please help

[Curtis1011]

Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Ive had a long few months and honestly dont know what else to do. My dentist told me my upper left back two molars had deep cavities, so I paid a lot of money out of pocket to have the filled. One by one the filling "didnt take" and I was in constant pain. I ended up getting them both extracted. Its been two full months now since I had it done and I still have constant pain there. I have numbness in my cheek and my nose on and off too. The gums hurt almost non stop and are super sensitive. It is definetely not dry socket as both healed up quickly. I switched dentists and she x rayed it and said theres no infection and it shouldnt be hurting. I rinse with salt water all the time and take excellent care of my mouth. I also flush my sinuses often as I get a lot of sinus pressure and always have. Is this just a matter of waiting for a few more months so the gums can heal or what do I do? I cannot put into words how annoying this is to constantly be in pain and have numbness. Any advice is more than appreciated, thank you in advance!

 

[Busybee]

That must be so distressing.

Perhaps you should try stopping the salt water for a few days. The gums do best with just saliva and a healthy diet. How is your bite since the extractions? Are the teeth underneath touching the gums? Some of what you describe can be caused by a dysfunctional bite.

 

[Curtis1011]

That must be so distressing.

Perhaps you should try stopping the salt water for a few days. The gums do best with just saliva and a healthy diet. How is your bite since the extractions? Are the teeth underneath touching the gums? Some of what you describe can be caused by a dysfunctional bite.

You might be onto something there because they adjusted my bite before and I had 3-4 days of relief and then it kind of went back...I also notices that I keep getting calcium buildups on my bottom teeth and when that happens my whole mouth hurts, im going tonight for a scaling, first one on 4 plus years so maybe that will help I dont know

 

[Busybee]

Jaw muscles have a memory of where your bite should be, so if you suddenly have changes it can create all sorts of compensatory muscle contraction. That can cause pain and numbness as well as all sorts of uncomfortable sensations.

Think about getting a custom made night guard to wear so you don't grind in your sleep. If you find yourself clenching, try to relax the jaw. i'm just suggesting this because you need to rule it out as the cause. If as you say you had relief from adjustments then it could be down to the sudden change. But having adjustments doesn't really fix it because it's very hit and miss and the teeth start to try to meet in different places that set it all off again.

Do you floss every day? If you had such large cavities it may be worth scheduling hygienist appointments every three months. Get a good electric brush.

 

[Curtis1011]

Jaw muscles have a memory of where your bite should be, so if you suddenly have changes it can create all sorts of compensatory muscle contraction. That can cause pain and numbness as well as all sorts of uncomfortable sensations.

Think about getting a custom made night guard to wear so you don't grind in your sleep. If you find yourself clenching, try to relax the jaw. i'm just suggesting this because you need to rule it out as the cause. If as you say you had relief from adjustments then it could be down to the sudden change. But having adjustments doesn't really fix it because it's very hit and miss and the teeth start to try to meet in different places that set it all off again.

Do you floss every day? If you had such large cavities it may be worth scheduling hygienist appointments every three months. Get a good electric brush.

Thank you for your response. If its possibly due to the sudden changes like you suggest, which is very possible, how long do you think it will take for everything to "settle down" and are there any actions I could take to speed up the healing process? I floss everyday now and I salt water rinse as well as use coconut oil to help promote a healthy mouth, just getting really tired of all the numbess and tingling in my jaw as well as the often burning pain in my cheek. I read online it can take up to 6 months for everything to sort out?

 

[Busybee]

There's no timescale because it depends on your body and brain. You just have to try different things and see if they help, try to relax the jaw, massage the jaw.

The other alternative is that the nerves were damaged when the teeth were pulled but you'd have to put an x ray up for the dentists to comment. Again that usually settles in a few months (but occasionally it's long term). But the fact that your gums are sore and your nose is numb makes it sound more like a bite issue where you can end up in strange sensations all over your face, even your neck, shoulders back, tingling in your hands sometimes. I'm hoping one of the dentists will be along to give you an expert opinion.

