What is wrong with me? Has this happened to anyone else?

[tealyellow]

Hi,
I'm new here and I really need some help. My teeth were totally fine 6 months ago and now it seems like everything is going wrong and I'm so sick with anxiety over it all. If anyone has experienced anything like this I would really like to know. (sorry this is long).

I was lucky and had good dental care as a child...and really had no problems. When I was 20 I noticed what I thought were stains on my teeth, but it turned out that for some reason the enamle was wearing off. The dentist thought I was bulemic. I have never been bulemic nor do I eat much sugar or drink much soda. Anyway, when I was 24 I had bonding done on my top 10 teeth..just because they were starting to look really bad. I had no problems with my teeth after that until 6 months ago (I am 29).

8months ago I went to the same dentist who did the bonding and I had three fillings and had some of the bonding redone (the backs of a few of my teeth were really worn out and he had no idea why). Everything was fine and then in July I started to have some pain in my jaw on the right side. I thought it was stress related although I've never had TMJ issues. 3 days after the pain started the right side of my face suddenly got really swollen and red and I was in more pain than I have ever been in my life.

I went to the doctor who told me it was a sinus infection (although I did not have a cold and have never had a sinus infection before). I had an xray and my sinuses looked clear...I was put on antibiotics and T3s anyway and the swelling went down, but it turned into mild pain/pressure in my right sinus. It hurt to touch and felt like something was stuck in there.

eventually I ended up at the dentist who said I needed a root canal for a tooth abcess. I had that done, but the pain/pressure did not go away. I had an apicoectomy on that same tooth in september...again no change. I had a root canal on the tooth beside it 3 weeks ago..the dentist said everything inside the tooth was dead. She figured that this was causing the problem. Three weeks later the problem remains. The dentist does not have a clue now. What's worse is that I still have the same pain I had in July (I've been on 6 courses of antibiotics) and now it feels like a tooth I had bonding on the other side is about to abcess. My face is in constant pain!

Does anyone have any ideas? Do I have some sort of jaw diesase? A tumor in my sinus? Could it be my heart? My wisdom teeth are all out, but in bad shape...could they be causing this somehow?

I have to go to the dentist in two weeks to get get crowns put on the two root canaled teeth...but the infection is STILL THERE! I don't know what to do and no one seems to know what's going on! I can't function like this anymore!

 

[letsconnect]

Hi tealyellow ,

have you considered seeing an endodontist? An endodontist is a dentist that specialises in root canal treatment. They have more specialised equipment like special microscopes and training in this area than a general dentist. Sometimes, a root canal can be missed because it's so hard to see it, so the infection remains. This is more the case with back teeth than with front teeth.

I hope you'll be able to get this sorted out soon

 

[brit]

I would second what Letsconnect has said and do not get the crowns put on the two teeth until you know for sure the root canals have settled.
Endodontists are also trained in identifying the source of dental pain as well as carrying out root canal treatments.

 

[tealyellow]

Hi, Thanks so much for responding! I should have been more clear. I have been going to an Endodontist. She did the two RCs and the apicoectomy and she now has no idea what is going on.
So don't get the crowns on until they find out what this is? The first RC was four months ago.

 

[brit]

OOps - is she a very senior experienced specialist endodontist or someone earlier in their career or even a general dentist who does a lot of endodontics which is not the same thing. Did she use a microscope to identify all the canals?
Why would an endo be doing the other stuff for you which you mentioned?
I still wouldn't do the crowns until you have a stable painfree tooth although some dentists will suggest putting the crown on may stabilise matters...maybe in certain circumstances it would.

Hope a dentist replies shortly - sounds like a second endo opinion or even other speciality opinion may well be in order. It must be extremely frustrating to be in pain for so long. Wisdom teeth could be to blame and a proper panoramic x-ray such as is done by an Oral Surgeon usually may throw some light.

 

[tealyellow]

She is a specialist endodontist. I like her a lot. My dentist (who will be doing the crowns and did the bonding) refered me to her for the RCs.

I wonder though..this all started right after I had the bonding redone. Perhaps the dentist left something in there and it got infected? The endo would not even consider that though. She doesn't, however, have any idea why the infection is still there. She wants to have a special xray done on the area...but I have to wait 3 months because I had the apicoectomy and she says nothing will show up until that fully heals. I don't think I can stand another 3 months of this.
I know I need my wisdoms out, but I can't afford it at the moment (this has cost me a small fortune) and I don't want to do anything else until someone can tell me what is going on with my teeth! The pain started and continues in my sinus but the doctor couldn't see anything there. Maybe I need a CT scan of my head.

The other thing is that the backs of a few of my teeth are worn right down to the gum (including one RCed tooth). I don't get what that's about either.

 

[Marvy]

I am so sorry about your pain. It is so frustrating, and when you can't find out why you have the pain, not only are you suffering with pain, but you start imagining the worst. (At least that is what I do...)

