On August 19 while chewing gum I felt something different on my back tooth; I looked at it in the mirror and noticed the filling on top had cracked (a crack running across the top). Approximately 8 months prior I was chewing gum and something similar happened and the side part of the filling chipped off, which left a type of hole in the side. This tooth never bothered me though, no pain. I did have a treatment plan done several years ago and that dentist wanted to do a root canal on that tooth because they said there was an infection in it; I didn’t believe them because there was no pain.

I made a appointment for the next day. (8-20-09) This was an old filling and just needed to be replaced. After getting this tooth and the one behind it re-filled (mouth was open for a little over an hour)I started having pain that night and especially the next day. I went back to the dentist a couple days later and they took x-rays and found nothing wrong, put me on penicillin just in case an infection was starting. (8-25-09) Still no pain in the tooth or the one behind it; but severe pain in the jaw and ear and glands in the neck. The dentist wasn’t very optimistic about a root canal and said that was an option or having it pulled, I chose to have it pulled; but wasn’t sure which tooth needed pulled. She said the one that had a cracked filling; the tooth might have a crack in it. I had that one pulled (8-27-09)and still have the same amount of pain or more; even went to the ER (8-30-09) thinking it might be a ear infection which it isn’t. No dry socket either. Is it a jaw bone infection? After I had the tooth pulled I was put on clindamycin. I went back to the oral surgeon (8-31-09) because the pain is so bad and he said it is healing nicely and gave me Percocet and said to give it a couple more days. It has been a week since I have had the tooth pulled and the pain is getting worse. I am taking 2 Percocet (325) every 4 hours and that isn’t taking the pain away. Only lasts about 2 hours. I can’t live like this, it is terrible. I don’t know what to do. I don’t think there was anything wrong with the tooth in the first place, I think the pain started when my jaw became infected while the first dentist drilled out my old filling and put in the new one. Not to blame anyone, I just think that is what happened.

Any advice on what I should do, or what is going on?

Hi ashley,

So sorry to hear you are having such a difficult time. Pain in a tooth or the jaw can be very debilitating. Based on your description, it appears that you need some clarification to help sort through your ordeal.

The tooth that was treatment planned to have a root canal several years ago..... if there was an infection in that tooth at that time, then by now the infection has spread past the tooth into the jawbone and/or into an adjacent tooth/teeth. Infected teeth do not heal on their own. However, you seem uncertain as to whether or not that tooth had an infection at that time.

Old fillings break down over time and bacteria gets in the margins of the filling. Also anytime a filling breaks even microscopically, bacteria gets in underneath the filling which leads to decay and infection. So if that tooth did not have an infection several years ago when you were told it needed a root canal.... then it probably did become infected after the initial break in the filling 8 months ago.

Old silver (mercury) fillings corrode after several years (or sooner) which causes openings and cracks in the filling. Bacteria gets in these cracks and decay sets in. MOST of the time when an old silver filling is removed, there is some if not alot of decay underneath it. If the decay has spread to the pulp chamber/nerve then the entire tooth becomes infected. When this happens, the only options are a root canal or extraction because if a filling is put into a tooth in this condition, it will cause a severe toothache, eventual swelling and spread of infection.

Not all tooth problems cause pain. Many tooth and gum conditions are symptom free until the infection has caused inflammation that builds up and cannot release itself. If there was an opening in your tooth from the broken filling and the infection was able to release itself continuously, you would not experience pain until the inflammation closed off the opening (from the inside of the tooth) and the pressure built up. It's like a spinter that gets embedded in your hand. If the skin closes over that splinter the tissue swells up from the inflammation and infection and pain sets in.

You are doubtful that the wrong tooth was pulled. It sounds like that tooth was not healthy based on the history you gave of it. So it probably was a good idea to have that one removed. Since the oral surgeon said everything looked ok clinically post operatively, then your pain may be coming from the muscular and TMJ areas. Sometimes this is referred to as trismus. Did the oral surgeon talk to you about the origin of your pain?

You did not say if the teeth in question were on the bottom or the top.....or if you have difficulty opening your mouth. Frequently, dental work (fillings and extractions) on the lower jaw cause irritation to the TMJ area. Sometimes top teeth can too if the person has to keep their mouth open very wide for a long period of time. If you have difficulty opening your mouth, then it may be muscular and/or TMJ related (possible trismus) which should be evaluated by the oral surgeon again and/or your dentist. The sooner you get intervention to relieve the muscle spasm (if that is what it is) the less likely you are to have a long term problem.

It is hard to say what your exact problem is here because it can be several things. If you are still in intense pain tomorrow, it may be wise to see the dentist again to evaluate the condition further. I know it is painful and you are losing your patience with it. But the more tense you become the tighter your jaw will become and that just adds to the problem. I don't think you got an infection from the replacement of the fillings. Most likely both of those teeth were decayed under the old fillings and the one was unrestorable.

I hope this information clarifies a few things for you. It does not answer your question of what is wrong..... but it may help you to understand the situation better....... hopefully :-)

Please let us know how you are doing.

Bryanna

I replied to your other post but Bryanna can tell you that I have a terrible case of TMD that developed after dental surgery for implants. The muscle spasms and the damage to the joint have been horrendous for me.

Ask your dentist for an MRI of your jaw or to see a TMJ specialist. It made quite a differnce for me.