Tooth hurts when biting down - no idea what it is!

[nievovo]

Hello everyone. This is my first post on here after somehow only just now discovering the forum, despite years of dental anxiety. I've had a myriad of complications resulting in fillings, root canals, crowns, hot/cold sensitivities, wisdom teeth extractions, and tartar removal - so it's safe to say I'm not new to dental pain.

However, I've recently developed an issue that I honestly don't know what to do with because neither I nor my dentist knows what's wrong. A couple of months ago, I was eating cereal when I got a zinger on my right side. It was a brief pain from the pressure of biting down, and it left as quickly as it came. Within only a few days, I completely forgot about the issue because it went away entirely. Then, as of 10-12 days ago, the zinger randomly returned while I was eating a sandwich. Since then, I've only eaten soft foods on my right side, yet the random burst of pain when biting persists. It's not sensitive to temperature, and I can brush and floss between all of my teeth just fine.

I figured it was probably a cavity, but when I visited my dentist today, there were no signs of one. After describing my symptoms, both the hygienist and the main doctor said it sounded like Cracked Tooth Syndrome (CTS). However, I've never had a chipped tooth or fracture in my entire life, and after close inspection along with X-rays, they couldn't find any visible cracks.

They sent me back home with no answers and just told me I should come back in if the pain persists. Frankly, I'm afraid to chew on my right side again because the zinging pain is so awful, and I highly doubt it'll magically stop again.

Is there any other possibility of what this issue could be? Or could it be an invisible crack undetectable by radiology or my dental team? And if so, how do I go about fixing it? Any advice or support is welcome.

 

[Gordon]

It could just be that the teeth have drifted out of position slightly and are now making a slightly "high" contact which is causing your problem. Did the dentist check for this?
It's possible for it to be a crack but your symptoms don't sound quite like this.
I'd get back in touch with the dentist and ask them to investigate further.

 

[nievovo]

I've seen some information about "high" contact here and there while doing my research, so I was actually curious about this possibility. My dentist did not, in fact, check for it. We didn't do bite tests of any sort, which I now realize I should've asked for. I'll check back in if/when I have any updates about the diagnosis.

Thank you so much, Gordon!