Tooth pain for 12 days after eating popcorn

[Spock117]

Hi. I had tooth pain come on while eating popcorn almost two weeks ago, in the first molar on the bottom left. After a week I got in to see a dentist. The pain is coming from a tooth with a crown and previous root canal (I think it was four years ago). He didn't see any signs of issues with the root canal or any issues that jumped out at him. He thought I had a sprained tooth ligament. He said he could do a bite adjustment if I wanted.

For the first week I wasn't doing anything different other than just chewing on the other side of my mouth. Since then I've been taking a couple ibuprofen a few times a day, doing ice, salt water, and not eating anything that requires much chewing at all.

Worried that the bite adjustment might aggravate things more but also I'm desperate to get rid of this pain so might try it. The pain is bad today and wrapping around to the top on the left, and I've also had pain on the right side (maybe from all the chewing on the right side?).

I'm just hoping for any ideas on what else I should be doing or not doing to help this heal. Thanks.

 

[dentalexplorer123]

Gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water several times daily to alleviate inflammation and support the healing process. If you have aloe vera juice at home, apply it directly to the affected area using a cotton swab and leave it on for 15-20 minutes before rinsing. In case of severe pain or persistent discomfort, consider using an over-the-counter product like Orabase or Orajel. Alternatively, GUM SensiVital toothpaste is available at your local chemist or Amazon, and can be applied twice daily for 7 days using a cotton swab directly to the affected area. Schedule an appointment with a qualified dentist who can provide a fresh perspective on your case.

 

[Spock117]

The pain and sensitivity feeling is spreading across all my teeth now at times, in addition to the main original pain.

Gently rinse your mouth with warm salt water several times daily to alleviate inflammation and support the healing process. If you have aloe vera juice at home, apply it directly to the affected area using a cotton swab and leave it on for 15-20 minutes before rinsing. In case of severe pain or persistent discomfort, consider using an over-the-counter product like Orabase or Orajel. Alternatively, GUM SensiVital toothpaste is available at your local chemist or Amazon, and can be applied twice daily for 7 days using a cotton swab directly to the affected area. Schedule an appointment with a qualified dentist who can provide a fresh perspective on your case.

Thanks for the suggestions. Did you mean you think my dentists suggestion wasn't the right thing to do, or just that a second opinion would be good?

 

[Dr M]

I would not say his suggestion was wrong. I would go for the adjustment on the crown. This should not worsen the problem, but relieving pressure on that specific tooth, might help the ligaments to heal more quickly.
If the pain persists after this, I would also suggest trying a course of antibiotics. Although the antibiotics is never a solution by itself, it should help to take the pain away and if the pain returns, I would investigate the root canal further.
Also rule out any other teeth in the area with possible problems. Could be that you have referred pain from another tooth.

 

[Spock117]

I would not say his suggestion was wrong. I would go for the adjustment on the crown. This should not worsen the problem, but relieving pressure on that specific tooth, might help the ligaments to heal more quickly.
If the pain persists after this, I would also suggest trying a course of antibiotics. Although the antibiotics is never a solution by itself, it should help to take the pain away and if the pain returns, I would investigate the root canal further.
Also rule out any other teeth in the area with possible problems. Could be that you have referred pain from another tooth l

Thank you so much for responding. I made an appointment with my primary care provider before I saw this, I was struggling with the pain and since the dentist hadn't prescribed anything and over the counter stuff wasn't helping I was hoping to talk about that with them and their office is right by where I live, much closer than the dentist.

I asked if prescription pain meds or antibiotics might help at all and she initially didn't think so but then was looking in my mouth more and evidently saw something around the area that she thought justified the antibiotics. I asked about the bite adjustment and she thought it would good to go ahead and do the antibiotics first and not do the adjustment while there was still pain, with the disclaimer that she isn't the dentist and I'd have to ask a dentist about dental procedures.

I picked up the antibiotics after the appointment. That's kind of the opposite order of your suggestion, does that seem okay if I start the antibiotic today and run it's course before doing the adjustment? Or not? Also would a bite guard be a good idea?

Maybe it wasn't the right thing to go ask my doctor about this, I just got stressed and panicky about the pain.

Also I stupidly pushed down on the tooth with my finger during the appointment today. I hope I didn't make anything worse.

Thank you for your time and thoughts I really appreciate it.

