cleaning concern

[suszy123456789]

i have had a regular cleaning and my teeth feel painful and sensitive to touch. i also feel my bite is off because when i bite down i am hitting teeth i never used to. i do not want to go back to the dentist,i am just asking what you feel as a dr. what could be going on here,i was feeling maybe when she polished the teeth being that she was new she used the wrong instrument,is that possible and would this cause this discomfort? if so what do you do from this point on to get better?please answer, my teeth are really bothering me and please do not tell me to visit the dentist,just looking for your professional advice!!!! thank you! it has been 6 days so far

[grannienannie]

Ive been to three dentist. the first did a front crown,and i told him to check the work he done,he was my dentist for more than 4 years,I trusted him and when i kept asking for him to check it cause something didnt seem right...he said if my work is not good enough go somewhere else...I did and headaches was getting worse...he said the doctor did a great job... i told hin to check just for my security...but the head aches worsen with every month that passed, one day the headache was so bad i brought 4 bags of ice just to stop the pain and nothing would help i was over dosing for the pain to stop..I felt a pop in the top of my gum no tooth was there now..and i asked the second dentist to cut the gum...i begged and he did and nothinng but pus came out..no explaination...he dont want to be involved..with was going on...go to another dentist he said...I did i asked the third dentist to check the crown...and again its fine...but you can see it dont look right in the xray..no it fine she said...she did a filling in the front and a couple of weeks later my face blew up on the right side that was ten months ago and my face is still numb on and off and my eye is swelled shut..i go to the dentist i brush, floss, no bad breath, my gums dont bleed either but for these past few years after having that root canal i been in the hospital more than 30 times for an infection the doctors could not find.

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Hm.  The prophy paste that we use should not shave down your teeth in any significant way.  Actually, the major concern for me with the prophy paste is that they go too fast and it can generate heat and hurt the tooth but not polish it down.  

If she used the wrong instrument, depending on the instrument, I could see it happening but I would imagine the polishing cup and a burr used for drilling look obviously different and should not have occurred.  

If the muscles are sore or stretched out, yes, it would return on its own after some time.  You just need to rest it.

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Hm.  The prophy jet isn't such too bad from my own personal experience and with the patients I have.  Its a little sandy tasting and it stings a little bit like when you take a shower and the water comes out kind of hard.  It shouldn't take more than a few minutes.  I didn't have any sensitivity after it.  I don't imagine you should either.  Ask your dentist about your particular situation but I would say it would be okay.  

[suszy123456789]

my dental hygentist said,in order to get rid of those stains i have to sand blast and buff them again,i want to do this but am scared of sensitivity again,i cant stay this way though! i cant have my teeth dark,i spent to much money and time in whitening them and am very upset with act rinse!!!! if i do this is this better than bleaching them for now? have you ever heard of this mouth wash causing this to others and if so does this go away with a cleaning? what a nightmare!!!!!!!!! please answer my questions before monday because i am scheduled for my cleaning at 4!!!!!!! thank you

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

I would say that the yellowing of your teeth aren't the highest priority for now.  I would definitely leave it alone for now just because you've been through alot of other things right now and I would prefer if you give it some extra time to fully recover before you bleach them.  I don't think that bleaching would really affect the healing but with your unusual situation, I wouldn't want to do anything that may trigger a problem at this point.

[suszy123456789]

symptoms are getting better as far as the tmj! THATS ON AND OFF,I CAN DEAL WITH THAT. the fluoride rinse made my teeth yellow,that bothered me alot,so i bleached them,my 3 teeth that were hurting resolved.now i just want them whiter like before!

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

No, the bleaching and fluoride mixed together (not literally at the same time) is okay.  Sometimes after an in-office bleaching, you can apply fluoride to reduce possibility of sensitivity.  I wouldn't do too much with your teeth though until they resolve themselves.  Are the symptoms getting better or worse?

[suszy123456789]

well,i was wondering  why my teeth in the cracks were looking brown and stained,i just read that act and crest pro health care,along with others might cause tooth discoloration......so,i got nervous and stuck a crest whitening strip on the dark spots, this is bad,what damage did i cause? can you mix fluoride with bleaching? please answer i am so scared,now i have the tmj,this is awful.......

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Ya you could possibly.  Its definitely more dangerous if you swallow it, rinsing with it should be okay but I would recommend once a day.

[suszy123456789]

dr.,i forgot to ask, can you over use a fluoride rinse like act? i was using it and didnt read the directions which cleary states once a day,i was using morning and night,just wondering? thanks

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

My initial reaction would be to put you in a nightguard too if you're grinding often.  The nightguard helps to prevent the extra wear and tear from grinding that you do at night.  Grinding can be very destructive as you can add alot of pressure while you're asleep and don't know it.  

