Hot/Cold sensitivity after 1 month with new crown

[ScaredoftheDentist]

Hello.  I had a crown placed on a lower tooth about a month ago. I had no pain for the first couple of weeks.  Then I started getting pain in my jaw.  The dentist drilled it down and said the bite was off.  It was better, but still painful.  I went back again and he drilled some more and said the pain was due to bad bite.  The pain is still mainly in my jaw but I have noticed that hot/cold causes the pain in my jaw to intensify so I am not sure if the pain in my jaw is just pain radiating from my tooth.  Any thoughts on if it is just a pulpitis situation and may calm down without further work being done?  Thank you.

[ScaredoftheDentist]

Hello everyone,
First I want to thank you all for being SO helpful and providing so much information!  It is GREATLY appreciated!  Just a quick update on my ever changing tooth problem.  Let me know what you think is going on now.  The hot/cold sensitivity is completely gone as is the pain in my jaw.  The pain is now localized in that particular tooth.  It is sore to push my tongue up against it or to chew on that side at all.  I do have an appt with the dentist scheduled for next Tuesday.  Any thoughts at what I might have going on?  Thanks again and have a wonderful weekend!  It's almost here.  :)

[pertykitty]

antibiotics can help if the nerve is irratated. be careful with that tooth for now.

[ScaredoftheDentist]

Thank you so much for your quick reply!  I really appreciate this service!

[ScaredoftheDentist]

One more question, if you think it is pulpitis, would it help to start antibiotics?

[mike1105]

antibiotics will only help if there is an infection present. inflammation of the pulp (pulpitis) does not mean that there is an infection present, and so with this diagnosis antibiotics is not the proper course of treatment. If there is infection present or an abcess developing, a root canal specialist will be able to diagnose this, and if this is the case antibiotics may be prescribed in addition to doing a root canal procedure on the tooth. In your case, it sounds like the tooth underwent much trauma in the preparation process and then being bearing the load of a high bite. Antibiotics will not help if this is why your tooth hurts.

[Jerome Bogin, D.D.S.]

It does sound like a pulpitis which can be reversible, which means it will calm down or irreversible which would necessitate having root canal therapy. It does seem like a fairly long time for this to have gone on. Wait a little longer and keep away from extremes of hot and cold. If the discomfort persists and the doctor rules out another tooth on that side you will have to consider doing the rct.