Hi Nell,
I am in the dental profession and can try to help you. Without an xray I can only go by what you have described here.
I will answer your questions in bold type to make it easier to follow.
<<So, I'm wondering if I'm feeling this pain because my bite is still not correct?>>>
IT IT POSSIBLE THAT YOUR PAIN HAS MANY REASONS.
1) THE BITE MAY STILL BE OFF
2) THE NERVE IN THE TOOTH MAY BE DYING
3) YOUR GRINDING HABIT CAN BE IRRITATING THIS TOOTH.
4) THE RC TOOTH BEHIND IT MAY BE FINALLY SHOWING SYMPTOMS OF AN INFECTION.
<<<From what I understand root canals are often infected but not sure this pain is because of infection since I didn't have pain before this new crown.">>>
ROOT CANALED TEETH ARE ALWAYS INFECTED BECAUSE THERE IS NO ACCESS TO THE TINY CANALS THAT CONTAIN NECROTIC NERVE TISSUE. SO IRRELEVANT OF HOW MANY TIMES THE TOOTH IS ROOT CANALED, THESE TINY CANALS REMAIN INFECTED. EVENTUALLY THE INFECTION SPREADS FURTHER INTO THE TOOTH, THEN INTO THE PERIODONTAL LIGAMENT, AND THEN THE JAW BONE.
PREPARING THE TOOTH FOR A CROWN DID NOT CAUSE THE RC TOOTH TO BECOME INFECTED. IT WAS ALREADY INFECTED FOR THE REASONS THAT I STATED ABOVE. HOWEVER, YOU MAY BE HITTING THE RC TOOTH DIFFERENTLY NOW SINCE GETTING THIS OTHER TOOTH CROWNED WHICH WOULD CAUSE SYMPTOMS OF THE INFECTION IN THE RC TOOTH TO SURFACE. IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT MOST DENTAL PROBLEMS HAVE NO SYMPTOMS UNTIL THE AREA HAS BEEN IRRITATED OR THE PROBLEM HAS PROGRESSED. PAIN IS OFTEN A LATE STAGE SYMPTOM.
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<<<I called the dentist to tell him I was still having pain in the tooth with the new crown and he told me I should see an endodontist because "when you have work done on the tooth, the nerve gets inflamed and usually the inflammation goes down but sometimes it does not and because I'm still feeling pain, maybe the nerve in my tooth has not settled down and I'll need a root canal". Does this sound possible?>>>
ANYTIME A TOOTH IS DRILLED INTO, THE NERVE IS TRAUMATIZED AND INFLAMED. IF THE PREPARATION OF THE TOOTH WAS NOT SEVERE AND IF THE TOOTH WAS HEALTHY TO BEGIN WITH, THEN IN MOST CASES THE NERVE WILL CALM DOWN. DENTISTS TYPICALLY TELL THEIR PATIENTS TO SEE THE ENDODONTIST WHEN THE PATIENT COMPLAINS ABOUT PAIN WITH A NEW CROWN AND/OR WHEN THEY SUSPECT THE NEWLY CROWNED TOOTH WAS NOT HEALTHY TO BEGIN WITH.
KEEP IN MIND THAT RC TEETH ARE NEVER HEALTHY AND THERE ARE SYSTEMIC RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONICALLY INFECTED TEETH. SO YOU MAY WANT TO DO SOME RESEARCH ON THOSE HEALTH RISKS AND RECONSIDER GETTING ANOTHER ROOT CANAL DONE FOR THAT REASON.
<<I do remember when I went in to have my permanent crown put on and I told him I was having sensitivity, when I was leaving he told me something similar about the nerve getting inflamed because of being worked on and to come and see him if it didn't get better. How does one go from having a crown put on to possibly needing a root canal? Btw, the tooth was not infected in any way.>>>
PLEASE READ ABOVE ABOUT THE TOOTH BEING DRILLED INTO.
Bryanna
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nell Bowen
I wrote a post yesterday regarding having a cracked crown replaced and having issues with pain in the tooth next to it:
"I was wondering if anyone could help me out with an issue I'm having with my teeth. It regards the last two teeth on the upper left side of my mouth. The crown cracked on the last tooth and I had it replaced recently. While I had the temporary on I was feeling extreme sensitivity with hot, cold and sharp pain when biting down on something like a cracker. I had no previous pain. I thought it was just sensitive because I had a temporary on, but after I had the permanent crown put on I had the same pain and sensitivity, but not as extreme.
When the permanent crown was put on it was done quickly and there was no adjustment(drilling) of the new crown. I had told the dentist about the sensitivity and he said the tooth is probably sensitive from having work done on it and give it a week to calm down, if I still had an issue, call him in a week. After a little more than two weeks I still had the same issue so I went back to the dentist and pinpointed exactly where the pain was(back right corner of the tooth), it turned out to be the tooth next to the last(newly crowned)tooth. The dentist said because of the fit of the new crown my bite was putting pressure on the second tooth.
Now, this second tooth is a double root canal tooth and I was not having any pain prior to this procedure. The dentist then used the drill to reshape the root canal tooth and it seemed to feel a little better. He also took an X-ray and said the root canal tooth might be infected but he had to compare the X-ray to one taken over a year ago to be sure. Anyway, after I left I could now bite down on food(like crackers) and not feel the sharp pain, so the tooth felt better. But it still had some sensitivity and a little aching. I grind my teeth at night(I wear mouth guard) and sometimes during the day under stress I clench my teeth together and it is during these times, when I wake in the morning, and throughout the day under stress where I'm feeling pain in the tooth.
So, I'm wondering if I'm feeling this pain because my bite is still not correct? From what I understand root canals are often infected but not sure this pain is because of infection since I didn't have pain before this new crown."
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I called the dentist to tell him I was still having pain in the tooth with the new crown and he told me I should see an endodontist because "when you have work done on the tooth, the nerve gets inflamed and usually the inflammation goes down but sometimes it does not and because I'm still feeling pain, maybe the nerve in my tooth has not settled down and I'll need a root canal". Does this sound possible?
I do remember when I went in to have my permanent crown put on and I told him I was having sensitivity, when I was leaving he told me something similar about the nerve getting inflamed because of being worked on and to come and see him if it didn't get better. How does one go from having a crown put on to possibly needing a root canal? Btw, the tooth was not infected in any way.
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