Ongoing Crown Nightmare

[rockitorknockit]

Spider and MountainMama, both your posts are helping me today. Thank you so much.

Spider, your post gave me a much needed laugh, honestly. You sharing your spiral with me helped me feel less crazy (because it sounded exactly like my own). And to answer your questions regarding the dentists: They all seem very quick to draw conclusions and just suck at explaining anything and I don't trust them. But the one I just saw indicated to me that what I am experiencing can definitely be explained by a simple high spot in my bite that needs adjusting, but that it could also be more serious things. Basically it would have to be a process of elimination if things don't start feeling better. Not very comforting.

MountainMama, "bruised" is a really good description of what it feels like "normally" right now. Though yesterday, after I bit down weird or something and had a rush of pain, I could literally feel it the rest of the day. It was like it was throbbing, but not in a painful way... just, like, swollen, or something. And my jaw joints hurt all night. Anyway, I am comforted by your saying that it could just really need some time...

So today's update: everything is quite sore since eating lunch yesterday when I had the randomly intense pain while eating a bite of spaghetti. It's as if I just bit down a certain way and it made everything flare up. My whole jaw, the tooth, the teeth next to it. My fear is that the tooth underneath the crown is messed up. Cracked, or something, despite feeling completely fine until the permanent crown was on. My fear is that he adjusted my whole bite on that side and now it will always have problems and never be quite right. Also that all of this will lead to an eventual extraction which will mean I've spent tons of money for no reason, experienced tons of pain for no reason, and then I'll be absolutely terrified of my already somewhat spaced out teeth shifting and looking really awful. Or more teeth will get damaged. Or I'll try to get an implant which will go wrong, or something. ETc etc.

I am certain I make things worse, too, by constantly "testing" it. Pressing on it, or eating something with it, rather than just leaving it entirely alone for a few days. Why am I doing that?! Regardless of which came first, I definitely sense inflammation in the tooth and in my jaw today. Everything is just hurting. I'm taking lots of ibuprofen, but I can't say how helpful it really is.

After unloading on my fiancee, she told me that she thinks I need to give things more time to heal before running back to the dentist yet again. She pointed out that I have a history of taking longer to recover from physical problems anyway, plus the clenching and eating and all that (not to mention my mental stress)... and then I get an adjustment and it makes everything sore again and I panic again and it's become a cycle. I keep making "plans" of when I will address it in certain ways because it gives me a false sense of control over things, but really it just ends up giving me a deadline to feel better by that is completely unrealistic. I am so desperate for this to be resolved that I keep acting like something magical is going to make it all completely fixed suddenly. Hell, it could be all right now if I just wait a little and see? (I wish.)

I just want to be able to eat without some sort of pain again. I miss enjoying food and eating, it's impacting my quality of life. It is very real that this is impacting my willingness to even try eating. I've lost weight since the root canal. I haven't eaten without pain since November. This seems insane to me. Why can't I just eat without pain?!?! Am I stuck to SOUP forever? Is this my life now? (More spiraling.)

So we have the long weekend coming up (Memorial Day in US) and I know that it will be days that I can't contact the dentist. So my fiancee is encouraging me to just make it through these days and see how it feels. Another deadline, but... Doing that is really hard but I'm going to give it a try. I hope I can enjoy my two days off work without being sick with anxiety yet again. I will try not to keep eating on it. I will take ibuprofen. I will try to allow it to recover some. And then on Tuesday, when the dentist is open again, if things haven't shown any improvement, I can go back. And I'll use you guys for support.

Thank you all for showing so much caring by even reading. You guys are AWESOME.

 

[MountainMama]

I understand the frustration of spending money only to have the tooth extracted. I went through an apicoectomy and a retreat before having to extract. Luckily they had not put the permanent crown on yet.
The way my dentist explained it is that when you get a root canal, the ligament holding the tooth in place gets really pushed and pulled around. That can become really sore, and only avoiding using the tooth can help it heal.

