Hi All,

I am new to this and am, to be frank, a little scared. I moved to the US from the UK 8 months ago and as soon as I arrived had a minor dental issue gingivitis / periodontal disease. I went to visit a dentist recommended by a friend who found a whole bunch of other issues that, due to a difference in quality of care back home, had not been detected. Since then I have had the following treatments;,

October 2013 - Peridontal Scaling
November / December 2013 - Crown on first molar lower left and an Onlay back molar upper right
January 2014 - Two Further Crowns on left side upper, two teeth back from canine, I think upper molars
March 2014 - Front top eight teeth veneered at the advice of the dentist, as due to decay in all eight teeth I would likely need root canals / tooth removal in the very near future were I not to protect my teeth with these, this was preventative
April 6th 2014 - Removal of all four Wisdom Teeth, and laying an implant to replace a missing tooth due to a sports injury, right lower first molar

I now have a few issues. Firstly, after visiting the dentist to adjust my bite after the veneers I experienced migraines / headaches and tight facial muscles, as well as two incidents of pain radiating my whole jaw. I was told this was likely due to my wisdom teeth (two lowers were impacted) and that this would stop once removed. I had not however really had these symptoms before.

To be fair, I have not had the same type of issues since I had the wisdom teeth removed. I now have however had short headaches that come and go, occassional pain in cheekbones, occassional earaches / fullness of ears, occassional pain in my lower jaw bone right at the back, random tooth soreness, occassional tight facial muscles and aching teeth / gums everywhere by the end of the day / when I go to sleep. This last symptom has been more recent, and has onset as other symptoms have reduced.

I have consulted another dentist who is highly reputable (the attitude of my old dentist made me lose confidence in him) and he did a thorough exam and could not find fault with anything, other than a potential concern on one of the margins of the left canine veneer. He also examined me for TMJD, and said I did not have this and checked my bite thoroughly. He asked I give it another 3-4 weeks(this was last week) and if the symptoms persist to return for further diagnosis.

I am struggling with all of this as I am a bit of a worrier and am concerned about living the rest of my life with this pain..... I am only 30! I also love eating out but am now afraid of meals. This is severley affecting my ability to concentrate at my job and this only adds to the worry. It is also affecting my friendships and ability to enjoy life.

Could there be any other physical reason for my symptoms? Does my mouth just need time to settle after all the work has been done? Are these symptoms potentially a result of or are exacerbated by my worry/anxiety?

Any advice or thoughts would be much appreciated - this has been consuming my life for the last 6 weeks.

dcjm

First of all, this is just my personal opinion, it sounds like your dentist recommended extensive work for you. It may have been a good idea to get a second opinion before you had the work done, as a good dentist should offer the most conservative options. It seems like your dentist performed a great deal of dental work on you and I'm wondering if all of this was truly needed. Your headaches may very likely be coming from your dental work. I don't think that waiting another 3 or 4 weeks will resolve much as now it seems its been close to a year since your last procedure. It seems like thing should have settled by now. (I've had my own series of dental nightmares - although somewhat different than yours, so I know what you are going through). I completely understand that your social life and job are affected by this. You may want to seek a second opinion or try to find a specialist. A holistic dentist may be able to help. (Hopefully Bryanna reads this and can offer some advice on this). It may be that just one of the procedures is causing a problem, the problem would be to identify which one is the problem. It seems like your veneers are causing issues. I suggest trying to find a specialist. I've never heard of veneers protecting against root canals but I could be wrong. Many times you can get a consultation for free or for a nominal fee. Try to find a specialist who will work with you. I wish you all the best of luck! If you are in pain, keep trying to find someone who will help you, you don't have to live like that.

Hi dcjm,

First let me welcome you to the US... and to our dental forum!!
I am in the dental field and can offer you some information here.

You have undeniably had a great deal of dental work in a relatively short amount of time. Based on your description of the extent of your original dental problems, the dental work that has been done was not excessive or unwarranted.

The gingivitis and perio issues needed to be addressed and they were. However it is imperative that you maintain thorough oral care at home and get your teeth professionally cleaned twice a year or the deep scaling that you had done will have been for naught. The bacteria that causes periodontal disease is something that will continue to build up if it is not physically removed every single day. So you need to be aware of that if your dentist has not already told you.

The major restorative work, crown, onlay and veneers were warranted due to decay. The veneers were actually a less invasive or conservative decision as opposed to doing crowns on those 8 teeth. However, they need to fit properly along the gum line to make it easy for you to clean and to avoid gum irritation and inflammation. So that one that is questionable, should be evaluated by the dentist who did that work.

The wisdom tooth extractions may have been suggested because there was evidence of cysts forming around them or there location in the jaw may have been causing bone loss on the second molars. I don't get the impression that they were removed for no logical reason. Do you agree or disagree with that?

Removal of impacted lower wisdom teeth can cause a temporary shift in the alignment of the mandible, lower jaw, due to the force and manipulation that is used to removed them. Also the removal of those teeth can cause a shift in the alignment of the other lower teeth across the arch as the bone fills in from the surgery. Add to that the extensive dental work that you have had done prior to their removal and you can see that your jaw muscles have had a true work out.

Anytime you have a lot of new restorative dentistry, your occlusion, the way your upper and lower teeth come together changes. Everything needs to be lined up properly but some minor changes may need to be made here and there to accommodate the settling of the new bite. As the bite is settling and being adjusted, some areas of your teeth may be hitting too hard or too light which could cause muscle spasms, headaches, and all of the symptoms you have described.

If there is no abnormal or infectious pathology going on..... your gums are healthy and not inflamed or bleeding... then see your dentist about adjusting the margin of that one veneer, have him recheck your bite for any high or low hitting areas and ask him if a night guard would be helpful in getting you to relax your jaw while you sleep.

The goal of all of this dentistry was to remove the decay and restore your teeth and gums to a healthier more functional state. It is not uncommon for someone who has undergone all of this dentistry to need some minor adjustments along the way. These minor adjustments can prevent you from clenching or grinding your teeth and prevent other irritations from occurring. Keep in mind that the ultimate goal is for your mouth to feel comfortable as if nothing has ever happened.

I hope this is helpful to you. Please keep in touch with us.

Bryanna