Severe Pain after Temporary Crown

[PumpkinPie1225]

I had intermittant severe pain in my back lower molar for several months.  The dentist x rayed it and sent me to an endodontist for a root canal and then follow up with a crown.  The endodontist said the tooth was cracked and recommended a low fitting crown. After the root canal all the pain went away.  After the temporary crown was placed, I am in extreme pain.  I went back to the dentist 3 days later and he adjusted my bite and some of the pain subsided.  Now 5 days after that the pain is increasing again, it is sharp and throbbing, I cannot eat or chew on that side without severe pain. It is not sensitive to heat or cold but the pain is spreading into my jaw and my face is slightly swollen on that side.  I have called the dentist again and he said just to give it a few days, the pain should subside.  I am constantly on Orajel, Advil, and Tylenol or else I am in pain.  Is this normal?

[PumpkinPie1225]

The pain continued to throb for 16 days.  Then when I thought I couldn't take it anymore it seemed like it subsided enough for me to wait for my permanent crown.  When the temporary crown fell off it relieved alot of the pressure and it felt good enough for me to wait for my permanent crown.  When I went the permanent crown didn't fit and he had to numb me up again to cut away my gums again where they had grown back.  When numbing me up they hit a nerve and I almost  levitated out of the chair.  Then as he was cutting my gum he pulled something out and said to his assistant that I should heal up alot better "without that in there."  At that point I was so distressed and upset I never found out what it was he pulled out, but evidently it was what was so painful and causing all the swelling and irritation.  I am feeling tremendously better today although my gum is all swollen and cut again and my tooth is still too sore to chew with.  I definitely am not going back to that dentist.  I should have taken the advice of my friend and went and picked up my crown in a box and let my new dentist put it on.  Thank you all for all the advice.  I'm hoping this is over, but am suspecting a cracked tooth and like NancyNancy says above, it is going to start up again and I'm going to end out getting it pulled.

[ithurtsgreatly]

I am so glad that I found these descriptions of what I am experiencing!  I had a cracked tooth that broke on me.  I went to the dentist who said a crown was the remedy.  I did not need a root canal.  At first, my tooth hurt from the procedure including the temporary crown.  It subsided for a day.  At day 4 it was hurting more that after the procedure.  By day 6 my ear and neck were hurting.  I called the dentist; an antibiotic and call me in a couple days were the remedy.  Here it is day 7 and I can hardly stand the pain.  Should I take an antibiotic despite not being seen, it feels as if my gum is very swollen on at least 3 areas of the tooth!  I want to be seen by the dentist!

[NancyNancy]

I've had 15 root canals in my life and on a first name basis with my endodontist!  ;-)  During one of those root canals, the same thing happened to me.  Had the root canal done, tooth felt better, but then started getting a throbbing pain in the gum...it was definitely in a different spot than the pain before the root canal and definitely in the gum under the newly root canaled tooth.  Endo was stumped...after days of antibiotics and then a different one, the throb was still there.  It was like the antibiotic kept it just good enough to stand, but it still hurt.  At this point my Endo was calling me from his home each night just to check up on me.  He was that stumped.  Went back in to the office, he took more x-rays (no charge for anything) and studied my tooth for a long while, and finally determined there was a hairline crack right at the gum line.  It was the crack that was allowing bacteria in which is why the antibiotic never really got rid of the infection and would just keep it from getting out of control.  Unfortunately, the answer was an oral surgeon and having the tooth pulled since there was no way of fixing the crack.  And the Endo, my favorite dentist ever, refunded everything I had paid for that tooth.  He felt that since the root canal would not have been done if he knew there was the crack, it was not in good faith to charge me.  Anyway, really check for some small crack or other way that is allowing bacteria in.  You definitely sound like you have an infection.  The symptoms prove it...the swelling, and the spreading pain mean the infection is getting worse.  Get a new dentisit and get an antibiotic.  The dentist you have now is sounds like an idiot!

[PumpkinPie1225]

I made an appointment with another dentist and they pulled a huge piece of cement out of my gum.  My gum of the crowned tooth was swollen and pushed far away from the tooth. They told me no wonder I was in such pain.  It is gradually getting less painful but today has been over two weeks since the temporary and I am still taking Advil and Tylenol all day and chewing completely on my other side.  I am hoping it is the healing gum, but am waiting on the permanent crown and hope the pain goes away.  I know they did all four roots on the root canal because the endodontist showed me that there were four roots. It has something to do I think with a poor job of putting on the temporary.  I have been hurting for a really long time now!  Thank you for the advice.  

[Me2mommy2b]

There is a possibility that the pain will subside but it's not guaranteed.  There is also a possibility that they missed a root on that molar and didn't fill it up (sometimes a first molar, I'm assuming that is it, has 4 instead of 3 roots and that 4th root is missed often).  I am not saying that it is the case with you but it's worth looking into it.  Good luck.