Advice Needed, Post-Root Canal & Temp Crown

[tragicpatient]

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping someone on here can give me a helpful answer... I apologize for the long story, I will try and keep this short.

October: I notice a black spot on my teeth, make an appt. with dentist immediately which is a HUGE step for me--- I used to avoid these types of things for years. At this point, I have no pain.
November 1-9: Get four fillings Sad week.
November 12: One of the fillings SEVERELY hurts. Crying all the time.
Rest of November: Dentist shaves down filling on #18 three times. #18 and #20, which both had fillings, hurt, A LOT. Dentist insists that #18 is the problem.
December: Dentist says I need a root canal (really made me mad when he says I don't take good care of my teeth, when I consistently have, but my father and grandfather have terrible, terrible teeth). I take antibiotics and feel better, and try to save up some money for the root canal because I don't have insurance and am a broke college student.
January: Inevitably, pain comes back. I make an appt. with the endodontist.
Feb: Get first and second part of two-part root canal treatment- very painful, miserable for weeks. Day after I finally feel 100%, I have the temporary crown placed (Feb. 21).
March 5th (today): My teeth still ache, almost a dull ache. Recall that #18 has had the root canal; that one is a dull ache. 19-20 seem to ache too, and it feels like ALL of 19 and 20 ache, but when I tap on them lightly with the end of my toothbrush, they don't seem to hurt (maybe it's just the gums??). Occasionally, I get a quick pain in another part of my mouth, esp. above #18 where the dentist had to shave some off to make way for the crown, but sometimes I get an ache in my bottom front teeth or somewhere else, which seems inexplicable.

Is this all normal? Should I be worried that I am still getting a dull ache in #18 and a sharper pain in #20? I should mention that #20 doesn't hurt enough for me to call my dentist, but I do take 1-2 advil a day, about every third day, so far, whenever it bothers me. I won't get my permanent crown until March 24th-- so far away!

I'm scared my pain will never end, and everyone around me is sick of hearing about it. Every appointment has been met with anxiety, lost hours of sleep waiting for dental appointments, lost of tears out of nervousness and anger that I've been brave enough to go through with appointments up to this point and still everything is not all better... I just feel like these last four months has been forever... will it ever go away?

 

[carole]

Hi to the forum.

I am sorry that you are having such a hard time of it. Sometimes things can take time to settle after a rct. I don't know if this would be your problem or not. Could you have some infection under the tooth or any of the other teeth, has your dentist done x rays or anything. Have you considered seeing someone else for a second opinion.

Do you live near a teaching hospital, they are very good and sometimes they take on patients.

I hope you get sorted out soon, I do understand how horrible and miserable all this is making you. All the best to you

 

[tragicpatient]

Hi Carole,

Thanks so much for the message! I should clarify: I haven't gotten a second opinion because in my area it costs about $200 in dental offices for 'new patient fees.' Financially, I just don't have the resources to keep on seeing dentists, so I've stuck to the one. I don't think he's a bad dentist, per se, but I think that I am personally having a lot of trouble with the procedures and I've been in a lot of pain.

And no, unfortunately, I don't live by a teaching hospital (and am also restricted in that I don't have my own car).

I had the RCT completed about three weeks ago now, and the endo was confident that the procedure went as planned. (I was also on antibiotics for a week, and he checked twice for infection and said it didn't look as if any was there).

As I said, some days are worse than others (and before I had the RCT, every day was a nightmare, so it's improved, at least). Thanks again for your response and for understanding!!