Have you had antibiotics at all? The only reason I ask (because I am not one to recommend antibiotics) is that when I had the root canal on my front tooth, after we tried all the surgical routes, the endodontist prescribed a stronger antibiotic, clindamycin. That completely took the bruised feeling away (yes, two root canals and both resulted in the bruised feeling). I am still waiting to see if that tooth recovers. Apparently there was still lingering infection outside the tooth that was causing the sore feeling. I also seem to be resistant to amoxicillin now, as I had multiple rounds of that. It was a relief to get rid of the bruised feeling though, especially with my front tooth, as it impacted my speech. I wonder if clindamycin would have helped the molar as well.

 

[Spider]

ah yes... continuing to "test" it. That is exactly what I do to. Thats interesting that you mention it takes you longer to heal from injuries. My husband is like that too and he definitely takes a lot longer to heal from any dental work. Its like after something gets inflamed, it takes his body a lot longer to settle down. He also struggles with his upper molars because they sit so close to his sinuses, so whenever he has seasonal allergies, his upper teeth hurt, especially the teeth with fillings in them. I hope you can relax and enjoy the weekend and not spend too much time worrying about your tooth. Keep us updated and we'll be thinking of you!

 

[blackhound]

My fear is that he adjusted my whole bite on that side and now it will always have problems and never be quite right.

I just want to be able to eat without some sort of pain again. I miss enjoying food and eating, it's impacting my quality of life. It is very real that this is impacting my willingness to even try eating. I've lost weight since the root canal. I haven't eaten without pain since November. This seems insane to me. Why can't I just eat without pain?!?! Am I stuck to SOUP forever? Is this my life now? (More spiraling.)

I hear you. When you place trust in a professional and you end up in pain with no concrete answers or solutions, that trust erodes rapidly and the spiral of anxiety starts. Been there and got the t-shirt.

In the past 6-7 years every time a dentist has touched my teeth they have screwed up my bite. Every time. And it is a maddening experience. It's painful, it affects my ability to chew, to speak, and it flares up my TMJ like crazy. It's awful and it does trigger the panic that this time they have done irreparable damage.

When that happens, I personally have my occlusion fixed by a periodontist. Perhaps see an occlusal specialist like a periodontist or a prosthodontist for an evaluation to eliminate an occlusal cause for the pain?

The dentist who told you it could be a process of elimination sounds sensible. It's really hard to tell without eliminating issues one at a time unfortunately. Your fiance also sounds like she is giving some good advice -- try to stop testing the tooth.

Do you have a night guard? You did mention clenching. Night time clenching can put some major stress on your teeth, especially teeth that have been worked on and pushed around. I cracked a cusp clean off a premolar from clenching before I got a night guard.

I empathize with your situation. It's frustrating, it's expensive, and it is physically and emotionally draining to go for long periods of time with no resolution and cascading problems. I hope you can find some peace, let it go for a few days and enjoy the holiday weekend.

Let us know how you weather the weekend.

 

[rockitorknockit]

You have all been so helpful and supportive. I've been thinking about everything y'all have said. I don't think I'd be getting through if it weren't for y'all and my fiancee grounding me a bit. Between all of this + the overwhelming stress I am dealing with at work, I just want to be sedated.