Also, sometimes with a nightguard, when you start to clench, it can trigger a part of your pain and "wake" you up from clenching when it notices somethings in the way and stop the clenching.

Try to ice the area down if its sore and try to stretch it out from time to time.  I would also recommend a softer diet

[suszy123456789]

ps. i refuse to take any kind of pain pills except for advil and is there any natural remedies that you would suggest to heal the jaw and stop the grinding???

[suszy123456789]

dr. Jerome tsang, well,i woke up with a headache and extreme jaw pain. my dentist said i clench and grind and it is tmj.how could this of been triggered by a cleaning????  dr. what do i do know??? he said to get a mouth guard,i don't see how that is going to stop the grinding,i have to stop the grinding and i think my jaw joint will heal,right??? ANY ADVICE AT THIS POINT WILL HELP, is this something that never goes away??

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Give it some time.  Hopefully it'll heal on its own.  Just be gentle with it.

[suszy123456789]

thank you,it is just an on and off thing,my bite is off then it feels like it's getting better than my three teeth hurt, i have no idea!

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Again, sorry for your frustration.  Give it some time and see if it heals.  I would recommend trying to avoid eating any part that is ache-y and see how it does over the course the week.  Try to go back to as normal a hygiene routine as you had before.  Are the teeth feeling any better?

[suszy123456789]

dr.,i don't want anymore things to take or do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol i thought i was doing something good by rinsing my mouth out with hydrogen peroxide i didn't add water because i guess i was  to know that half and half parts with water. this is just one more thing i have to deal with, now i just want to leave my MOUTH ALONE, no more peroxide,baking soda, no more cleanings,DONE DONE DONE!!!!!!!!!!! i am just going to wait for an abcess and then deal with that at the dentist,if i dont get one than i will deal with the pain on my own.............................  i dont know much about teeth or tmj because i never had any issues till now so waiting is the best ,what will happen will happen!!!!! thank you for your help

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

Wait.  You burned your tongue with hydrogen peroxide?  Is it a severe burn that's pretty deep or more of a superficial burn?

You may want to contact your dentist and get a prescription for it.  He may prescribe some pain meds, steroids to help with the burn or even something to help coat the tissue to prevent any more irritation.  

It will probably heal on its own in about one to two week but the prescriptions may help with the symptoms of the burn.

[suszy123456789]

dr.,now i rinsed my mouth with straight hydrogen peroxide thinking that would help and my gums and tongue burn,do i need to contact my dentist or will this pass? i am just trying to get my tooth better......

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

You had a root canal done on the front tooth already?  From reading your question, it seems that there was no root canal done at all.  

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

I've had a patient come back once after a cleaning and she couldn't open her jaw very wide and she was getting pain in the TMJ area.  I told her to take some anti-inflammatories, stretching exercises, soft diet and to ice it once in awhile to relieve the area and she came back a week or so later with no problems.  I think she was open too wide for too long during her cleaning.  I haven't had anything similar to what you're experiencing.  I would try to be patient and see how it progresses at this point.  There's no need to do anything if its not worsening at this time.  I would take a wait and see approach because you don't want treatment on something that'll heal up on its own.

[suszy123456789]

yes,advil,my bite still feels off a little,it feels like my back teeth were shortened some how!!!!!!!!!!!!!but i never had any problems with tmj or my bite before. i may never find out what is wrong,i am very upset and the worst part is i nor my dentist at this point knows what is going on. that's why i thought maybe you might have an idea!how about an infection in and under the gums,but my gums arn't red or swollen? have you ever heard of this type of situation after a cleaning? does tmj just come on someone with out any symptoms through the yrs.? dr. i want to thank you for all the time you have spent writing back,i know your very busy!

[Jerome Tsang, DDS]

When I say heat, usually its more of a result of drilling than polishing.  That's part of the reason why we use water with our drills to cool it off due to the heat from friction.  Yes, injury from heat like anything else can be reversible.  

I'm sorry you're confused.  I understand your frustration because there's nothing obviously wrong with your tooth (like it broke or a big cavity) but its hurting you.  Have you tried taking any anti-inflammatories such as Motrin/Ibuprofen or Tylenol?  Does your bite feel off anymore?  

[suszy123456789]

ALSO YOU MENTIONED HEAT,CAN THAT CAUSE A NERVE TO DIE,I REMEMBER YOU SAID THE POLISHERS GET HOT AND CAN HURT THE TOOTH DURING A CLEANING! WHAT KIND OF HURT DOES IT CAUSE? IS IT REVERSABLE?