 

[Curtis1011]

Thank you for your response. If its possibly due to the sudden changes like you suggest, which is very possible, how long do you think it will take for everything to "settle down" and are there any actions I could take to speed up the healing process? I floss everyday now and I salt water rinse as well as use coconut oil to help promote a healthy mouth, just getting really tired of all the numbess and tingling in my jaw as well as the often burning pain in my cheek. I read online it can take up to 6 months for everything to sort out?

I also would like to note that I definetely grind in my sleep so I bought a mouth gurds

There's no timescale because it depends on your body and brain. You just have to try different things and see if they help, try to relax the jaw, massage the jaw.

The other alternative is that the nerves were damaged when the teeth were pulled but you'd have to put an x ray up for the dentists to comment. Again that usually settles in a few months (but occasionally it's long term). But the fact that your gums are sore and your nose is numb makes it sound more like a bite issue where you can end up in strange sensations all over your face, even your neck, shoulders back, tingling in your hands sometimes. I'm hoping one of the dentists will be along to give you an expert opinion.

Thanks so much for answering. I went in last night for a cleaning and they confirmed no abscessed teeth no cavities that will cause me problems etc. The dentist seems to think its a combination of my sinuses putting pressure on the area that is healing as well as it takes a while to heal. She said can take up to 6 months to settle down. Im kind of worried there might be an infection or something, tough to not worry when this keeps happening, just want the pain to subside so I can stop thinking about it 24/7

 

[Busybee]

What you describe doesn't sound normal. I am sure your dentist doesn't know what's happening. Two months after an extraction is a long time to still be healing. Do you have any x rays you could post of what was there before the extraction?

How is wearing a night guard working out? Ideally you should have one that is custom made by a dentist. Have you tried relaxing the jaw? It's pretty complicated to resolve such issues but worth trying different approaches and keeping a diary of when you have the most pain and what you were doing just before. That might help identify triggers.

 

[Curtis1011]

What you describe doesn't sound normal. I am sure your dentist doesn't know what's happening. Two months after an extraction is a long time to still be healing. Do you have any x rays you could post of what was there before the extraction?

How is wearing a night guard working out? Ideally you should have one that is custom made by a dentist. Have you tried relaxing the jaw? It's pretty complicated to resolve such issues but worth trying different approaches and keeping a diary of when you have the most pain and what you were doing just before. That might help identify triggers.

I feel like I should quickly summarize the entire story so you have all of the pieces. Basically when I was 15-21 I wore braces and got them off, teeth were fine, then I did not take as good of care of them for many years. I never had so much as a toothache until I was 27 last year and randomly I started having almost unbearable pain. I went in to see a dentist and they told me my bottom right second from the back molar was abscessed and the back molar had a big cavity. They root canelled the tooth and fixed the cavity beside it (over 1600 out of pocket) and the pain never went away so 2 months later I got the tooth extracted. The pain STILL never went away so they said that I needed a root canal on the tooth in which I had a cavity filled, which I declined and said just pull it leaving me without the back two molars on the bottom right. Then I started having pain upper left literally the exact same situation with my back two molars (youd think I would learn my lesson) and a couple of thousand dollars later both those teeth are now out. As it stands now Im missing the bottom right back two molars and the top left back two molars, have 3 small and i mean small cavities and no other bad teeth. I decided to switch dentists went in for my new exam and a cleaning this week and they seemed a lot more thorough than the old dentist. She said originally the area should have healed by now but then she kind of changed it and said since I had two extractions it might take a whole longer. When I reach into my mouth and touch the top left gums they are not swollen but they definetely are sensitive to touch. I got those breath right strips to help breath better at night as well as got a mouthguard but nothing seems to help. No matter what I do on and off all day my left cheek and nose and even eyebrow area go numb and will sting really badly at times. Im pretty frustrated I think Ive spent just over 4k out of pocket in 8 months and havent gone any extended period of time without pain. My benefits kick in Nov 1st but I dont know what needs to be done since I dont know whats causing the pain. I could probably get my x rays will see what I can do. Thanks for all of the help I cant tell you how much I appreciate it

 

[Busybee]

It does sound like the work you've done would knock your bite out of kilter. So it's likely to be a combination of things. Now I haven't had a molar extracted since I was a child, but I do recall for years the site was tickly when touched with the tongue or anything like floss etc. Not painful but then someone else may have had pain where I had ticklyness. Even know those areas although the gaps closed, the gum feels different.

