When I think about my teeth, I convince myself they hurt....

[jen2605]

Not sure if this is just me, but since getting 2 fillings six months ago, I've not had any more toothache. But I got a text message last week telling me it was time to make an appointment for a check up. I still haven't managed to get past the fear and pick up the phone, but ever since getting the message I keep getting random toothaches - it can be in any tooth and it's never in the same place, so I'm pretty sure it's all psychological.....am I crazy?! Does anyone else feel the same?!

 

[Dr. Daniel]

Hi,

What you are telling us about is very true. I have experienced it both as a dentist and as a patient .
I think it has to do with the fact that our mouth is filled with all kind of nerves: taste, touch, pressure, temperature, texture and of course pain nerves. In fact, the mouth (and lips) is the most innervated organ in the human body. The brain receives constantly neural information from the mouth but mostly it is sub-liminal or not really interesting so we don't pay much attention (when was the last time you noticed what is your tongue doing at this very moment).
Once the dentist issue becomes relevant, and with it concerns and fears, also more attention goes to the mouth and its sensations. All of the sudden, we notice new sensations and we tend to give them a negative interpretation.

Again, this is my theory, it is not evidence based

 

[Gbug]

This happens to me ALL of the time. You're not alone. Psychogenic pain (or whatever). I was convinced yesterday that my bite was off (there are reasons)---once I finally managed to relax at work and stop thinking about it, the weird bite pressure I was feeling on my tooth went away.