Brought a thick glass to my mouth- into the tooth by accident.

The dentist said to take antibiotics he prescribed & go to a root canal consultation on Mon. No fracture, but the nerve might be dying. I took ibuprofin a few nights to sleep.

Try not to bie food w/it. A lot of pain. Even eating yogurt, which is supposed to help.

I have Post-Concussion headache, so the pain may be making that worse-

Just wondering if the pain will go away on its own & whether to bother w/antibiotics (a friend said not to). I know dentists are out to make money-

Thanks.

Hi Jeffrey,

FYI.. I am in the dental field and can offer you some ideas here. First of all, it sounds like your tooth problem has progressed into an infection. Unfortunately the antibiotic will not cure the infection because you may have either a fracture in the tooth or in the jawbone itself which will cause an infection to develop in the nerve of the tooth. FYI...fractured teeth are often not seen on an xray. Many times the fracture is not detectable until the tooth is removed. Doing a root canal on a fractured tooth is useless because the fractured part cannot be sterilized or sealed closed. So the infection would linger and eventually spread to the adjacent teeth.

It is important for you to get a definitive diagnosis from your dentist and discuss your treatment options before it gets any worse.

Your situation is not about dentists trying to make money off of you. You have a legitimate tooth problem that needs attention.

Bryanna

Thanks for the reply.

If the fracture doesn't show up on the X-ray, then I have no idea what to do.

No root canal, no antibiotics, no relief from pain.

I can pray. But can anyone do anything to find out what is going on?

I am going to a followup on Monday. I also banged the front right tooth w/a fork a few weeks ago, but the pain there may be the infection spreading.

Thanks!

Hi Jeffrey,

So what did the dentist say at your last appointment?? How are those teeth feeling now?

Bryanna

The pain is bad. I've tried ibuprofin, Anbensol gel, and praying.

I may need to do that consultation w/the root canal specialist. I hope that more problems do not arise from going down this path.

Hi Jeffrey,

The pain is bad because there is an infection and possibly a fracture. As I said earlier, sometimes fractures are difficult to see on a typical dental xray. However, this problem is not something that is going to get better on it's own and the infection can spread to other teeth and further into the jawbone. It is imperative to see your dentist asap.

Your options may be root canal therapy or extraction. Root canaled teeth are never cured of the infection and they eventually need to be retreated or removed. However, it is your personal choice to have that done or not. If the tooth/teeth are fractured, root canal therapy is completely worthless even for any short term relief. I know this is not what you want to hear... unfortunately it is the truth.

Extracting the tooth/teeth remove the source of the infection and your replacement options may be either a bridge or dental implants. Just so you know... if the infection spreads from the tooth/teeth into the jawbone, the replacement options become more limited and complicated.

Jeffrey, please do not wait to see your dentist. I know you are upset over this, but it is not going to get better on it's own.

Please keep in touch with us!

Bryanna

Thanks. I went to the RC specialist, and he said I don't need one.

Two nights ago, I had to take an (ibu)profin & elevate the head a bit to get to sleep. I accidentally tapped the tooth w/a spoon, then Fri. bit onto a chicken bone (so foolish).

And today the pain is so bad I'm considering a daytime ibu. The pain's making me sloppy & causing more minor problems.

Maybe I need to go back, or try accupuncture.

I went though a similar situation with my front tooth. I had a fracture that didn't show up on the x-ray. I did have a root canal done, but it only made the pain worse. I guess because I had a fracture. I ended up having it pulled and getting an implant. I know you posted this months ago, so I hope you are all better now. Just thought I would share my experience.