Strange Tooth Pain

[jayA]

Sorry if this is long, but I'm so frustrated right now and nervous about what's going on with one of my upper molars.

I got a small white composite filling done on the tooth in November. Shortly after, I noticed a sharp pain whenever I chew on the tooth or push up on a certain spot (right near the cusp). Also, the tooth is slightly sensitive to cold. The pain lasts for a few seconds then goes away after the stimulus is gone. There's no pain whatsoever when I clench my teeth or leave the tooth alone.

I went back to my dentist about 2 weeks after I first noticed the pain, and he thought it just needed a bite adjustment. The pain didn't go away. About another 2 weeks after that, I had him look at the tooth again since I needed 2 more fillings done on the lower teeth. Again, he thought it looked like the bite so he adjusted it. The pain didn't go away still.

A few days ago, I returned AGAIN with the same pain. My dentist took pictures, poked around, and looked at the tooth to find out what was wrong. He said there appeared to be nothing, so it was probably a fractured cusp due to the pain being right near the cusp. He had me do a bite test on each cusp, however there was NO pain on the cusp. After more poking, he discovered that the pain was directly on top of the filling that was put on and it was directly on top of some ridge that I don't remember the name of. He drilled out the filling and replaced it, hoping it would solve the problem. After a few days now, the pain is still there as much as before, even though the tooth isn't as sensitive to cold as it was before. My dentist said that this is one of the strangest things he's seen and isn't sure what to do next if the replacement filling didn't work.

Any ideas what this could possibly be?? Also, I don't know if this has any effect on anything, but my jaw joint on the same side has been popping, but no pain. Also, I had a swollen lymph node on my neck on the same side of my body, but it has gotten much smaller in the past week. My dentist said it didn't seem like there was any infection in the tooth.

 

[annie778]

do you think you might be grinding on it at night? Is there a difference depending on what you eat - e.g. hot vs cold?

 

[jayA]

I don't think I'm a big grinder. I haven't really had anything hot, but it seems more like it's with cold. It hurts to chew just about everything, even soft toast or bread.

 

[annie778]

I thought it could be a crack too roca but when I had one it was hot food that really hurt when I bit down on it and it was like an electric shock that lingered. Perhaps it's slightly cracked deeper inside and there is no leakage so the heat doesn't penetrate?

Is it possible that the dentist didn't want to take too much tooth away for the filling, but in doing that he didn't give the filling the right foundation? I always think dentists are as much engineers as medical professionals because construction theory is surely an important area so that load and force are taken into account in relation to the root length etc.

 

[jayA]

Thanks for the answers! I have another appointment in 1 1/2 weeks for another filling, so if it doesn't settle down by then I'll have him look at it again. It's so frustrating especially since he said that he's done fillings that are more than 1/2 the size of a tooth with no problems and this really tiny one is causing problems.

And annie, I'm not sure how much of the tooth he took away, but he said it was a really small cavity, so there should have been enough tooth left for a good base. I'll post again once it's finally fixed and if he figures out what the problem is for sure.

 

[jayA]

So just an update. I went back today for the other fillings and had them look at the tooth again. The dentist and dental assistant both said the pain is coming from a spot right on top of the filling, and they did tests like tapping to see if it needs a root canal, which they both agreed it did not. So i was told to wait 1 more month to see if its just extremely irritated and if it doesn't improve by then, then they're going to crown the tooth. I'm trying to stay positive, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to be back there in a month...

 

[alleyp]

jay! that sounds rough, poor you. I've been in pain with my teeth for a while now trying to get into dentists and I can really sympathise. I've got nothing useful to say but you will get there I'm sure.

all my love