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Severe headache after tooth filling
Answered by
Michael H Kirsch, DDS - Oral Surgery, Maxillofacial, Wisdom Teeth, Bone Grafting, dental implants
Dr. Michael H. Kirsch Caldwell - NJ
Questions in the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery forum are answered by Dr. Michael H Kirsch and Dr. Mario Tuchman. Topics covered include teeth extractions, wisdom teeth, dental implants, bone grafting, orthognathic surgery, facial bones realignment, facial trauma repair, jaw alignment, anesthesia , jaw cyst or tumor diagnosis, reconstructive jaw surgery, temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ) and TMJ surgery.

Severe headache after tooth filling

by tabona, May 23, 2009 02:40PM
I don't know if it is TMJ or what else. I had a filling in one of my chewing tooth for the last 7 years which was gone. I got it filled again with another dentist. The filling went away within 3 days. Once again he filled it after 15 days. After the second filling I had very much pain in the same teeth along with the ear and head of the same side. Now, for the last 5-6 days (about a week after the filling), I am having severe intermittent headache. The whole head is paining with slightest cold or heat. Both the ears also pain sometimes. I have no fever, but I am feeling cold even at 20 degrees. The doctor is not available.If I take Ibuprofen 400 mg it helps temporarily. Is it some infection of the skull bones? The nasal bones are also paining. Nose is stuffy sometime. I feel some mucous is coming down. Sometimes my ears are blocked. I never had headache or sinus problem. When the headache is there I have no capacity to think anything.I have been healthy all along. Please tell me what to do. I am a sixty one year old female, Indian by birth, living in Sweden.

by Michael H Kirsch, DDS, May 23, 2009 03:12PM
The most likely explanation to your symptoms is that the nerve inside the tooth may be inflammed.  This can occur when the cavity and therefore the filling is very close to the nerve inside the tooth.

The condition is called irreversible pulpitis and the treatment is root canal therapy.  There are simple tests a dentist can do to confirm this diagnosis.  The radiating pain you are describing is not uncommon with inflammed or infected teeth.

If your doctor is unavailable then I strongly urge you to see another dentist or Endodontist (root canal specialist).  Left untreated the nerve tissue will die and may lead to a significant infection.

I am confident your symptoms will resolve once the root canal is completed.  If for some reason they persist, you should seek a consultation with an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon.

Information contained within this reply is intended solely for general educational purposes and is not intended nor implied to be a medical diagnosis or treatment recommendation.  This is not a substitute for professional medical advice relative to your specific medical condition or question. Always seek the advice of your own doctor for medical condition. Only your doctor can provide specific diagnoses and therapies.
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