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Please HELP-Pain for months and still no answers!
I am in desperate need of advice. In July of 2008, I went to the dentist for a check up and was told that I needed to have 4 of my silver fillings(#'s 2,5,12,15)replaced because they were leaking. I had #'s 2 and 5 replaced with composites.
#2 and # 31really bothered me after the composite and I returned two weeks later to have the high spots
reduced. Dentist then replaced #12 with composite.
(9/30)The pain continued, in #31 and also moved to #18-19. At this point, the pain started to become unbearable. Returned to the dentist, checked #18-19 for cold tests and PA and they were fine. At this point, he said that I was probably grinding and that I should get a mouth guard and have a couple of drinks at night. Dentist replaced #15 with composites.
Thank you for bearing with me through this long explanation:)
The pain was so bad that it was requiring me to take around the clock pain relievers, I am a teacher and it became hard for me to teach, so I returned. X-Rays were taken of #19, only symptomatic to percussion test. X-Rays and all other tests were fine, but dentist thought I could have a possible necrosis, so he did a root canal.
Wow, the pain, just became worse and worse. Went to new dentist, couldn't see any problems, had mouth guard made...no improvement.
Pain continued, bringing me to tears and waking me at night. Went to endo.(12/22), found crack in #14 and did yet another root canal. No improvement, pain worsened. Around the clock pain relievers, waking at night.
Returned to endo.,(1/18)he re-treated #19 root canal. Still no improvement.
Returned to endo.(1/22), reduced high spots. Still no improvement. Said that #15 filling close to nerve.
Returned today(1/27), #15 reacts to cold, endo. suggests root canal, so I scheduled for next week.
Basically, I am loosing my mind, major bills, terrible insurance and unbearable pain that is waking me at night and bringing me to tears.
My health and teeth were always great, I'm only 32. Never did I have dental problems until I went in for a routine appt. and had silver fillings replaced as suggested by dentist.
The pain is intense, deep and throbbing, the majority of my pain is coming from below #19. It extends from that area, along my entire jaw, towards my ears and #15-14. Endo. says #19 may need to be extracted if pain continues.
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much for your time.
#2 and # 31really bothered me after the composite and I returned two weeks later to have the high spots
reduced. Dentist then replaced #12 with composite.
(9/30)The pain continued, in #31 and also moved to #18-19. At this point, the pain started to become unbearable. Returned to the dentist, checked #18-19 for cold tests and PA and they were fine. At this point, he said that I was probably grinding and that I should get a mouth guard and have a couple of drinks at night. Dentist replaced #15 with composites.
Thank you for bearing with me through this long explanation:)
The pain was so bad that it was requiring me to take around the clock pain relievers, I am a teacher and it became hard for me to teach, so I returned. X-Rays were taken of #19, only symptomatic to percussion test. X-Rays and all other tests were fine, but dentist thought I could have a possible necrosis, so he did a root canal.
Wow, the pain, just became worse and worse. Went to new dentist, couldn't see any problems, had mouth guard made...no improvement.
Pain continued, bringing me to tears and waking me at night. Went to endo.(12/22), found crack in #14 and did yet another root canal. No improvement, pain worsened. Around the clock pain relievers, waking at night.
Returned to endo.,(1/18)he re-treated #19 root canal. Still no improvement.
Returned to endo.(1/22), reduced high spots. Still no improvement. Said that #15 filling close to nerve.
Returned today(1/27), #15 reacts to cold, endo. suggests root canal, so I scheduled for next week.
Basically, I am loosing my mind, major bills, terrible insurance and unbearable pain that is waking me at night and bringing me to tears.
My health and teeth were always great, I'm only 32. Never did I have dental problems until I went in for a routine appt. and had silver fillings replaced as suggested by dentist.
The pain is intense, deep and throbbing, the majority of my pain is coming from below #19. It extends from that area, along my entire jaw, towards my ears and #15-14. Endo. says #19 may need to be extracted if pain continues.
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much for your time.
I hope you don't have allergies t what was put in your mouth, the fillings or cement
better go see a prosthodonist and quick before your symptoms become like mine were.
I had the same exact symptoms you had and Had #18 and 19 crowns put on, the dentist told me nothing was wrong for 7 months. Prosthodonist found the problem.
Better go see a specialist (Prosthodonist) they are the best, you cannot jeopardise when it comes to your health and believe me, your teeth play a very very very important part of your health.
I also notified my State Dental Board as you should be doing also.
I know what the pain feels like. IT felt like the crowns were digging into my gums.
I went to an endodonist and he stated I needed two root canals on 18 and 19.
I said well, I am not disputing your advice, but my teeth are too high and my bite is now off my teeth have started moving. I'm getting numbness in my facial area and my arm is now starting to go numb. He was sort of puzzled as to why I would want to go see a prosthodonist instead of go back to my denitst. LOL
The General Dentist's office did nothing but argue with me that nothing was wrong for 7 months. Please go see a prosthodonist and notify your State dental board about the problem and see if you can get your money back on the crowns by going to the Better Business Bureau also.
