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Ongoing problem

E

EpicentrE

Junior member
Joined
Sep 8, 2012
Messages
1
Hi All,

I've been having a problem with one of my teeth (upper right second molar, I believe) for months now, and it's really starting to get me down. Here's the story;

I started having severe pain in the tooth earlier this year. I went to the dentist, who told me that the tooth was badly abcessed, and that he could try a filling, but it might be too far gone and end up needing a root canal or to be extracted. I opted to try the filling, and for about a week I was pain free, after which the pain came back as bad as before.

I went back to the dentist, and he gave me a week-long course of antibiotics (amoxicillin). As soon as I started taking the antibiotics the pain went away, and I didn't have any pain whatsoever for the entire length of the course. However, about a week after finishing the course, the pain came back as bad as before, and so I went back to the dentist.

He advised me that I'd have to have a root canal, and then did the first part of the treatment. When I returned the following week to have the treatment completed and the crown put on, I was experiencing some mild pain in the area, however as it was only mild and as I didn't have any pain when the dentist pushed down on the tooth, he continued with the treatment. Once again, I was pain-free for about a week until the pain returned, as bad if not worse than before. So, once again, I went back to the dentist.

He checked the tooth and told me that there was no swelling so it appeared that the root canal treatment had been successful, and so gave me another week's treatment of antibiotics (amoxicillin again), and if that didn't solve the problem the tooth would have to be extracted. This relieved the pain somewhat, but not completely, and a few days after I'd finished the course the pain returned even worse than it had ever been. It was a Friday night when it really set in, so I had to go to the all-night walk in centre and got some powerful codeine tablets (30mg) as well as a different type of antibiotic (metronidazole). However, even with 2 paracetamol tablets and 60mg of codeine, the pain was still not abated whatsoever, and the antibiotics had no effect either. I went back to the dentist on the following Tuesday and had the tooth extracted.

It's now the Saturday of the same week, and the pain came back in full force last night. I don't believe it can be a dry socket, as I've been very, very careful and followed all the relevant advice to avoid one, including rinsing out with salt water multiple times a day, not sneezing with my mouth closed, no using straws, etc. The pain is exactly the same as it was before. I won't even be able to get a dentist to check if it's a dry socket or not until Tuesday.

For a while I've felt like the pain wasn't related to the tooth at all. It certainly feels like it's coming from that place in my mouth, but the fact that every time I have a treatment it stops the pain for a week or so and then it comes back makes me think it's something more serious. And now I feel like I've had a tooth removed for no reason. Even though I keep telling my dentist that the pain wasn't caused by pressure, or temperature, and that it just seemed to be constant, he obviously thought that doing treatments on the tooth (and then eventually removing it) was the best idea.

I don't know what to do now, I've got to go another weekend in pain, barely being able to sleep, and it's depressing me. Additionally, I feel like I've had a tooth removed and paid for various treatments for absolutely nothing, and so I'm finding it very hard to trust my dentist. I'm really scared that he's going to think the best course is removing more teeth until the problem goes away.

I guess what I want is some second opinions. What could be causing this pain? what could could explain the fact that every treatment stops the pain briefly, and then it comes back the same as before? Was the dentist wrong to extract the tooth? What can I do to reduce the pain when over-the-counter medicine and lots of codeine don't seem to help?

Also, any stories of similar situations that have been resolved might make me feel better :(.
 
I had an infected tooth and had a rct that got infected again, I found the only relief I got was to hold an ice pack on my face over the area, I slept on a hot water bottle filled with cold water.

It sounds like a dry socket but until you can get it checked you won't know. Could you go to the emergency dept at your local hospital and ask them to pack it if it is a dry socket.
Does your dentist have and emergency number you can ring if they are closed.

If you are in the UK you can ring the nhs helpline and they can give you an emergency appointment to see a dentist if you are in pain.

Did your dentist take and x ray of the effected area and the tooth before he pulled it. An x ray would show the infection.
 
You have my sympathy for all sorts of reasons but not least of which I also recently had a tooth pulled which I tried to save with multiple procedures. I am not a dentist but from your account, I am concerned that the tooth was crowned far too quickly (at the second root canal appt?) and that the root canal had likely not been done to the best standard possible.

Before extracting the tooth your dentist should have considered referring you to an endodontist but then this would have been better done before crowning it as it is harder to do a root canal retreat through a crown but not impossible.


I do think you would be wise to change dentists as I would bet the speed in crowning the tooth was money-motivated rather than in your best interests. Root canals do often work - out of 4 only one of mine has failed and that was in the hands of a specialist not my dentist and as it had no decay/nor prior fillings, should, in theory, have been the easiest to save.

Pain can be referred from top teeth to bottom teeth but not across the midline. It does seem as if the right tooth were treated if the pain always subsided. It could be that it was stubborn gum infection and that it will now heal with time. Your dentist can pack it with soothing stuff. It is possible for it to be dry socket even if you have followed the instructions to a T.

You may want to look into replacing the tooth with an implant once the socket has healed a bit. Although for a second upper molar it is probably ok to just leave.

Good luck. It really is frustrating when diagnosis is not straightforward. I think we patients need to trust our instincts. We are the ones feeling the sensations. But x-rays and other tests should be done and referred pain ruled out. His original diagnosis was severe abscess so unless he was lying and why would he?, the chances are it was the offending tooth which was treated. Did it have prior decay or a filling?

Go and see an emergency dentist to get relief by packing the socket - the pain subsides the instant this is done. Any cackhanded dentist can do this for you so you don't have to suffer over the weekend.
 
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Thanks for introducing me to a British term new to me. "cackhanded"
As to the problem if it isn't better by now and your dentist doesn't know then get another opinion from a good diagnostician.
 
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