Is it a dead tooth, bruised tooth?

[Zjb]

A week ago I dropped a coffee mug from above on my tooth - lateral incisor area. It was painful so I went to an emergency dentist. He did the cold test and I still felt the cold right away as it was such a shock. If the tooth was dying would I still feel this? Or in a month or so if the tooth is actually dying would I not feel the cold?
It has been a week and I have been popping nurofen like candy. Saw my regular dentist and can't see any cracks but gave me some antibiotics and said if I am still in pain to come back and see him. He said if the pain continues I will need a root canal. This terrifies me to my absolute core. Has anyone had ongoing pain for more than a week and it was just bruised? Or dying tooth? Did antibiotics work for you? How long did it take for an abscess to form? Did one form at all?
I'm not sensitive to hot or cold and I can chew food, just a dull ache that changes throughout the day.

Has anybody else been in the same boat?
Thanks!

 

[MountainMama]

I am not a dentist but I would give it a bit longer before you do anything drastic, like a root canal. I had my front tooth die due to a childhood accident, but it was hit hard enough to actually break off a corner of my tooth. At the time, the dentist just put a composite filling on it, and it was sore for several weeks. Then nothing. It took a long time to die and was completely painless for 30 years. It abscessed a few years ago.

On the other hand, I had my dog throw her head back and knock me in my front teeth (one of which was a new implant from the abscessed tooth). I was so worried I would end up losing the other tooth. It was sore for several weeks, and sensitive to cold, and even a little looser than usual. It ended up being fine after several weeks.

 

[Zjb]

Thanks for your reply! I'm just so stressed because I'm in pain and painkillers are not working.

 

[MountainMama]

Thanks for your reply! I'm just so stressed because I'm in pain and painkillers are not working.

Mine (that was fine) was pretty painful for awhile. I kept making it worse by testing it, not letting it heal. Think about how long a bruise is sore on your skin. It takes awhile to heal.

In my experience with another tooth, in which the nerve was dying, the pain was sudden and shooting, more like zaps than an achy feeling.

 

[Zjb]

Wow, really appreciate the words of encouragement. How are your teeth now?

 

[MountainMama]

Wow, really appreciate the words of encouragement. How are your teeth now?

I am finally in a place where I am not getting active treatment. I was diagnosed with atypical facial pain following the implant and extraction of the dying tooth. I kept thinking the teeth were dying because they were hurting but the dentist couldn’t find anything wrong. They would eventually diagnose it as a crack and I ended up having two molars extracted and implants put in that were probably not needed. I have had an actual cracked molar since then and it definitely felt different. So I am now very attuned to what “sore” or “achy” teeth feel like vs dying teeth.