Hello and Thank You for your consideration and time.

I've been reading some of the previous posts here and wish I had seen BEFORE the root canal I had 8 weeks ago! You give such great advice, I was hoping you could point me in the right direction.

Severe dental phobia makes it beyond challenging for me to visit the dentist. Plus I just hate teeth and anything to do with my mouth. I Lost a filling from #30 about 2 years ago. The tooth abcessed and was horribly painful. I saw a dentist for the second time in 20 years this summer who gave me antibiotics and sent me directly from his office to an endodontist, calling him while I was en route.

After 2 days on antibiotics the root canal was performed in one appointment. While the horrible, searing pain improved, the painful heavy throbbing continued. It is constant. I've mentioned this repeatedly to my dentist who attributed it to my bite being off because of the temporary RCT filling and said it was safe to do the crown. I waited 5 weeks after RCT then let him place the crown. It will be 3 weeks tomorrow.

Since that time the throbbing has continued. Last week, pieces of the filling in the tooth behind the crown #31 started coming out. Now that tooth has sharp "zingers" of pain from the top of the tooth when chewing food. The constant throbbing is exhausting and worse since crowning the tooth. The only time it doesn't hurt/throb is when I clench my jaw, closing my teeth on top of it. The minute I relax my jaw I feel the throbbing surge to the tooth again.

It took me 2 weeks but I finally worked up the nerve to call my dentist re: the throbbing and filling pieces. To my surprise they didn't want to see me, check my bite, look at the crown, do an x-ray, check the tooth behind it, look for infection...

Rather than see me they called in prescription ibuprofen and told me to finish the bottle and call them when I had - which would be in 10 days. Yesterday I noticed an increase in a tingling or numbing really almost itchy sensation radiating from tooth #30 to jaw below and cheek area around it. NOT my whole face or tongue. I've had this sensation really since the appointment placing the crown but it has increased in intensity the last two days. Could ibuprofen cause that?

I don't know what is going on and don't know what to do. I'm really afraid that the crown build up cracked my tooth at the root or something and it will have to come out. I also don't want to sit here with a painful, annoying throbbing/itchy tooth. Do I call my dentist and insist to be seen sooner or is it likely something simple that can wait until next week? Would I be better off going to see the endodontist that did the root canal for the throbbing and tingling/numbness?

I know I can be challenging for them to deal with even when I've been pre medicated with halcion and am afraid neither of them will have me back and the ibuprofen for inflammation is just to keep me away which makes calling their office even more difficult.

I am inclined to just forget about "fixing" it, live with the tingling and pain and throbbing and stay away from ANY dentist until the next emergency because going in fills me with terror and stress and ultimately MORE pain.

I am sorry to take so much of your time and am truly thankful for your understanding and any guidance you can give.