I did take one round of amoxicillin for the root canal when they first scheduled it, but I wondered even at the time if this was going to benefit me because I, too, think I am immune to it (MountainMama). I also was skeptical I even needed antibiotics, to be honest. I am fairly certain the root canal was necessary because the dentist hit the nerve badly when she did a filling on the tooth prior or something to that effect. Or is it a given that a root canaled tooth is infected? Anyway, I am still now wondering if a better antibiotic would help out somehow. I would be willing to try just about anything, so perhaps I should ask the dentist to just prescribe some to see. I have some panicy worries that some sort of insidious infection is really the cause of everything anyway, because I have chronic sinus issues and generally just not the best immune system, as I've alluded to (your husband does sound similar to me, Spider). This fear has been reinforced tonight by the fact that I have suddenly noticed that there is very subtly visible swelling on that one side of my jaw now. I made the mistake of googling it (eyeroll at myself), but I am sure it makes most sense that this is being caused by TMJ. Because, oh yeah, as of today I'm officially reduced to a liquid diet because it's gotten so bad. Pain just radiating out from my jaw joints. Up toward my ears, out through my jaw, down my neck. The left side is where the root canal happened and is generally worse (and where I am noticing more swelling), but I am hurting in both. When it's really bad, it feels like I'm straining to even open or close my mouth properly, and my entire bite feels noticeably different. I have no idea what a normal bite feels like anymore, I honestly can't remember.

Blackhound, you mentioned periodondist or prosthodondist. I feel like seeing a specialist is good advice at this point. But I don't even know where to begin. Which might best address TMJ/bite/maybe even the crown issues? If one can't cover them all, which needs to be addressed first? I honestly don't know what is causing what. I think the TMJ is probably the most debilitating concern at the moment, but I don't know if that's throwing off my bite or if my bite is triggering it or if they're both issues happening separately that are just exacerbating each other. (And no, I don't have a night guard yet... I don't think I am clenching at night, though, because morning is when everything is the least irritated, but what do I know). I guess I'll just start making calls around?

I broke down and got weepy with my fiancee about it again today, despite my effort not to. I can't believe how much this is impacting me. I am desperate for some sign that things are actually getting better but so far it seems the opposite.

I actually looked at a calendar and saw it hasn't even technically been a month since the root canal yet (I think I had it April 29). So, between that and the constant dental shenanigans since, it could make sense that my jaw is still incredibly traumatized. Never mind the fact that this should not even be a thing in the first place. But since it is, maybe I'm just being impatient with recovery time.

And having cry fests makes my sinuses swell up real bad, which makes my teeth hurt more! Love that cycle.

So this post is mostly to whine and say: I feel worse today.

But you all are - and have been - awesome.

So I'm off to try and ice my jaw a bit and go to bed. I'd kill to eat some nuts.

 

[Dg6300]

Nuts? Yes.

And ice cream. And ice cream with nuts, other ice cream with frozen chunks of peanut cups.

Tortilla chips, lots of them.

In fact, I am going to be audacious enough to predict this:

You will be eating corn on the cob on July 4.

Hold on to your dream of nuts.

It is what it will get you through these hard times.

 

[blackhound]

You have all been so helpful and supportive. I've been thinking about everything y'all have said. I don't think I'd be getting through if it weren't for y'all and my fiancee grounding me a bit. Between all of this + the overwhelming stress I am dealing with at work, I just want to be sedated.

Blackhound, you mentioned periodondist or prosthodondist. I feel like seeing a specialist is good advice at this point. But I don't even know where to begin. Which might best address TMJ/bite/maybe even the crown issues? If one can't cover them all, which needs to be addressed first? I honestly don't know what is causing what. I think the TMJ is probably the most debilitating concern at the moment, but I don't know if that's throwing off my bite or if my bite is triggering it or if they're both issues happening separately that are just exacerbating each other. (And no, I don't have a night guard yet... I don't think I am clenching at night, though, because morning is when everything is the least irritated, but what do I know). I guess I'll just start making calls around?

I see a perio because I am an ongoing patient. I had extensive work done for gum disease and I continue with the practice for dental hygiene appointments. Having correct occlusion is part of the treatment of perio disease so I just continue with him for bite issues. If you don't have gum disease then a perio is probably not your guy.

