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Pain that moves around/changes

M

mirla

Member
Joined
Apr 7, 2006
Messages
67
OK. I've got pain that's been moving, but mostly sticking on the left side. It changes, too. Sometimes it's sharp. Sometimes it's dull. Sometimes it's closer to a numb feeling than an actual pain. When it is focused on a tooth, it doesn't stay on that tooth for long.

I had the same thing a few months ago. They took X-rays then, and determined I needed a root canal on a lower left tooth. I should mention that at that time they couldn't get that tooth to hurt with their hammer. I was constantly drinking cold water to keep the pain down, and not getting any sleep because nothing cut the pain. I was referred to an endodontist.

The morning of my endodontist appointment, my pain had stopped moving around and had set up shop in the tooth I was told was a problem. That tooth only hurt when I bit down on it, which was all the time, since it seemed to be the highest tooth in my mouth. When I talked to the Endodontist, he said this was a normal pain progression for a lower infection, and that there was no pain medication that would have helped. The root canal went fine, and I went on with my life.

Flash forward to a couple of days ago. I started getting the same symptoms (pain moving all over the place and not staying the same). I went to the Dentist this morning and the only "funny" thing on the X-ray was a black area under my root canaled tooth. The Dentist, however, felt that this was "scarring" and thought that since banging on the tooth didn't produce any reaction, it couldn't be that. She said to come back in a week, or if the pain sets up shop in a particular tooth. She gave me a perscription for a mouth rince, and 800 mg Advil. She also advised that I see my Doctor.

I saw my Doctor this noon. She didn't have any real ideas, but gave me perscriptions for a couple of pain meds that don't seem to be working.

My question is, am I really stuck being miserable and sleepless until the pain localizes? Do you think it would be appropriate for me to call my Endodontist to see if he has a different opinion? If it makes a difference, I'm in the US. I would really like to call my Endodontist (if I can work up the courage), but I'm scared he'll think I'm an idiot or a troublemaker, or he'll want to see me and charge an arm and a leg that insurance won't cover because I wasn't referred.

Thank you!
 
You might want to contact your dentist and let them know you are still experiencing pain.  Keep in mind that it can be quite difficult to pinpoint the problem if the pain isn't localized.

If they can't find anything wrong, ask them if they might refer you back to the endodontist to have a peek.  If the pain appears to be coming from the root canaled tooth, you could always call the endodontist's office and see what they recommend that you do.  Don't be worried about calling since they probably would want to take care of you especially if it has something to do with the root canaled tooth.

It could be a whole range of things so rather than list off a bunch that might not even be the case, it's probably best to have it checked out. Keep in mind too that it may not be dentally related. Sometimes people who grind their teeth at night can experience non-localized pain. Also, I've heard of people with referred pain to the teeth while they are experiencing a ischemic heart attack. Neurological factors could also mimic jaw and tooth aches.
 
An update:

After getting absolutely no sleep that night (I may have had 5-10 times that I fell asleep for 5-10 minutes), I called my Dentist's office first thing they opened the next morning. After putting me on hold a few times, they finally had refererral for me to see my endodontist to check on the work they had already done. I really wanted a referral to find out what was wrong, but I took what I was offered because I thought my endodontist was very nice and would do all he could to help me. When I called to make my appointment, I told them "As Soon as Possible." They had a 7:20 am the next morning, which I took. I had to take the rest of the day off of work since I was in no shape to drive. It was probably for the best, since I was falling asleep standing up, when I wasn't pacing the floor crying. I couldn't concentrate on anything, but I did discover that if I got crying so hard that my jaw started shaking that was good for a minute or so of pain relief. :cry:

I got a little more sleep the next night. I think I actually had a half-hour nap once that night. I may have had two hours in total that night, mostly in 5-10 minute spurts after taking a swig of cold water. On the plus side, when I fell asleep with said water in my mouth, the water was rolling out the front of my mouth onto my chest, instead of choking me by trying to roll out the back. :drool:

The next morning was my appointment. The Endodontist said the root canaled tooth looked fine, but he was willing to look at other possible culprits. He did the little hammer thing, nothing. Then he did the ice cube thing. There was only one tooth that didn't respond. He said that was probably the guilty tooth, but we could tell for sure if he gave me an injection. I said great. He gave me the injection and told me he had another patient, and that he'd be back in 1/2 hour. A minute or two after he left, the pain went away. I had to use bathroom (not unusual given the amount of water I was drinking). I set my watter bottle on the windowsill, and left the room without it. I came back in, laid down on the chair, and went to sleep.

The nurse woke me up just before the Endodontist came in. I told him that I was now able to go without my water. I was pain-free. He spent a few minutes "opening up" my tooth, I stopped by the front office to make my next appointment, and I left, big smile on my face. ;D

I think I need a new Dentist. My Dentist left this practice, and I haven't been too happy with the other Dentist there.
 
That's good to hear. It sounds like you had a necrotic tooth that wasn't showing any signs of a problem on the Xray. Sometimes it can be difficult to pinpoint the problem. Thankfully the specialist was able to narrow it down.
 
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