I thought I was the only one this happened to. After reading this site about others, I think some of these general dentists need more training in one field and quit trying to be jack of all trades.
AFter seeing a prosthodonist, my symptoms are subsiding, but are not still gone, I still have some soreness. The crowns are what is causing your TMJ not you. I thought I was crazy also, it isn't you or your body, it is the occlusal of the crowns that caused it by being too high. Please get an attorney also.
My ear had felt funny and plugged. It started to get a wringing sound in them also.
My jaw moved up and I was getting dizzy, also had headaches. It is not TMJ, but if you don't get help from a Prosthodonist it could end up being really bad. Mine started really getting bad. I am not out of the woods yet, but I think I soon will be with the help of a Prosthodonist.
I went to the dentist January 28th, drove 127 miles to go to an expert! I told him I wasn't leaving there until the crown that was really hurting comes off, He adjusted it with his expertise of being what he really is ( an engineer/ artist) and I went home feeling great no more extreme pain. A prosthodonist has 4 more years of schooling than a general dentist.
I don't have anything against general dentist, just that some make it bad for others in the field. I was called a lier by my own dentist, but now I have some evidence of what he did and how he should have done things differently.
Good Luck!
And the student is right do not let an endodonist talk you into a root canal if one is not needed. They tried to do that to me also. You may have needed it, but for me no root canal needed, it was all occlusal. (adjustments needed done).
It is the occlusal needing to be done that is starting to cause your TMJ. That is what is started doing to me.
I had the same exact symptoms you had and Had #18 and 19 crowns put on, the dentist told me nothing was wrong for 7 months. Prosthodonist found the problem.
Better go see a specialist (Prosthodonist) they are the best, you cannot jeopardise when it comes to your health and believe me, your teeth play a very very very important part of your health.
I also notified my State Dental Board as you should be doing also.
I know what the pain feels like. IT felt like the crowns were digging into my gums.
I went to an endodonist and he stated I needed two root canals on 18 and 19.
I said well, I am not disputing your advice, but my teeth are too high and my bite is now off my teeth have started moving. I'm getting numbness in my facial area and my arm is now starting to go numb. He was sort of puzzled as to why I would want to go see a prosthodonist instead of go back to my denitst. LOL
The General Dentist's office did nothing but argue with me that nothing was wrong for 7 months. Please go see a prosthodonist and notify your State dental board about the problem and see if you can get your money back on the crowns by going to the Better Business Bureau also.
I thought I was the only one this happened to. After reading this site about others, I think some of these general dentists need more training in one field and quit trying to be jack of all trades.
AFter seeing a prosthodonist, my symptoms are subsiding, but are not still gone, I still have some soreness. The crowns are what is causing your TMJ not you. I thought I was crazy also, it isn't you or your body, it is the occlusal of the crowns that caused it by being too high. Please get an attorney also.
My ear had felt funny and plugged. It started to get a wringing sound in them also.
My jaw moved up and I was getting dizzy, also had headaches. It is not TMJ, but if you don't get help from a Prosthodonist it could end up being really bad. Mine started really getting bad. I am not out of the woods yet, but I think I soon will be with the help of a Prosthodonist.
I went to the dentist January 28th, drove 127 miles to go to an expert! I told him I wasn't leaving there until the crown that was really hurting comes off, He adjusted it with his expertise of being what he really is ( an engineer/ artist) and I went home feeling great no more extreme pain. A prosthodonist has 4 more years of schooling than a general dentist.
I don't have anything against general dentist, just that some make it bad for others in the field. I was called a lier by my own dentist, but now I have some evidence of what he did and how he should have done things differently.
Good Luck!
And the student is right do not let an endodonist talk you into a root canal if one is not needed. They tried to do that to me also. You may have needed it, but for me no root canal needed, it was all occlusal. (adjustments needed done).
It is the occlusal needing to be done that is starting to cause your TMJ. That is what is started doing to me.
Let me preface this by saying that without the exact case, I cannot say whether or not your dentists made the right call or not.
As people get more and more educated, there is a tendency to get tunnel-vision....see only what you are trained to see. A general dentist who does not do a lot of comprehensive cases only sees a problem as a need to replace fillings a crowns, an endodontist thinks everything needs root canals, and an oral surgeon removes first and asks questions later. Now...those are huge generalizations, but with a hint of truth.
From just the information you gave me, I would guess everything started because one of your fillings was hitting too hard (felt high). This can cause all sorts of problems from a dull ache when biting to full on cold sensitivity (just like when a tooth is infected). Btw, this theory of occlusion is fairly new and not very well taught. However, I have treated three of my classmates for high occlusion who all had sensitivity to cold, which went away 1-2 days after I did very minor adjustments. What would an endodontist say if he saw them first? Well, at the school they are current enough that they would probably do the same thing, but outside you never know how up to date your dentist is.