A prosthodontist has three additional years of training in what is essentially a graduate program dealing with missing teeth and TMJ/TMD issues. The prosthodontist in my area is also an occlusal specialist (which makes sense) and handles TMJ (also makes sense). I would check out the website of the American College of Prosthodontists: https://www.gotoapro.org/why-see-a-prosthodontist/

You can plug in your zip code on that website and find accredited prosthodontists in your area. One thing I have found in my search for specialists is that plain old googling will bring up just about any dental practice who has endo or perio or prosthodontics as part of their practice description whether they have had the extra training or not. So something to keep in mind if you decide to see a specialist.

I don't remember if you had an endo do your root canal? If you are suspicious that the root canal is not right then I would ask them to check. I am in the middle of a root canal (just had part one) and I did not need antibiotics. I had irreversible pulpitis from a botched filling -- hot and cold sensitivity but zero issue with percussion.

I can 100% to the sinus issues. I have chronic sinus and when I am congested it makes my upper back teeth feel like they are 10 sizes too large for my mouth. Sinus trouble will amplify any dental issues, that's for sure. When I'm having issues I pop a sudafed and I can almost feel my teeth shrinking.

TMJ and occlusal problems reinforce each other in a really terrible way. When my bite is off my jaw becomes unbearable as it shifts around trying to accommodate the crappy occlusion. I find I get the worst pain just in front of the hinge joint in front of my ear but it does radiate and make the tissues in my lower face feel swollen whether they actually are or not. I think I read somewhere that the jaw muscle is the strongest muscle in your body so when it is out of whack it can really create pain.

TMJ can really be in a gray zone -- part medical, part dental. If you can't get your jaw to open and the muscle is in spasm perhaps a consult with your doctor to see if they have any medical help to relax the muscles?

Hang in there.

 

[rockitorknockit]

Blackhound, thanks again for your help. I feel like it pointed me in a good direction to start. Prosthodontist makes sense to me too. I have sent some emails out to some I found through the link you provided. I will follow up with phone calls as I can after the holiday. This is all going to cost so much and I am greatly concerned about that, but I don't see what choice I have. I also have an appointment with my general doctor on Thursday... that was the soonest I could get. I am desperate to see someone soon.

My root canal was done by the general dentist at the horrible dental office I've been going to, unfortunately. And she was so brutal in her handling of me. I think she triggered massive jaw trauma that has been exacerbated repeatedly with my multiple attempts to get them to rectify my crown issues and my wrong bite. I really hope the prosthdontist I see can address all of my concerns.

I am at work today. My pain is intense. Hurting my whole head and neck. My jaw feels so swollen to me inside my body that I am shocked it isn't actually really visible. Talking and smiling seems to make it all hurt more. When I place my teeth together, all my teeth hurt and my bite feels completely weird and wrong. I assume everything is just swollen and shifted? Continuing the liquids only cause I don't have a choice. I literally dreamt about food last night.

I guess I'll keep everyone updated. I hope this doesn't take months to be resolved because I'm getting married later this year.

Thanks again for the support.

 

[rockitorknockit]

Just an update. Today I actually notice some improvement in my jaw. My pain isn't as intense, I don't feel as swollen in my head. Definitely not back to normal, but this feels like a great sign.

And with that, I can tell my bite is off. Whatever the last dentist did to adjust my bite, he shifted all the pressure on the left side of my mouth toward the front. It feels definitely wrong. Like, I can't believe it felt okay when he initially did it. I must have been swollen that day, and I shouldn't have even let him touch it. Once again, I'm kicking myself for allowing anyone to touch my mouth.

This is making me really anxious today because I don't know how my bite will ever be okay again. Could fillings be put back on my back teeth to transfer pressure back to them? And then there is the issue of the crown, which is still sore and I still can't be sure why. I need everything addressed and corrected by someone who can hold more than one idea in their head at a time.

I've also got a thing happening since yesterday... the left side of my tongue is irritated. It's like it keeps rubbing on those teeth or something. Is it possible him adjusting my bite on that side is impacting how my tongue feels?! Maybe I'm just favoring that side and thus biting my tongue or something, I don't know. But it's driving me insane.