 

[dentalexplorer123]

A root canaled tooth with a crown can feel excruciating pain due to various reasons. One common cause is that the tooth may be infected or re-infected, which can lead to inflammation of the pulp tissue and nerve . Additionally, improper placement or fit of the dental crown, or bite misalignment, can exert pressure on the nerve and roots of the tooth causing pain. Inadequate sealing of old fillings, gum recession, or exposed tooth roots can also contribute to sensitivity and pain in a crowned root canal treated tooth . Furthermore, while crowns themselves are supposed to protect the tooth, the underlying tooth remains susceptible to infections which can cause increased pain and sensitivity.

If the pain is caused by an infection, you'll need to see your dentist for further treatment. They may prescribe antibiotics or perform additional procedures like retreatment of the canal or even extraction. A poorly fitting crown can be adjusted or replaced to ensure a proper seal and reduce irritation on the surrounding tissues if that is the case. Another probable case, is that the pain is due to bite misalignment, so your dentist may recommend adjusting your occlusion (bite) to alleviate pressure on the affected tooth. Desensitising agents or special toothpastes can be applied to reduce sensitivity caused by exposed root surfaces. Additionally, gum tissue grafting may be considered if there's significant recession. In case inadequate sealing of old fillings is the issue, your dentist might replace them with new fillings or crowns that fit properly and seal effectively. Treating any underlying gum disease can help reduce inflammation and alleviate pain.

 

[Spock117]

It's hurting worse than ever, I should be asleep right now, I tried but I couldn't relax with the pain. I'm sure I must have made things worse today or aggravated things or something. I didn't start the antibiotics like my doctor said tonight, I was worried about if I needed to see the dentist again what would he say about me going to my doctor.

 

[Dr M]

Start the antibiotics. It takes about 2 days to kick in. If the pain disappears,wait until it returns before going for the adjustment on the crown. While you are on antibiotics, it will mask any symptoms, so it won't help going to adjust the crown.

 

[desrosiersdental]

It sounds like you might have a piece of popcorn kernel stuck between your teeth or gums. At Admire Dental Care, we recommend visiting a dentist as soon as possible to prevent any potential infection or further complications. Prompt professional care can help alleviate the pain and address the root cause effectively.

 

[Spock117]

It sounds like you might have a piece of popcorn kernel stuck between your teeth or gums. At Admire Dental Care, we recommend visiting a dentist as soon as possible to prevent any potential infection or further complications. Prompt professional care can help alleviate the pain and address the root cause effectively.

Would a kernal be visible on an x-ray? The dentist I saw didn't see any issues on the x-ray.

 

[Dr M]

Not always no.

 

[Spock117]

Okay thanks that's good to know. I assume he would have checked for that but I guess I don't know for sure.

Today is day 4 taking the antibiotic, no change in symptoms so far and the pain definitely has been worse since the other day when I pushed on it, so stupid of me. It's a real pressing pain. Thinking maybe I should try to get it checked out by another dentist soon, not sure how long to give it first though.

 

[Spock117]

Pain (and probably stress over all this) is keeping me from sleeping again tonight. (Taken antibiotic for 5 days now and it is a 10 day course). I took Tylenol and had recently iced it before bed but that doesn't seem to have been enough.

I'm thinking that the tooth pain and weird things it's causing me to do with my jaw and the anxiety of everything is causing me to develop TMJ alongside whatever the original issue is. Jaw is really sore, and I have pain all around my mouth (though I guess that part could be referred pain).

 

[Spock117]

I'm worried that I've been using an ice pack too much and could have caused damage. The inside of mouth feels weird maybe swollen (or maybe dry mouth?) and it feels odd when I tap my teeth together. Maybe that's all just due to the things I have going on, or the lack of sleep talking, I don't know.

 

[Spock117]

Another night of no sleep due to pain. It's worse than ever.

 

[Spock117]

Went back to dentist. In discussing Increasing pain and symptoms phe is leaning towards thinking there is a fracture under the crown or in the root of tooth not visible on the x-ray.

 

[Spock117]

Forgot to mention in last post he did do the bite adjustment this week as well. Been a couple days, still seems to hurt about the same on that side. Still have pain sometimes on other teeth and jaw still feels tense and sore too. He thinks we should remove the crown and take a look at the tooth if pain is continuing.

 

[Spock117]

Hi @Dr M you had mentioned before about checking out the root canal if pain continued after antibiotics and bite adjustment didn't work, I just wanted to clarify were you thinking that it might need to be re-root canaled or what kind of issues could there be with it? Dentist wants to take off crown next week to look for fractures, thinks root canal looks ok on the x-ray. He's nice and seems knowledgeable it's just such a weird situation I want to get all the info I can. Thanks!

 

[Dr M]

You can maybe consider getting a 3D CBCT scan of the tooth. A lot of times, there might be some missed canals that were not filled, some accessory canals or even a crack.