Unexplained toothache

[LimeBear]

Wondering if anyone has had a similar issue here. A few weeks ago I developed sensitivity and pain in a filled tooth, phoned dentist immediately, offered appointment for 6 weeks later. It got worse so phoned again and managed to get a slightly sooner one. The exam showed nothing obvious was wrong, xray was clear and the tapping / cold / hot tests were all inconsistent or didn’t cause any effect so the dentist says nothing is wrong, or that they can find so they can’t do anything. But I am in pain 24/7 and painkillers don’t do anything. They mentioned it could be neuralgia but it’s very rare and difficult to diagnose so it’s probably not that. I really hammed up how sore it is because I’m going on holiday next week and can’t face agonising toothache like I’ve had with abscesses before but they were adamant nothing is wrong. Anyone had a similar issue?

Yes - a few years ago I had something like this. They tried all sorts of things, including a very expensive night splint, but nothing helped.

Finally I went to a different dentist. He told me to make a paste of a toothpaste containing arginine - most of the Colgate series do - thickened with some cornflour and leave it on as long as possible. Worked a treat! I hope it works for you.

https://www.boots.com/colgate-total-original-care-toothpaste-75ml-10136974
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/sainsburys-cornflour-500g

Thank you, I will try this. Did they figure out what the cause of it was and why that worked for you?

Sinus pain? Grinding at night? TMJ?

Not sinus, it’s the bottom teeth. I don’t grind or clench as far as I’m aware either.

Don't pursue the dental route if they have said there's nothing there. I did. Had a tooth refilled, then removed. It wasn't the problem, because my cause was neuralgia.

They say it's rare. And very rare if you are under 50, but my best friend and I have both been diagnosed with it before the age of 40.

Good to know. How did you get diagnosed with this if you don’t mind me asking, is this something I should be asking the doctor about? My dentist had said they’d refer me to the dental hospital if they thought it was neuralgia, but she didn’t say when or how they’d come to that conclusion.

I had similar, was back and forth to dentist. It turned out it was a tooth with a hairline fracture that was impossible to see until the dentist removed the filling and then he saw the tooth was cracked. I had to have it removed, instantly the pain stopped. Previously he’d been thinking it could have been that neuralgia problem.

Dentist never gave me a formal diagnosis, or if he did I don't remember the exact words.
But when I read about arginine, it seemed as if it might have been dentin sensitivity, which arginine relieves.

I went to the gp and told them my symptoms. And that i suspected it might be trigeminal neuralgia. They agreed.

One diagnostic criteria is that the pain is not helped at all by standard pain killers like paracetamol or ibuprofen or cocodamol. I had been numbed by the dentist for a tooth to be refilled and although I was numb from the injection I was still in huge pain in my jaw.