just as an update in case someone googles this thread in the future...
Once the antiboitics wore off a week after taking the last dose, the pain came back with a mighty vengance.
I went to a private dentist (state NHS were out of ideas). They first replaced the white filling but that didn;t help. Next day, they opened up the nerve, plenty of blood (apparently) and an infected nerve.
They padded tooth with something that tasted a little like clove and put a temp filling on. 5 days later, still no pain. it's hard to convey the scale of the relief. I love my new dentist.
I'm off to have the roots removed on friday (by a RC specialist) and then a crown fitted.
I am still suprised that neither dentist could actually see the infection on the x-ray but there you go.
Good to hear. Have a good trip.
thanks for the response Jerome, much appreciated.
The pain now appears to be receeding thanks to a combo of antibiotics and painkillers. I haven;t had to take any painkillers now for 24hrs now. I guess the tooth with the filling has a slight infection and the lower jaw became somewhat traumatised by the treatment and or/the infection.
The bite feels good, although the edges of the molar do feel a little sharp, as though they didn;t quite fill the tooth enough (with white, UV set filling).
Some time ago (and unrelated to this problem), I had a problem when the adjacent molar was filled with white filling. It appears that as this type of filling hardens it contracts and can pull the sides of the tooth in, causing intermittant pain for some time after the treatment.
The good news is that I have made it to our holiday cottage in Wales without being in agony so hopefully I can now enjoy a good weeks rest!
cheers.
Has your doctor attempted to check the occlusion (bite) of the tooth to see if there's a problem that may be causing trauma from biting forces.
There may be a possibility of a fracture as well. You may want to seek a second opinion from another dentist to get a fresh/new perspective.
I have no difficulty opening and closing my mouth. The pain feels like it is eminating from inside or under the teeth.
Is there any difficulty in opening or closing of the mouth?
I am guessing that it may be due to strain of the muscles being opened during the procedure. 45 mins is quite a bit of time to be open for, especially if its an upper back tooth and requires you to open as wide as you can.