Anyway, I'm still on liquids and being very gentle with my jaw. And now that I can feel how wrong my bite feels, I am hesitant to even try and chew on it until it can get looked at. I hope one of the prosthodontists I reached out to over the weekend returns my call tomorrow. And is nice. And can help.

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Rockitorknockit,

So sorry to hear of how things went during the procedure and after. . I really hope that the prosthodontists can give you some good help. I hope you can get in somewhere soon to take a look and see what is going on, and that the pain gets much better. Sounds like you are doing everything possible right to help yourself!!

 

[Spider]

hope you're continuing to see improvement and things are hurting less. Have you heard back from any of the specialists? I had my worse TMJ flare up about 10 years ago after dental work (just a simple filling in my case). I don't remember exactly how long it took, but it took several weeks of resting my jaw. My experience is somewhat similar to yours because I went back to the dentist since my teeth ached so badly from my bite being off, and he took a little off a few of them, and things felt good when I left. Then it all got much worse and my bite was off again. All said and done, things did return to "normal", but it took weeks of resting and ever since I've been careful not to overdo things.

 

[rockitorknockit]

Hi all. I know you've all been waiting with bated breath for an updated...

I'll try to summarize. I heard back from prosthodontists, but none could see me anytime within two weeks. My coworker then recommended her dentist to me, and her website actually specifically mentioned TMJ and occlusion. She also was willing to see me same-day for free. So, I took the leap on another general dentist but with a high recommendation from a trusted friend.

She checked my jaw, the crown, and my bite a bit. She told me to never use ice on my jaw and showed me some exercises for it. She took an x-ray and said my sinuses looked clear but that everything else was so swollen she couldn't tell if something was wrong with the root of the crown or not. When all was said and done, the biggest thing was that she prescribed some steroids + strict ibuprofen regimen to get all my inflammation down. The goal was to get me through that and then follow-up to assess the crown and my bite again.

Today was actually my last dose of the steroid. They helped with the inflammation in my jaw immensely. As that has gone down, the wrongness in my bite has made itself more apparent to me.

The inflammation going down/not eating much also helped with the crown some as well. It's not as tender, but is still a little. Every so often sensitive to heat only as well? I don't know.

Still having some pain in my jaw. I have slowly started eating more real food. But it's tentative, cautious. There's still pain and anxiety. Things are still not right; uncertain. I still feel like my bite is different every day, to some degree. Pains around my jaw can be so unpredictable - today it is a shooting pain on the lower right side. Tomorrow it might be a dull ache by my left ear. Sometimes it is through my teeth. It's more bearable now, but still... it's pain. I'm tired of being in pain. I'm tired of worrying about being in more pain every time I eat something. I'm tired of constantly thinking about relaxing my jaw and feeling my teeth. Tired of worrying about my teeth and jaw. I miss the olden days, way back when, when I lived without being hyper aware if my mouth at all times.

So follow up is this Friday. That feels forever away at this point. I'm concerned that the inflammation will all swell back up now that the steroid is done, though I have absolutely no idea how medically possibly that even is. And I am super nervous about the appointment in general. I am really nervous about what she will say regarding the crown and messing with my bite. Why can't this be over yet?

I guess I'll just wait and see.

I hope you all are doing well. Happy June.

 

[MountainMama]

Hi all. I know you've all been waiting with bated breath for an updated...

I'll try to summarize. I heard back from prosthodontists, but none could see me anytime within two weeks. My coworker then recommended her dentist to me, and her website actually specifically mentioned TMJ and occlusion. She also was willing to see me same-day for free. So, I took the leap on another general dentist but with a high recommendation from a trusted friend.

She checked my jaw, the crown, and my bite a bit. She told me to never use ice on my jaw and showed me some exercises for it. She took an x-ray and said my sinuses looked clear but that everything else was so swollen she couldn't tell if something was wrong with the root of the crown or not. When all was said and done, the biggest thing was that she prescribed some steroids + strict ibuprofen regimen to get all my inflammation down. The goal was to get me through that and then follow-up to assess the crown and my bite again.

