• Dental Phobia Support

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My strange and unusual dental journey (root canal, wisdom tooth, filling and more)

Yes I've had it checked 3 times with x-ray. I was at my normal check up in November, but they didn't want to do x-ray again, since they did it already half a year ago.
It's so frustrating not knowing what is actually going on. I'm constantly told that my bite is off and they try to adjust it a bit. But nothing takes the pain away.
At times I feel completely alone with my concerns, so in some strange way it is actually nice “to meet” someone in same situation.

Yeah I understand the whole “everything looks great on the x ray” routine. It is so frustrating because it makes you feel like they think it is in your head.
Have you had a 3D X-ray? They call it a CBCT scan. My abscess on my tooth showed up really small on a regular x ray but was actually very large, just behind the tooth.
Another question is have they tested it for vitality? Mine didn’t hurt until after the tooth had pretty much died and abscessed. There was a tiny bit of pulp left so it didn’t turn gray. Yours may not be infected yet. Maybe the pulp is just inflamed. Is it sensitive to heat and cold?
Another thing...do you wear a nightguard? I used to push on my front tooth with my tongue at night apparently, once it was sore. That made it more sore.
 
I actually had 2 times 3D scan, but that was 2 and 3 years ago, when I had issues with the molars. I haven’t had one since the incisor started hurting.

I do wear nightguard, I have for the last two years. I think I have gotten a very bad habbit of pushing my tongue towards it during the day, without actually noticing it.
I don’t think it’s sensitive to hot or cold, but sometimes I get in doubt. Because if just some food or my lip touches it hurts.

It hasn’t been vitality tested, I might have to demand that they do that soon. But I’m at the point now, were I feel that everytime I visit the dentist office, I have to struggle to convince them that what I feel is actually there. Like you say, they think it is all in my head. And I even have changed dental Office, but still the same.
Can’t really see why they question me, since I don’t think anyone loves going to the dentist just for fun.
 
I actually had 2 times 3D scan, but that was 2 and 3 years ago, when I had issues with the molars. I haven’t had one since the incisor started hurting.

I do wear nightguard, I have for the last two years. I think I have gotten a very bad habbit of pushing my tongue towards it during the day, without actually noticing it.
I don’t think it’s sensitive to hot or cold, but sometimes I get in doubt. Because if just some food or my lip touches it hurts.

It hasn’t been vitality tested, I might have to demand that they do that soon. But I’m at the point now, were I feel that everytime I visit the dentist office, I have to struggle to convince them that what I feel is actually there. Like you say, they think it is all in my head. And I even have changed dental Office, but still the same.
Can’t really see why they question me, since I don’t think anyone loves going to the dentist just for fun.

I know what you mean. However, I think asking for a vitality test is completely reasonable. If nothing else, it should be able to let them know if there really is a problem. My dentist sent me to an endodontist to test the teeth I have had tested in the past. You could always just call and ask for a referral to an endodontist. I hope you can get some answers!
 
You are right, I will call them again after the weekend and ask for an appointment again. Thanks for your reply, it really helps :)
 
You are right, I will call them again after the weekend and ask for an appointment again. Thanks for your reply, it really helps :)
I always try to tell myself that even if they think I am being ridiculous, I am still a paying customer and I would rather pay and get peace of mind for myself. Good luck!
 
I had my first cleaning at my new dentist. The hygienist was young and she was nice. She was very thorough and I apologized to her for flinching when she was scraping my teeth. I absolutely hate that sound and it always feels like pieces of my teeth are coming off. It didn’t hurt at all, and she said she understood about the flinching and the sounds bothering me. She said my teeth looked great and I had very little tarter.
The dentist said everything looked good and he didn’t see any new issues. I brought up my concern with the pain in certain teeth and the dentist said he thinks it is the neuralgia but if the pain changes or is consistent to come back.
 
