Cracked tooth maybe?

[Paulr23]

Hi all,

I went to the dentist around 3 months ago with a problem with my upper most rear molar whenever I bite down on something which will put pressure on it the pain is unbearable literally makes me flinch he said he did an X-ray and see nothing abnormal and said potentially a cracked tooth but he couldn’t see anything wrong with it, the pain went away for a few months (until a few days ago) when it has just come back again the exact same pain and exact same tooth and I have a swollen jaw from the pain. I wonder if anyone has had this before as I question whether it’s a cracked tooth due to the fact the pain went away and has come back again it makes me think an abscess or something.

I hope it’s not cracked as I don’t eat sweets/smoke/or grind my teeth etc. Just wondering if anyone has any other idea what it would be as i would be way too nervous to have a big tooth extracted and root canal seems painful.

 

[MountainMama]

Not a dentist so I can’t speculate, but I have a cracked lower molar that is going to be crowned. It has pain that comes and goes. Sometimes it doesn’t hurt at all and sometimes my whole jaw aches.

 

[letsconnect]

Hi, it could well be a cracked tooth from your description. The good news is that it's often possible to treat cracked tooth syndrome without the need for extraction or root canal . A lot of the time, all that's needed is to immobilise/splint the segments of the tooth which are moving when pressure is applied. There's a good article here which gives an overview of different treatment options (depending on the nature of the crack/s):

(WARNING: link contains graphic photos)

Cracked tooth syndrome. Part 2: restorative options for the management of cracked tooth syndrome - British Dental Journal

The second of this two part series on 'cracked tooth syndrome' will focus on the available methods for the immediate, intermediate and definitive management of patients affected by this condition. Included in this article is a comprehensive account of the relative merits/drawbacks of various...

www.nature.com

Hopefully, your dentist will be able to help you when they reopen! In the meantime, it might be a good idea to avoid chewing on the affected side (easier said than done, I know...).

Keeping my fingers crossed for you

 

[Niall Neeson]

Hi Paulr23,

I agree with the team, it could well be cracked tooth syndrome. This can come and go to an extent depending on a number of different factors.

Can I ask, are you ever aware of clenching or grinding your teeth? It’s common that people do, its usually at night but it’s also common that people aren’t aware of it. These habits can come and go to an extent and may be related to the behaviour of the pain (and the jaw).

Where in your jaw does it feel swollen? Is it visibly swollen eg to someone else?

Is the tooth otherwise healthy with no fillings? If it is then clenching/ grinding has the potential to cause these symptoms even without a crack as the ligament that surrounds the tooth can become ‘bruised’ from the stresses being applied.

It’s difficult to be sure what’s going on but certainly best to mention to your dentist. Probably worth keeping a ‘pain diary’ to keep an eye on any pattern as to when it’s present, when it’s not and any times of day it may be worse/ better etc.

Not sure how much help this info is or not but will hopefully give a little more understanding about potential sources.

All the best,

Niall