Today was actually my last dose of the steroid. They helped with the inflammation in my jaw immensely. As that has gone down, the wrongness in my bite has made itself more apparent to me.

The inflammation going down/not eating much also helped with the crown some as well. It's not as tender, but is still a little. Every so often sensitive to heat only as well? I don't know.

Still having some pain in my jaw. I have slowly started eating more real food. But it's tentative, cautious. There's still pain and anxiety. Things are still not right; uncertain. I still feel like my bite is different every day, to some degree. Pains around my jaw can be so unpredictable - today it is a shooting pain on the lower right side. Tomorrow it might be a dull ache by my left ear. Sometimes it is through my teeth. It's more bearable now, but still... it's pain. I'm tired of being in pain. I'm tired of worrying about being in more pain every time I eat something. I'm tired of constantly thinking about relaxing my jaw and feeling my teeth. Tired of worrying about my teeth and jaw. I miss the olden days, way back when, when I lived without being hyper aware if my mouth at all times.

So follow up is this Friday. That feels forever away at this point. I'm concerned that the inflammation will all swell back up now that the steroid is done, though I have absolutely no idea how medically possibly that even is. And I am super nervous about the appointment in general. I am really nervous about what she will say regarding the crown and messing with my bite. Why can't this be over yet?

I guess I'll just wait and see.

I hope you all are doing well. Happy June.

Well I am glad you were able to see someone who seems like she can help. I hope the steroids help, and that it was a case of the bite being off causing all the issues. Then she can easily fix it. Really hoping that for you.

I know how frustrating it is for the pain to go on and on.

 

[Spider]

thank you for the update. I been wondering how you've been! It sounds like this new dentist could be a keeper! She seems to have a good treatment plan and wants to follow up with you too, which is nice. I'm sorry to hear that your bite is still off and things have been hurting on and off but its promising that you've seen improvement so you must be on the right track. I don't know how steroids work, but I hope you continue to see improvement even though you've finished taking them. I know how it feels to be hyper aware of your mouth and not an hour goes by without thinking about it, and worrying. Keep us updated!

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Rockitforknockit,

I hope your appt goes well this Friday and she is able to take things to the next level of helping you. Seems like a good start and productive help! and she seems pleasant. I hope you you can get all the answers and help you need and want!! Let us know how it goes for sure!

 

[rockitorknockit]

Warning: Debbie Downer post. Thank you guys for providing this space and being so supportive. Wouldn't know where else to express this.

My follow up appointment was moved from Friday to this afternoon. I just went. I was in and out within five minutes. I don't really know what to think, and I feel really depressed about it now.

She didn't even examine me at all. She just asked me how things were going. I told her the steroid definitely seemed to help but that I feel like I'm still recovering. That I'm still having some random different pains in my jaw each day. That I feel like my bite is such that the right side is normal, with pressure in the back, but the left side feels weird, with pressure near the front and the back not clenching fully, and seems to be making a couple of teeth in particular really sore when I eat (a painful sensation which lead to me allowing the last dentist to make an adjustment to my bite in the first place). I also mentioned the crown still feeling a bit tender.

She said we could start adjusting my bite today, but that this would be a multi-week and multi-visit process. I, of course, expressed some nervousness about this (read: was actually panicking but I know I hide it well). At this point I also mentioned that I feel my bite changes from day-to-day still (part of my trepidation about adjusting).

With this, she decided that I should just continue a weaker course of ibuprofen, heat every night, and see how things are in a couple of more weeks. She seemed to be thinking that everything is too inflamed to really know what's going on still, and that adjusting the bite would be a bad idea until it all settles down more. I did not feel comforted by this at all, though. Maybe it was her demeanor. And I don't know why she didn't feel it necessary to test my bite or anything today at the very least? Maybe she was trying to avoid charging me for anything I didn't need? She didn't ask a single question about the teeth causing me some pain either? But what do I know, I'm not dentist. Maybe she just genuinely thinks things need to settle more and I'm being impatient.