I think the nerves retain a memory of the tooth when it's gone, maybe like ghost limbs etc. Obviously you still have nerves and blood vessels going to that area and they used to feed a live tooth so it's likely that there will be some residual sensation. I'm sure there's a term for that feeling. A bit like if you've ever cut yourself in some accident when you were a kid and it was deep enough to go to the nerve. When you feel that scar it can feel weird for years. Not like the skin around it. It's healed but it's not the same. So it's likely to be a combination of this and the bite, but it's possible there is nerve damage.

Hopefully it will all settle in time.

It's one of those areas of medicine that has many "experts" but no solutions.

By the way I had sinus problems years ago and I know those breathe right strips are a life saver. Thankfully my problem was temporary and it only lasted so long because I was overdoing the nasal drops (otrivine). I saw an ENT specialist and he gave me some different nose drops that cleared it all up in two days! But it is really awful to have to go through sinus issues. Getting a good night's sleep is such a challenge. I can't imagine what you're going through with both that and dental pain. Don't worry, this won't last forever. It just feels that way for now, but you're out of balance.

Maybe worth seeing an ENT specialist to check whether there is some damage to the sinus area. It's all connected so whoever thought dentistry and ENT should be separated by an invisible wall should be discredited.

 

[Curtis1011]

It does sound like the work you've done would knock your bite out of kilter. So it's likely to be a combination of things. Now I haven't had a molar extracted since I was a child, but I do recall for years the site was tickly when touched with the tongue or anything like floss etc. Not painful but then someone else may have had pain where I had ticklyness. Even know those areas although the gaps closed, the gum feels different.

I think the nerves retain a memory of the tooth when it's gone, maybe like ghost limbs etc. Obviously you still have nerves and blood vessels going to that area and they used to feed a live tooth so it's likely that there will be some residual sensation. I'm sure there's a term for that feeling. A bit like if you've ever cut yourself in some accident when you were a kid and it was deep enough to go to the nerve. When you feel that scar it can feel weird for years. Not like the skin around it. It's healed but it's not the same. So it's likely to be a combination of this and the bite, but it's possible there is nerve damage.

Hopefully it will all settle in time.

It's one of those areas of medicine that has many "experts" but no solutions.

By the way I had sinus problems years ago and I know those breathe right strips are a life saver. Thankfully my problem was temporary and it only lasted so long because I was overdoing the nasal drops (otrivine). I saw an ENT specialist and he gave me some different nose drops that cleared it all up in two days! But it is really awful to have to go through sinus issues. Getting a good night's sleep is such a challenge. I can't imagine what you're going through with both that and dental pain. Don't worry, this won't last forever. It just feels that way for now, but you're out of balance.

Maybe worth seeing an ENT specialist to check whether there is some damage to the sinus area. It's all connected so whoever thought dentistry and ENT should be separated by an invisible wall should be discredited.

Thanks for the response I appreciate it. After seeing your post I kind of got thinking about the sinuses and I went to a doctor yesterday who said I have a pretty bad sinus infection on the side that has been hurting. He said its normal for that to cause tooth pain. I guess my ear was quite inflammed and I should have known as my nose and eye on that side only had been painful and leaking alot. I still think maybe 20-30 percent of the pain is from the gums healing after the extractions, Im a really slow healer apparently, but the doc put me on a special steroid nose spray and some antibiotics I had never heard of. I also had been using a nasal decongestant that he said to stop using as apparently they can do more harm than good when you over use them. Im hoping within a few days the meds kick in and things just improve. Im back in the dentist to get 2 small cavities filled at the end of the month but Im really hoping by then alot of the pressure subsides. Thanks sooooo much again for the help. It was your advice of seeing an ENT specialist that really got me thinking this might be sinus related. I still think I should see one and not just a GP doctor as I am prone to sinus issues, especially since my dad gets them a lot and I have a deviated septum (broke my nose dirtbiking when I was 15). Thanks so much again, heres to hoping these meds help!

 

[Busybee]

I'm glad I could help. I do think it's worth seeing an ENT specialist. One visit cured me. What you've said about the nasal spray sounds so familiar. Using that just makes the problem chronic. They should put a warning on the bottles!

Please let us know how you get on.