I have been back to the oral surgeon/periodontist to get my extraction site checked. He said the bone growth is great and scheduled me to get my implant next week! He uses a different technique than my last surgeon, and said he doesn’t open up the gums, but uses a tool like a hole punch to remove the gums. He said it creates less pain overall as there are no stitches. Very, very nervous!
On another topic, my atypical facial pain is acting up again. The past few days my front tooth area, around the implant, has been hurting and right now my lower jaw is aching like crazy. So frustrating! I know the implant being placed is only going to aggravate it.
 
So, as usual for me, since I had another implant put in, another molar is acting up. ? This time it is an upper first molar, opposite the two implants on the lower molars. It is on of only two molars left that has an old amalgam filling. The tooth has recently started getting a little sensitive to heat and the tooth is aching. I wouldn’t pay attention to the aching much as that seems to be the new normal for me, but the heat sensitivity and occasional pain when chewing bothers me. Ugh. This is not going to end until all my molars are out.
 
No! No!!! I hate hearing this. How is it feeling today?
 
No! No!!! I hate hearing this. How is it feeling today?
It comes and goes. The heat sensitivity is still there and it hurts when eating anything crunchy or even somewhat chewy. ?
 
I’m so so sorry. Could it be the bite from the new implants?
 
I’m so so sorry. Could it be the bite from the new implants?
Don’t think so…the teeth don’t even touch on that side right now. I am starting to think the common denominator here is amalgam fillings. So far every molar except one has had an old amalgam filling. The one that didn’t was one I think shouldn’t have come out. I think it was pain from atypical facial pain before it was diagnosed. I don’t know if the fillings are failing or what. Or maybe they aggravated the nerve over time? I do have a metal allergy but it is to nickel. No idea but it is strange.
 
Don’t think so…the teeth don’t even touch on that side right now. I am starting to think the common denominator here is amalgam fillings. So far every molar except one has had an old amalgam filling. The one that didn’t was one I think shouldn’t have come out. I think it was pain from atypical facial pain before it was diagnosed. I don’t know if the fillings are failing or what. Or maybe they aggravated the nerve over time? I do have a metal allergy but it is to nickel. No idea but it is strange.

I am also fighting depression. I started light workout yesterday 2 weeks after my bone graft and hope you & I get through this. I want all teeth problems resolved before I turn 40 in a year.
 
Well, it has been awhile since I updated. I have had multiple weird things happen since then. After my 4th implant was placed, my bite was off…majorly off. I thought it was swelling from the implant but after the swelling went down, my molars, premolars and canines did not touch on the right side when I put my teeth together. This was causing a lot of pain on the left side, because all the force was on my premolars and one spot on my molars where my lower 2nd molar had a pointy cusp. It actually ended up breaking off a bit of my upper first molar where it hit.

Dentist and oral surgeon thought it was inflammation of the joint and it would go away on its own in a few months. Oral surgeon made an appointment for me to come back in two months. It remained. He said it was likely permanent at that point.

Dentist made a new nightguard in the meantime, as my other one was falling apart. He put the implant crown on and adjusted my occlusion. He filed down the pointy cusp and adjusted a few other teeth so there was no strong force on just a few teeth.

9 months after my implant, and change in bite, my left jaw joint got really sore and tender to the touch. A week or so later, I woke up and my bite was back to normal. I could touch my teeth together again!

I had already had an appointment scheduled with a facial pain specialist, which was yesterday. I will put that in a new post.
 
I had an appointment yesterday with a facial pain specialist. He has written papers and done numerous case studies on facial pain, especially atypical ones. He requested all my records, from my dentists, surgeons, endodontist, and even ENT and neurologist. Everything that pertained to any kind of facial and dental pain. He read those before the appointment.

He did a thorough exam, which hurt a little, but not bad (although it is sore today!). He pressed on different muscles in my jaw, neck and in my mouth. Most didn’t hurt, but before he did the ones in my mouth, he said that if it was what he thought, it would hurt increasingly as he switched muscle groups. It did. It wasn’t bad, mostly mild pain, but the last ones were more moderate.

