Possible root fracture?

[taten]

While eating a soft cookie, I heard/felt a loud cracking sound from my mouth followed by pain below my 2nd molar. The pain was intense for the 1st 24 hours, but has subsided somewhat. When I chew even very soft food on the other side, the pain begins to intensify to the point that I can barely finish a bowl of chicken noodle soup.
I visited my dentist who advised that he could see no issue. 3 weeks prior, I had my lower wisdom teeth removed. He flushed some food from the hole and suggested that I wait about a week to see if the pain improves. He did advise the possibility of a fractured root (the tooth had a root canal and crown about 3 months ago) but wanted wait before settling on that conclusion.

He had no explanation for the cracking sound. Does this sound familiar to anyone? The pain seems to be mostly in my jaw below the tooth and maybe not at the tooth itself - hard to tell... The pain intensifies with chewing on either side of even the softest of foods. Could it possibly be a jaw bone fracture related to the wisdom tooth extraction? If so, what should I expect from a pain standpoint? How long is the healing process? Etc...

Any advice and/or insight is greatly appreciated. Havn't eaten much in 3 weeks, lost over 25 pounds the hard way! Thanks for your help!

[taten]

Thank you for your opinion. I continue to have problems. Am going to see my dentist in the morning who may also consult the OS who removed my wisdom teeth. Consensus is leaning toward a root fracture and extraction of my 2nd molar may be the remedy. I cannot bear the ongoing trouble and will have the tooth removed tomorrow if that offers the best hope of relief. I do have reservations and really don't want to lose a tooth that cannot be replaced especially when there is no guarantee that it will solve the problem(dentist advised that an implant was the only possibility, but that it may not be a viable solution in this case), but I really need to do something. Life for the last month has been nearly perpetual torture that I would not wish on anyone. I am ready for it to be over!
Any advice again is greatly appreciated! Thanks.

[Arti Sharma, M.D.]

Hello and hope you are fine.
A dental examination is very important for confirming the exact cause of your symptoms. As you mentioned you had a root canal in that tooth there is a possibility of fracture .This tooth is already weak and brittle due to root canal. A dental X-ray will definitely help in delineating the fracture if any. Any advice on your treatment and prognosis can be given only after detecting the exact cause of your symptoms. Signs and symptoms of temporomandibular joint disorder vary in their presentation and can be very complex, but are often simple. A careful patient history, physical examination and panoramic X-rays may be helpful. Since your symptoms are severe I will advise you to see an oral surgeon and seek his opinion. Do write to me again.
Best luck and regards!