4 weeks of pain after routine filling

[Killerpain]

My teeth were fine, I felt good an was healthy.  Then I had a routine filling, upper left, back 4 weeks ago.  The hygenist had a hard time affixing the tooth clamp and dam and rammed it a few times.  I heard a comment about "Oh this is a thick needle" as the dentist prepared the needle - putting needle in cheek and another in palate.  It hurt in the cheek.  Immediately after freezing wore off I took Advil for pain which is usual.  As the week progressed the pain became more and more excruciating instead of subsiding.  I returned twice.  First he ground down the area to make sure it wasn't high.  I had been avoiding hot & cold and chewing on that side and was sure I wasn't clenching during the day.  Sometimes things would trigger it such as drinking cool water.  The pain would radiate from the tooth into the jaw but sometimes the lower jaw, settle right in front of the ear and give a pinching feeling in the temple.  It was so excrutiating I had to stop what I was doing to lay down with moist heat on it.  By then I took 2 Advil and they didn't kick in for an hour and wore off after 3 hours.  The only thing that took the pain away was 3 Advil but again, it returned on schedule as the Advil wore off.  I was sent to and endo doctor.  He checked things - pressure testing was A-okay, photos okay, no cracks, no sign of root canal needed.  He sent me home saying to take Tylenol-3 (for nerve pain) with the Advil, test things out and get back to him if it continues. He said that 90% of patients get some inflammation on dental treatment and 90% of endo problems solve themselves.  

Well, this is now 4 weeks of chronic pain and chronically taking Advil & now Tylenol.  Should I just keep up this procedure without checking into anything else?  Should I see my MD?  I have never suffered this much before.   Could it be caused by a reaction to freezing or nerve damage from the needle?

Any suggestions?

[Jsapp1]

I'm in severe pain, now going on week 5. I have to take 2 ibuprofen every two hours, if I don't then I'm in a terrible pain. I'm scheduled to see a new dentist one the March 2. I'm most likely going to have to get a root canal. I think the dentist drilled to far putting in my filling

[Toothache]

I feel your pain - literally!!!  I have had the exact same pain as you have desribed in your original Sept 14 forum message.  PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE tell me that it is getting better.  It has taken a toll on not only me but my entire family!  I am so happy this has not affected my kids because I don't know how they would deal with the pain of this!  I have seen the dentist and they told me it was caused from my jaw being open too long and from trauma to the mouth - The assistant had a hard time putting the damn on my mouth as well and I think that was the start of it all.

Please let me know how you are doing!  Advil every 4 hours seems to keep my pain at bay - but how long can you take that - I have been suffering three weeks already with Advil every 4 hours - I am going to the dentist on Thurs and see if they can give me a second opinion - I am seeing a different dentist!  

[love1221]

It isn't the secretary's job to judge what is normal!  Demand to get an appointment to see the dentist.

[Killerpain]

My medical doctor has given me a medication to target the nerves.

I have had pain for 6 weeks now usually triggered by hot and cold but settling in the temple region.  

My medical doctor is okay to suggest it is nerve damage from the dental proceedure.  But the secretary at the dentist's office continues to say things like "I've never heard of that ever before in my dental careef of 25 years."  

Well, this is a first then, isn't it.  You can choose NOT to believe me if you want, but that isn't going to take the pain away.

[love1221]

I still have cold sensitivity on my composite fillings...but I also have cold sensitivity on amalgam.  The pain thing is that it doesn't become sensitive to heat...that's usually when there's a major problem.

[love1221]

Wow...definately a rant and not a message in my opinion.  So, let me rant in response.  Doctors don't refuse people pain medicine unless they believe that the person is abusing the pain meds.  Yes, shots hurt, but the procedure without the shot would hurt worst.  I don't know where you get the idea that dentists are unskilled.  I don't think you can "transmit" gingivitis with anything, especially not a "bent needle"  Hydrogen peroxide may delay your prognosis...but if you do nothing about gingivitis you will eventually lose your teeth.  Nothing except for cleanings will prevent that.  A cleaning is never going to make your fillings loose.  If a filling flies out when you floss it is because there is something else going on...decay underneath it.  Dentists do not set up traps for your teeth to fall out.  Every dentist knows and preaches that your natural teeth will always be better than a set of dentures.  And no one is going to try to convince you otherwise.  Most dentists also don't drive expensive cars and live in million dollar homes either...fyi.