Then he asked a bunch of questions about when and how intense the pain was, and my dental history, and accidents or trauma, etc.

He said he believes I had a displaced disc in the left jaw joint, which caused the bite issue. He said that when it went back in place, my bite was fixed. He also said I had several knots in my muscles on my left jaw, and one large one on the right jaw. He said those could cause tooth pain as well as jaw pain.

So I am recommended to start physical therapy with someone who is familiar with the jaw muscles, which is not available where I live. Long drive away (two hours). He said he normally makes an orthotic device but my one I had made recently may work and he might just be able to adjust it. I have a LOT of reading material he gave me to study and write down questions for the next appointment.

It was a long day…his office is 3 hours from my house, and it was a 2 hour appointment. I go back next month.
 
Hi mountainmama. This is what I am currently having on a weekly basis. Physical intra oral massage and trigger point release. It’s incredibly painful. I’m waiting for my splint to help realign my bite, and also an MRI to check the jaw joints etc. I pick it up next week ?. I have been diagnosed with facial arthromyalgia after seeing a maxillofacial specialist, he diagnosed it on examination of my facial muscles, they were beyond painful to touch ? it is awful. The daily pain in my face muscles stabbing pains in my ear, certain teeth ache and sting almost. . I hope you find some relief with the physical therapy ?
 
Hi mountainmama. This is what I am currently having on a weekly basis. Physical intra oral massage and trigger point release. It’s incredibly painful. I’m waiting for my splint to help realign my bite, and also an MRI to check the jaw joints etc. I pick it up next week ?. I have been diagnosed with facial arthromyalgia after seeing a maxillofacial specialist, he diagnosed it on examination of my facial muscles, they were beyond painful to touch ? it is awful. The daily pain in my face muscles stabbing pains in my ear, certain teeth ache and sting almost. . I hope you find some relief with the physical therapy ?
Sorry I somehow missed your post! I hope it is working for you.
I am starting physical therapy on April 5, plus the facial pain specialist wants me to do Biofeedback therapy as well. It sounds rather strange and I do not know quite what to make of it yet. I have not got an appointment for that yet…have not been able to catch anyone in the office today.

Based on my exam, I apparently have multiple trigger points where the muscles have knots from damage.

He wanted me to get the custom orthotic device but I cannot afford it right now ($1900!!!). I just had a custom nightguard made a few months back at my dentist, and he adjusted that for now, although he said it is a softer material inside and that aggravates the jaw muscles.
 
I had my third visit to the facial pain specialist. Last visit he adjusted my current nightguard and gave me names for physical therapy and biofeedback therapy. Today, we discussed my recent flare up, and he adjusted my nightguard again. He thinks my recent flare up could have been a combination of stress and allergies (sinus pain). I told him I couldn’t tolerate the medication he prescribed last time. I am very sensitive to meds.
He prescribed me metaxalone this time, which is a muscle relaxer that has very few side effects and is supposed to be good for people who are sensitive to meds. I am supposed to cut the pill into fourths and take a fourth at a time and see how I do. He also prescribed a very low dose steroid for the inflammation of my jaw joint. 0.5 mg of prednisone, twice daily. The meds are just until we see progress with the PT and biofeedback.

I start PT tomorrow and Biofeedback next week. Hope it goes well!
 
I had my physical therapy consult today. The therapist was very knowledgeable and she did an exam to find out where the pain was. It was crazy because at one point she was squeezing the muscles at the base of my neck on the right, and it made my upper right teeth ache! She explained that the nerves can often transfer pain, kind of like referred pain, since they are intertwined. She said my muscles there were super tight. She also commented on a knot I have in my masseter (jaw muscle) that is very large. She gave me a few exercises to do before I start in a few weeks.
 
Hope It goes great for you. Sounds like she knows her stuff. hope The at home exercise help even more!
 
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