Is my tooth cracked - desperate for advice.

[Davi]

Hi

I have another thread going explaining my issues but I’m totally deflated by the lack of help from any of the dentists I have seen - from my own dentists to the dental hospital.

Put simply I have hadva crown on a lower right molar for 15 years. A year ago it started hurting which led me to have it looked at. It appeared fine on xray but there was decay at the crown margins as evidenced on macro photographs of the tooth. The tooth hurt to bite on so all my chewing went ontonthe other side.

I had a root canal procedure but it was still sensitive to pressure and so the fitting of a new crown was delayed and delayed until finally the dentist decided to put the crown on the tooth three months ago whilst it was still sore.

I had already been to see the dental hospital where a student performed the exam and reported to the professor who promptly told me I had Atypical Toothache and sent me on my way.

It’s now over a year and it still hurts so you can imagine the toll it’s taken. It hurts to any pressure and sets of a real ache if I accidentally chew some excess food which makes its way over to that tooth.

I now have been diagnosed with TMJ attributed to clenching and that is one explanation but this tooth has been taken out of occlusion according to my dentist.

I’m terribly depressed because I am living with this pain and it’s caused me so much anxiety.

I just don’t understand what’s going on. I really need someone’s advice.

 

[laceygirl78]

Hi Davi, your story sounds similar to mine. Unfortunately, I still do not have any answers either. Have you had a 3D xray done on your tooth. I heard these are very good at detecting cracks. I do have a crack in my tooth. It is my right upper molar. It used to have a huge silver filling in it and the cusp cracked off. My dentist did a temporary crown on my tooth and I was in agony. I was told the crack was still there but didn't look too bad. As soon as the freezing wore off I couldn't chew on it or even touch it. So I had a root canal and then it did get slightly better but it still has a dull ache and I still can't eat on it. Ugghh... My endodontist (root canal specialist) wants to retreat it and put some medicine in it for a while but I think that the crack is worse than they think. Have you ever had your root canal re-treated? It sounds to me like you are definitely right to suspect a crack. Can you get a referral to an endodontist? It may help you a lot. Good luck!

 

[Davi]

Hi Davi, your story sounds similar to mine. Unfortunately, I still do not have any answers either. Have you had a 3D xray done on your tooth. I heard these are very good at detecting cracks. I do have a crack in my tooth. It is my right upper molar. It used to have a huge silver filling in it and the cusp cracked off. My dentist did a temporary crown on my tooth and I was in agony. I was told the crack was still there but didn't look too bad. As soon as the freezing wore off I couldn't chew on it or even touch it. So I had a root canal and then it did get slightly better but it still has a dull ache and I still can't eat on it. Ugghh... My endodontist (root canal specialist) wants to retreat it and put some medicine in it for a while but I think that the crack is worse than they think. Have you ever had your root canal re-treated? It sounds to me like you are definitely right to suspect a crack. Can you get a referral to an endodontist? It may help you a lot. Good luck!

Hi

I haven’t had a 3D scan as yet and I suspect I will have to go independently for that. My tooth hasn’t had a retreatment and to be honest I wouldn’t allow it because it’s had too much messing with it over a 14months.

I am incredibly dissatisfied with the treatment I have had from the dental professionals who have looked at thus tooth. Not one of them have suggested a fracture, let alone a 3D scan, and yet they all know and can see that a percussion test or a bite test elicits pain.

There is the possibility that this is TMJ. I do clench my teeth and there is absolutely a refferal of pain from my jaw muscles into that one tooth but I struggle to believe that this would cause one tooth to be painful to bite.

The other point is that this one molar is out of occlusion because the dentist made it that way.

 

[assertives]

I find it kinda odd that the tmj would cause referred pain in biting on this tooth, especially with the tooth taken out of occlusion. My personal experince with referred pain has usually been not specific, like a general area of ache more than specific pain in one particular tooth upon biting each time. The pain also seems to "move around".

I second the suggestion to consult an endodontist and possibly consider a retreatment depending on what the endodontist recommends. If you do get a retreatment, the endodontist could sometimes also be able to see with the microscope if there was a crack when he opens up the tooth.

 

[Davi]

I find it kinda odd that the tmj would cause referred pain in biting on this tooth, especially with the tooth taken out of occlusion. My personal experince with referred pain has usually been not specific, like a general area of ache more than specific pain in one particular tooth upon biting each time. The pain also seems to "move around".

I second the suggestion to consult an endodontist and possibly consider a retreatment depending on what the endodontist recommends. If you do get a retreatment, the endodontist could sometimes also be able to see with the microscope if there was a crack when he opens up the tooth.

This is what I am thinking, however, I have just been informed via a TMJ specialist that referred pain from TMJ can indeed show up in one tooth - especially if that tooth has undergone trauma - which it has from three rounds of drilling etc to get to the point where a final crown can be fitted.

I am waiting on further appointments back at the dental hospital and I am hopefully going to make it abundantly clear that this one tooth will not tolerate any pressure. I’m not keen on a retreatment, especially seeing as three dentists have examined the xrays on this tooth and declared it “Absolutely stunning root canal work”. My own dentists who performed the RC is incredibly experienced with a very good reputation - which he clearly maintains.

The dental hospital have scared me by warning not to have an extraction or it could get worse. Atypical toothach’s main cause is myofacial pain referrals and my symptoms kind of fit with that.

 

[assertives]

This is what I am thinking, however, I have just been informed via a TMJ specialist that referred pain from TMJ can indeed show up in one tooth - especially if that tooth has undergone trauma - which it has from three rounds of drilling etc to get to the point where a final crown can be fitted.

I am waiting on further appointments back at the dental hospital and I am hopefully going to make it abundantly clear that this one tooth will not tolerate any pressure. I’m not keen on a retreatment, especially seeing as three dentists have examined the xrays on this tooth and declared it “Absolutely stunning root canal work”. My own dentists who performed the RC is incredibly experienced with a very good reputation - which he clearly maintains.

The dental hospital have scared me by warning not to have an extraction or it could get worse. Atypical toothach’s main cause is myofacial pain referrals and my symptoms kind of fit with that.

Well, glad that you managed to get some clear answers as to what is happening. Hopefully your recovery process can progress without too much hiccups now.