needed anti biotics and root canal. Only alternative to that is extraction.

Sorry to say that it's probably only going to get worse if you leave it.

I’ve had this too, but it’s usually when I have a cold, blocked sinus etc. it resolves when I feel better. I would hold off and wait and see what happens..

I hope this is the case! But I don't feel overly stuffy or like I have a cold really. But I do have a permanent runny/stuffy nose anyway so maybe it's something to do with it.
I'm trying to be reassured by the fact that the dentist said he couldn't see any decay or signs of an abscess or infection on the xray but I am worried that maybe it just wasn't showing up yet and is on its way.
Don't want this to get worse when I have no dentist as I was lucky to get that appointment yesterday!

They just tell you to seek a dentist. But I can't afford the private prices for root canal/crowns.

Not a dentist but I thought I had a tooth infection and it was a sinus problem so enlarged sinus can definitely cause an issue. I often have sinus problems and I'm prescribed a sinus spray which settles it and the associated tooth sensitivity

I'd recommend getting a GP appointment explaining the above as see if they'll prescribe the same?

Which tooth is it? Is it the first molar tooth? What treatment has been done on it before? Did it have a root canal before the crown?
does it hurt when you press it up (towards your eye) or does it hurt when you press from the side?
Tilt your head forwards and backwards quite quickly (don’t hurt your neck) - does that make it worse?
if you press where your sinus is - just below your eye - does that make it worse or stop the pain?
Is the pain sharp, aching, throbbing, other?
if you take painkillers does that help (even if only for a while)?

Hot sensitivity that lingers and tenderness to tap/ bite on the tooth would lead me to suspect irreversible pulpitis and the start of pulp necrosis. This may eventually lead to an abscess but that process can take some time, and there may be no bone changes on the x Ray for a while. This happens in around 1 in every 8 teeth that have been crowned.
If this is the case your options are extraction or root canal treatment. Privately expect to pay £100-200 for extraction and £600-1000 for root canal treatment. NHS- good luck🤦‍♀️

Another differential diagnosis could be dentine hypersensitivity in which case it will settle with time and sensodyne.

Or it could be sinus related but unlikely as that wouldn’t cause temperature sensitivity.

I've had sore tooth which resulted in an xray- nothing showed up. Week later it was fine and my dentist said it was probably a virus in the gum.

@User37652 It's the molar next to the wisdom tooth. I don't have all my molars as 4 adult ones never grew!

It had a root canal and then a crown placed after. This was done on the NHS about 3 years ago but I don't actually know why as I didn't have extreme pain or anything but the dentist had been telling me for a couple of years that the tooth was going to need root canal and in the end told me I seriously needed it but the tooth was never really painful.

It doesn't hurt right now when I push on it or bite but if I tap it there is a mild sensitivity that I don't have on the other teeth. But if I drink a cup of tea I get a deep ache in that area that I think is from that tooth that lasts a while after.

No difference when tipping head forward or pressing sinus.

Might be a different tooth…. RCT means the pulp/nerve has been taken out so shouldn’t be sensitive to hot/cold

@HalfasleepChrisintheMorning Oh god. My worst nightmare.

Really don't want any teeth extracted as my teeth are a insecurity of mine. I had braces when I was 17 as they were a mess, serious overcrowding. I'm worried if I have teeth extracted they will move all over the place as I've already had a lot of movement over the years since the braces.

How long could it take to show up on an xray if yesterday's appeared fine?

It being root canal treated does make a difference, it can still get an abscess after a root canal.
As its not too severe, I would consider if it could be sinus pain or gum pain, especially with the sensitivity only to hot and being tender to press from the side rather than upwards which can often be a sign of gum infection rather than tooth infection. If I were you, I would gargle with warm salty water or corsodyl as much as you can for the next few days, keep it as clean and possible with brushing and floss or interdental brushes and take painkillers if necessary as per instructions on pack to try to treat any gum infection. Also try to treat the sinuses by doing steam inhalations (google how to do it). If it’s not getting better or getting worse and the sensitivity starts to cold, becomes tender to bite on or any signs of abscess or pus coming from the gum then I think it will need re-root canal or extraction as the poster above said. If it gets better with the gum and sinus treatment then great, continue keeping it as clean as possible but that doesn’t mean the tooth itself won’t get infected and need treatment again in the future.
Good luck!

Your first port of call will be a x ray and go from there.

@User37652 Thank you for your advice!

It does make a difference that it is root treated already. This could be why you were offered a referral to a specialist endodontist? Re root canal on an upper second molar isn’t really something a general dentist would usually attempt unless they have a special interest in root canal. In my area these are never covered by the NHS specialists unless they are the only back tooth left.
Are the other teeth all ok on the x Ray?

I've had a very similar situation recently and unfortunately it resulted in an extraction.

If you can't afford to see a root canal specialist, definitely try the GP first and check the sinus pain. It may be that a course of antibiotics shifts the pain and it's all sorted.

Good luck OP