That whole explaination to basically say, you may not have needed the root canals. But, you may have...without knowing the whole story I can't say for certain.
Why do I recommend a TMJ specialist? They are trained to think more comprehensively, and most of what they do is reversible or temporary. Your original symptom might have been something as simple as a sore muscle or joint referring pain, or a high spot that was not completely relieved.
So, to actually answer your question, I would wait to see what the TMJ dentist finds before working on #15. I may be biased because I am about to be a general dentist....but I think the only time you should ever get a root canal is when a GD specifically sends you to the endodontist. Not because the endo does anything wrong, but because they do not typically look at the big picture, they get little to no experience diagnosing problems other than root canals.
As people get more and more educated, there is a tendency to get tunnel-vision....see only what you are trained to see. A general dentist who does not do a lot of comprehensive cases only sees a problem as a need to replace fillings a crowns, an endodontist thinks everything needs root canals, and an oral surgeon removes first and asks questions later. Now...those are huge generalizations, but with a hint of truth.
From just the information you gave me, I would guess everything started because one of your fillings was hitting too hard (felt high). This can cause all sorts of problems from a dull ache when biting to full on cold sensitivity (just like when a tooth is infected). Btw, this theory of occlusion is fairly new and not very well taught. However, I have treated three of my classmates for high occlusion who all had sensitivity to cold, which went away 1-2 days after I did very minor adjustments. What would an endodontist say if he saw them first? Well, at the school they are current enough that they would probably do the same thing, but outside you never know how up to date your dentist is.
That whole explaination to basically say, you may not have needed the root canals. But, you may have...without knowing the whole story I can't say for certain.
Why do I recommend a TMJ specialist? They are trained to think more comprehensively, and most of what they do is reversible or temporary. Your original symptom might have been something as simple as a sore muscle or joint referring pain, or a high spot that was not completely relieved.
So, to actually answer your question, I would wait to see what the TMJ dentist finds before working on #15. I may be biased because I am about to be a general dentist....but I think the only time you should ever get a root canal is when a GD specifically sends you to the endodontist. Not because the endo does anything wrong, but because they do not typically look at the big picture, they get little to no experience diagnosing problems other than root canals.
Thank you for getting back to me so promptly!
I have an appt. tomorrow with a TMJ specialist. Why do you think I suddenly needed a root canal on 19 and and 14 and another re-treat on 19 after having the silver fillings replaced? Also, I am wondering why there has never been a sign of an infection or abnormality on the x-rays. Do you think I should hold off on the root canal on 15, it is only presenting symptoms when giving the cold test?
:)
I have an appt. tomorrow with a TMJ specialist. Why do you think I suddenly needed a root canal on 19 and and 14 and another re-treat on 19 after having the silver fillings replaced? Also, I am wondering why there has never been a sign of an infection or abnormality on the x-rays. Do you think I should hold off on the root canal on 15, it is only presenting symptoms when giving the cold test?
:)
"and have a couple of drinks at night"
I am just curious, how old is your dentist? I think thats the first time I have ever heard someone suggest that.
The human body is a strange thing, especially when it comes to pain. What can make things so difficult to diagnose sometimes is referred pain is very common. Without a completely comprehensive evaluation, its hard to say what is going on.
And unfortunantly, not all mouthguards are created equal. Some of the older ways of making them have been shown to either not help or make problems worse. Unless your dentist (and his lab) are up to date, the mouthguard would not have helped.
Two things I can suggest:
1) Try to get into the graduate program of a dental school nearby. You will get multiple people working on the same problem and instructors at schools are much more current on dentistry (ie. you will get better overall comprehensive care). Only problem is, some schools take a while to get into the program.
2) Find a TMJ specialist. Chances are, with all the recent work you have had done, the pain could be referred from your muscles and joint. They can evaluate this and see if its coming from the tooth or somewhere else.
Sorry I could not be of more help. Good luck with your case!
I am just curious, how old is your dentist? I think thats the first time I have ever heard someone suggest that.
The human body is a strange thing, especially when it comes to pain. What can make things so difficult to diagnose sometimes is referred pain is very common. Without a completely comprehensive evaluation, its hard to say what is going on.
And unfortunantly, not all mouthguards are created equal. Some of the older ways of making them have been shown to either not help or make problems worse. Unless your dentist (and his lab) are up to date, the mouthguard would not have helped.
Two things I can suggest:
1) Try to get into the graduate program of a dental school nearby. You will get multiple people working on the same problem and instructors at schools are much more current on dentistry (ie. you will get better overall comprehensive care). Only problem is, some schools take a while to get into the program.
2) Find a TMJ specialist. Chances are, with all the recent work you have had done, the pain could be referred from your muscles and joint. They can evaluate this and see if its coming from the tooth or somewhere else.
Sorry I could not be of more help. Good luck with your case!
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