tooth pain from clenching jaw at night

[wormfood33]

hi, i'm looking for some insight into some extreme tooth pain that keeps coming back.

i was experiencing some pain in a tooth that had a root canal, so i went to the dentist and she fixed the bite. at the same time, i got a filling replaced in an adjacent tooth. after that the pain on that side of my face intensified, radiating up into my cheek and down into my jaw. one morning i woke up and that back tooth with the filling was sensitive to the touch. i went into the dentist and she fixed the bite on that tooth and i had two days of no pain, which was wonderful.

this morning i woke up and the back tooth is again throbbing with pain up into my cheekbone. it's so sensitive to the touch that even brushing against it is very painful. i'm using orajel and taking aleve and it's still bad. i can't bite on that side at all. i feel like i don't want to go back to the dentist yet again.

i think the problem is that i may clench my teeth very hard while sleeping. i got a mouthguard kit, but then i thought if biting down is making it hurt, won't a mouthguard just make it easier to bite down too hard?
at this point i feel like the pain is dominating my days and i just want to do whatever is necessary to make it stop.

 

[carole]

Hi to the forum.

Don't be worried about going back to the dentist that is what they are there for. Go back and let them have another look. Guards are to stop you doing damage to your teeth that grinding and clenching causes. Ask your dentist about a guard make by them for you. I don't know what sort of guard you have but I am thinking that it is one that you bought somewhere. A guard made by the dentist for you will fit your teeth properly and they are soft gel like