Hi montos.
I am going to reply in BOLD after each of your comments...
<<<I had a root canal started dec 24th due to severe pain that would only let up when I drank cold water. The pain was everywhere on my right side, I couldn't tell if was upper or lower and it hurt my cheek and ear too.>>
ALL OF THESE SYMPTOMS ARE INDICATIVE OF A LONG TERM INFECTED AND INFLAMED TOOTH. LONG TERM MEANS THE BACTERIA HAS GONE BEYOND THE TOOTH.
<<The procedure was quite painful and the dentist said the tooth had been dead for some time since it all black inside. She cleaned it up and sealed a cotton pellet with some formocresol on it.>>
IT WAS PAINFUL BECAUSE THE INFLAMMATION IS SEVERE AND IT IS NOT LIMITED TO JUST THE TOOTH. THE INFLAMMATION IS IN THE PERIODONTAL LIGAMENT THAT HOLDS THE TOOTH IN THE JAW... THE SURROUNDING NERVES IN THE JAW... THE LIGAMENTS AND MUSCULATURE AREA THAT ENCOMPASSES NOT ONLY THIS TOOTH BUT THE ENTIRE UPPER AND LOWER JAW ON THAT SIDE. THIS IS A BAD INFECTION.
******FORMOCRESOL IS A FORM OF FORMALDEHYDE. IT IS USED IN EMBALMING FLUID. IT IS A LETHAL TOXIN TO HUMAN BEINGS. GOOGLE FORMOCRESOL TOXICITY AND READ ABOUT IT. DENTISTS WHO STILL USE THIS STUFF SHOULD HAVE THEIR LICENSES TAKEN AWAY PERMANENTLY. THIS IS THE WORST THING SHE COULD HAVE PUT IN YOUR TOOTH. THE TOXINS LEACH OUT OF THE TOOTH INTO YOUR TISSUE, YOUR BLOODSTREAM, YOUR BRAIN..... ETC. THERE IS NO WAY TO REMOVE THE RESIDUE FROM THIS TOXIN FROM YOUR TOOTH. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT YOU HAVE THE TOOTH REMOVED ASAP.
<<10 days later I went to my regular dentist to finish the job. I had just completed 10 days of clindamycin and the pain had resolved after about 5 days.>>
THIS TOOTH SHOULD BE REMOVED. IT IS NOT HEALTHY AND THE TOXINS FROM THE FORMOCRESOL ARE CONTINUOUSLY LEACHING OUT OF THE TOOTH.
<<My regular dentist prepped the tooth which was quite painful since I had no anesthetic. I could feel the files go past the apex several times, of so it seemed. He then inserted warm gutta-percha into each canal which hurt like heck for a second or 2. The xray showed a small puff beyond the apex which is what he looks for.>>
THIS IS A NIGHTMARE. NOT ONLY IS THIS TOOTH HIGHLY TOXIC BUT THAT "PUFF" OF FILLING MATERIAL THAT WAS PUSHED THROUGH THE DISEASED APEX OF THE TOOTH NOW HAS EMBEDDED ITSELF IN THE JAWBONE. NO THIS IS NOT A GOOD THING. THIS IS A DENTIST WHO DOES NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE SYSTEMIC AFTERMATH OF WHAT HE DOES.
<<After the procedure the tooth was incredibly sore for about 4 days, as was my cheek. Ibuprofen helped. I was getting pain in my cheek and ear as well.>>
OF COURSE YOU WERE. THE TOOTH IS SICK AND SO IS THE AREA AROUND IT.
<<About 9 days after the procedure the pain was mostly gone but I had a slight burning sensation in my cheek. This burning has not gone away and it has been nearly 2 weeks. The sensation is quite distracting but mild almost like severely dry skin. It also comes and goes. I still get the occasional twinge from the tooth, especially as a eat.>>
THIS COULD BE RELATED TO IRRITATED NERVES AND INFLAMMATION BUT IS MORE LIKELY PAIN FROM TOXICITY. THE TOOTH HURTS TO CHEW BECAUSE IT'S INFECTED AND THE AREA ABOVE IT IS TOO.
<<Of course I read about trigeminal neuropathy and freaked out.>>
GET THE TOOTH OUT BEFORE THE TOXINS SPREAD ANY FURTHER. MANY PEOPLE ARE SUFFERING WITH VARIOUS TYPES OF NEURALGIA DUE TO INFECTED ROOT CANALED TEETH. THE LONGER THE TOOTH IS PRESENT THE MORE LIKELY YOU ARE TO HAVE PERMANENT PAIN.
<<Does this sound normal? Does it found like something that might still go away?>>
IT SOUNDS VERY "TYPICAL" FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD YOUR DENTAL PROBLEM. THE ISSUE IS...IN SPITE OF THE DIRECT CORRELATION, MANY DENTISTS DO NOT WANT TO ADMIT THIS IS RELATED TO THE TOOTH.
<<With the exception of this morning it has been gone in the am and gets worse throughout the day.>>
IT'S NOT REALLY GONE. THE SYMPTOMS SUBSIDE BECAUSE YOUR BODY IS AT REST. THAT IS MOST LIKELY SHORT LIVED. IT FEELS WORSE AS THE DAY GOES ON BECAUSE THE INFLAMMATION IS IRRITATED BY YOUR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY, BY EATING, BY TEMPERATURE CHANGES... ETC.
Montos, I know what I have told you is scary. It is the truth and you are doing yourself an injustice if you keep this tooth. It is only a matter of time before the area swells up. In the meantime, your immune system is fighting the toxicities associated with the formocresol, the tooth is infected, the bone is infected and your experiencing systemic neurological pain from all of this. I have seen this thousands of times in my dental career.... before the neurological issues become permanent seriously consider removing this tooth. Go to an oral surgeon only to have it removed. Not your GP.
Be Well,
Bryanna