A couple of comments. One, you have had a lot of work done in the last few months and your mouth and face are probably pretty worn out from all of that dental work.

Two, dental work does not just affect your teeth. When you keep your mouth open for extended periods of time it is tough on your cheek and jaw muscles. The bone under your tooth can be sore for quite a long time afterwards, also. These can all contribute to your pain. Muscles in your jaw can refer pain to your teeth, and they can cause symptoms that resemble a sinus infection.

I would highly recommend that you check out Clair Davies', Trigger Point Therapy Workbook, Chapter 4-Head and neck pain. Both the masseter and the pterygoid muscles could be contributing to your pain. (There may be other muscles also--these are just the ones that I remembered from my experience a few months ago.) The information in this book is scientifically studied and, in fact, comes from a two-volume medical textbook, by Janet Travell, M.D. and David Simons, M.D., and has been put into layman's terms.

The solution is to massage the knots in the afflicted muscles several times a day until they are no longer painful. You can do the massage by putting your thumb far back in your mouth against your cheek and with your index finger on the outside of your cheek, massage any tender points (places that hurt) that you find in the cheek and jaw muscles. Search up and down and from the back to the front. There are illustrations in the book that help you to see what you should do.

I have used this when recovering from dental work, and it helped make my pain bearable in the beginning and helped it to eventually go away completely.

When doctors and dentists have done everything they can do, and you still have pain, this is often the culprit behind the pain. The good thing about it is, that (1) it is free, except for consistent effort on your part. (If you choose to get the book, it costs around $20-25, depending on where you get it, but it is a one-time expense. I have purchased it at Amazon--cheaper--and Barnes & Noble--more expensive, but more convenient since it was on the shelf.) And, (2), it is portable. You can do it anywhere (although you may want to do it in private to avoid looks from people...). And, (3), it is effective. Usually, you get some kind of relief of pain, immediately. And, if you work on the trigger points (that is, massage the knots) several times a day, you eventually get rid of the problem altogether.

That said, if you do things that cause more trigger points, then working on trigger points may become kind of a maintenance procedure until you can stop whatever is causing the trigger points (dental work, or chewing gum a lot, for example).

I hope this information helps you. I know how it is to have a lot of pain and not know why; it consumes a lot of your energy and produces a lot of anxiety. This really helped me, and I hope it helps you.

Good luck.

Marvy

 

[tealyellow]

Thank you for your response. The book sounds interesting and I will certainly look into it. I go back to the endo next week, but I can't wait that long. I've been off antibiotics for 4 days now and the infection is speading again up to under my eye again. Every time this happens I just go back on antibiotocs and they give me another root canal...then it comes back again. I'm going to see a doctor to get refered to an ENT ( I've never been convinced this is a tooth thing). After that I might head to the ER... I keep thinking this is going to end up in my brain....so if I never post again..I probably died. (sorry I'm fed up)

 

[wozzle]

I had to reply to you as it all sounds scaril similar to my year of dental hell.

Wont bore you too much but ive had 3 rootcanals, 3 extractions and was due for another extraction today but had massive panic attack and couldnt go through with it!!

The dentist thinks now its a nerve or muscular problem (great after all that work and money), i have an appointment at guys monda to asses it and see.

Basically it all started with 1 tooth then they were like dominoes and others started acted up...had a mare!!

Reall hope you get it sorted, there is nothing worse and i have every sympathy.
#

Sarah

 

[wozzle]

apologies for spelling, my daughter has been at the computer

 

[Dr. Daniel]

Hello tealyellow

This is very frustrating. I diid not really understand though whether the antibiotics helped or not.
Having a CT done is great. It should much useful information.
All the best of luck

 

[tealyellow]

Thanks guys,

Yeah the antibiotics seem to take the swelling down a bit (not much) and then as soon as I stop them it comes back. I went to the doc today who ordered blood work because he thinks the infection is in the bone now. He also refered me to an ENT. I'm not letting the dentist touch me anymore until I know what's going on.

I'm sorry about your year of dental hell. It is so stressful. Can you post and say if they find anything as I might be in the same boat as you? Good luck.

What happens if the bone is infected?

 

[tealyellow]

So..just an update...in case anyone has ever gone through anything like this. I got blood work done and a referal to an ENT. I'm still waiting on both of those.

I went back to the endo today and was told that the muscles in my face are inflammed and that might be where the pain is coming from. She touched the upper parts of my gums right below my sinuses and I thought I was going to scream. It hurt so badly.
I went and had a CT scan. The results will be discussed with me next week, but I saw the image. One sinus is a black circle...the other is a cloudy, wispy smuge. That kind of freaked me out. I'm not stuffed up nor have I ever had a sinus infection as far as I know...is that what a tumor looks like? omg.

 

[Gordon]

No, that's not what a tumour looks like, HTH!

 

[brit]

No, that's not what a tumour looks like, HTH!

HTH? Oh yes 'Hope This Helps'