She said come back in two weeks if I feel okay. I asked, should I come back sooner if I continue to have bad pain in these teeth that have been bothering me? She said we could x-ray them next time if need be. All said and done, I made an appointment for one week from today just so that I'd know it is set up if I want it then. I guess I'll see, though? I'm feeling like I should have just saved the insurance and gone to a specialist after all. I don't know. I'm pretty sure I've tapped out of my exams for insurance too, so this is all going to get real expensive real soon.

The only two things she said that brought me a sliver of reassurance were that she thought it was good that I couldn't clench fully around that crown yet, as it would allow the inflammation to not be made worse, and that she also doesn't think it has been long enough for the tenderness in the crown to be a big concern yet.

So I'm back home. With that familiar dreadful sense that this will never be resolved. Worried that the real reason nothing is settling is because my bite is too messed up and I'm trapped in a cycle. Or my jaw was seriously damaged beyond anything diagnosed yet.

Wishing to God I could just adjust to whatever is different in my bite and jaw and mouth now and get on with life. I wonder if that's even a possibility? Is it possible for someone's bite to change and everything eventually feel normal? Pains to vanish?

Does anyone have a recommendation for the best OTC night guard? I know they're not good long term, but she insisted both today and last time I saw her that I should use one temporarily to see if it helps. But I can't decide which one is best to try.

Thanks, guys.

 

[MountainMama]

I am so sorry that she seemed to brush you off. How disappointing. I know from experience that a bite being off can be awful on so many levels.

As far as night guards go, this is the one I use for a temp until I get one made at the dentist.
www.amazon.com/SleepRight-ProRx-Custom-Dental-Guard/dp/B07CHSW4TT/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=pro+rx+custom+dental+guard&qid=1559860018&s=gateway&sprefix=proRx+custom&sr=8-4
I actually buy mine at Walmart, but they are about the same price. I tried about three before settling on this one, and my dentist was even impressed with it. It isn't rubbery, but more like the professional ones in that it cools and hardens to fit your teeth. If you go with this one, make sure you follow the directions well. You have to leave it in for about 4 minutes, until it hardens so it gets an exact fit. I have used mine for 4 months now and it is still working great.

 

[comfortdentist]

@rockitorknockit
I didn't read all these posts well at all but I summarized that all was fine except 15. 15 had a temp that was high (touched first) and that put you in pain?
If I got that right then what happened afterwards is out of control. Someone just needs to sit down and grind on 15 until the bite is right both when biting straight down and when grinding side to side. This will solve the problem. You don't need a specialist this is basic dentistry. If it is still sore then look at the root canal or a crack in the actual tooth.
Good Luck

 

[rockitorknockit]

@rockitorknockit
I didn't read all these posts well at all but I summarized that all was fine except 15. 15 had a temp that was high (touched first) and that put you in pain?
If I got that right then what happened afterwards is out of control. Someone just needs to sit down and grind on 15 until the bite is right both when biting straight down and when grinding side to side. This will solve the problem. You don't need a specialist this is basic dentistry. If it is still sore then look at the root canal or a crack in the actual tooth.
Good Luck

15 has never been high. In fact it was initially so low it was completely out of my bite when biting or grinding at all (a dentist showed me this with pictures). This began putting too much pressure and causing extreme pain in the molars next to it. These were adjusted, and then my jaw locked down to the point I couldn't open it hardly. This is not everything that's happened, but a very high level overview. Root canal itself was brutal and I think everything (my jaw primarily) has been inflammed since that first procedure to varying degrees.

 

[comfortdentist]

thanks for the clarification
If you haven't had TMJ/TMD issues in the past these things usually go away with little treatment at all