[ISOMoralEthics]

Sorry I hit a button that sent me message or rant off before I was done....well decalring that i had need for a deep cleaning and that it would cost 1,800. $900. a visit for two visits. .. Oh yeah, like I'm gonna let these torture happy dentists give me anymore grief. Then when I called my insurance company they declared i would have to pay only $600. I don't care what they say . a Two dollor bottle of hydrogen Peroxide is gonna have to surffice. I do not have that kind of money. Nor will I pay for that kind of money. For a cleaning where they will surly make my front fillings loose . So when i floss they fly out. Never again . Will I let a Dentist clean my teeth . They are worse than car mechanics setting up traps for you teeth fall out. I will not a visit a Dentist again untill that Dentist has passed a truth serum test proving they have ethical integrity.
Thanks God. apparently they do not fear a judgement day from you God. Or they would not wear so much gold and drive expensive cars and live in million dollar homes with blood money.

[ISOMoralEthics]

There are poor souls on earth being tortured for the love of money. And if they complain to the Doctor he.she will refuse to give you decent pain medication and if you need more dental work to be continued they will stick you with a needle until your eyes flood with tears but the poor souls refuse to cry . Dental schools are where insurance companies sends these por souls to get their Dental Care and what is happening is unskilled Dentists are doing the work of the big shot Indian Dentist with her rolex watch and laughs that she can afford treatment and I can't. Then proceeds to transmit gingavitis with a bent needle like prong to each tooth declaying to her assistaNT

[Killerpain]

We ruled out high bite - he already ground it down, and as a matter of fact the pain arrived while I was favouring the treated side.  I hadn't even bit on it.  

I think it is something to do with nerve damage either from the needle or on the gums.

This is the first day I'm down to only one Advil.

What I also found help was brushing my teeth and taking vitamines,pills etc, with warm water.  Yesterday even the strawberries in my jam were too cold and triggered the pain.

Now if I accidentally touch something cold there I am rinsing with warm water right after and it seems to bring it down faster.  I have also used a flouride treatment (K-gel) a dentist gave me, a couple of times a day.

[love1221]

Composite is more sensitive than amalgam, but it shouldn't be excruciating.  Does your bite feel high?  Did it feel high at the time that the dentist ground the tooth down after the filling?  It is possible that if the bite was/is high you have bruised the ligament that holds the tooth in.

[Killerpain]

It was composite.

Thanks for feedback.  I will be getting a new night guard and haven't been using one a) because I lost it and b) because the area is sensitive and my night guard fits really tight I think it would have made things worse.  I think it would have added pressure.

The pain usually starts later in the day which makes me thing it isn't due to night problems.  Sometimes it is triggered.  Today it was triggered by a hot pizza pop I ate for lunch.  Since then the pain has moved into the ear area and settled.  The Advil & Tylenol didn't even kick in after an hour so took an additional one of each and layed down with a heating pad.  

The pain is so bad my tolerance level is low and I'm irritable, can't get things done as I'd like (ie mowing the lawn), and so forth as the Tylenol 3 then makes me dizzy & tired.

Last time my pain took 6 weeks but wasn't this bad.  I hope it resolves on its own.

[Heidigirl]

Was your filling silver or composite? I hear that composite fillings take longer to heal and are more sensitive to heat and cold.  Also, you mentioned clenching.  I recently had severe TMJ following a routine filling, and I think part of the reason was because the splint I wear at night left my bite different, and my ortho. and dentist said even a routine filling could change the way your appliance fits. (I don't know if you wear one or not). I willl probably have to have mine redone.  Another idea (if you haven't tried it already ) is massage therapy on your jaw, which really helped me.  Good luck!