excoriating pain
 

Hi my name is Natasha, I'm a 21 year old female, in the US. Background, I've had HORRIBLE DENTAL CARE. My mother was medically neglectful my entire life. All my teeth grew in beautifully, no problems = no dentist visits.
Now, I have horrible cavities, the biggest and most dangerous were taken care of already, now they are smaller ones, I had my wisdom teeth removed along with a severely decayed molar. All is good, extractions go as planned, I heal fine, well I'm still healing. I have some filling s scheduled on the 7/2/14 and 7/3/14. But I'm in excruciating pain now. My entire face hurts, my neck is stiff, I can't eat on the right side if my mouth, no swelling, no visible cause. I get an odd semi foul taste with a floss next to a certain tooth. Pressure helps relieve some pain, so does cold, hot makes it throb, and ibuprofen 800mg dulls it to be manageable. Percocet lets me sleep. I wake up in years and in pain. Last night was a screaming crying mess just dying for relief. I want to know if anyone could point me to a cause, or relief. Anything I could help my dentist by telling him on my appointment? Also, the pressure application is to the hole from my extraction site, not my teeth. It's the gum! I've never felt anything like this before...please help me

Hi Tachmaholic,

I am in the dental field and can offer you some information here.

I am going to re post some of your thread and answer in bold type. It makes it easier to follow.

<< I've had HORRIBLE DENTAL CARE. My mother was medically neglectful my entire life. All my teeth grew in beautifully, no problems = no dentist visits.>>

PREVENTATIVE DENTAL CARE IS TRULY ESSENTIAL BECAUSE MANY TOOTH PROBLEMS DO NOT HAVE SYMPTOMS UNTIL THE PROBLEM HAS BECOME SEVERE. WHEN SOMEONE HAS A NATURALLY BEAUTIFUL SMILE, AS YOU DO, IT IS ASSUMED THAT EVERYTHING MUST BE OKAY. BUT AS YOU HAVE UNFORTUNATELY FOUND OUT, THAT IS NOT THE CASE. BUT YOUR MOM LIKE MANY PEOPLE PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER BECAUSE EVERYTHING "LOOKED" OKAY.

<<Now, I have horrible cavities, the biggest and most dangerous were taken care of already, now they are smaller ones, I had my wisdom teeth removed along with a severely decayed molar. All is good, extractions go as planned, I heal fine, well I'm still healing. I have some filling s scheduled on the 7/2/14 and 7/3/14.>>

GLAD YOU ARE TAKING CARE OF YOUR DENTAL ISSUES BEFORE THEY BET ANY WORSE.

<<But I'm in excruciating pain now. My entire face hurts, my neck is stiff, I can't eat on the right side if my mouth, no swelling, no visible cause. I get an odd semi foul taste with a floss next to a certain tooth. Pressure helps relieve some pain, so does cold, hot makes it throb, and ibuprofen 800mg dulls it to be manageable. Percocet lets me sleep.>>

OKAY A FOUL TASTE WHEN YOU FLOSS INDICATES BACTERIA. THIS COULD MEAN YOU HAVE AN AREA THAT FOOD IS PACKING INTO AND/OR YOU HAVE AN INFECTED TOOTH. THE OTHER SYMPTOMS ALONG WITH THE FOUL TASTE ARE MORE INDICATIVE OF A NERVE PROBLEM INSIDE OF A TOOTH. COLD GENERALLY RELIEVES THE PAIN TEMPORARILY, HOT MAKES IT WORSE.

<< Anything I could help my dentist by telling him on my appointment?>>

YES, TELL HIM YOUR EXACT SYMPTOMS AS YOU HAVE TOLD US HERE. HE SHOULD TAKE AN XRAY OF THAT AREA, EVEN IF HE HAS TAKEN ONE RECENTLY, HE SHOULD TAKE ANOTHER ONE.

<< Also, the pressure application is to the hole from my extraction site, not my teeth. It's the gum!>>

I'M NOT SURE WHAT YOU MEAN BY THIS STATEMENT. ARE YOUR GUMS INFLAMED? HAVE YOU HAD YOUR TEETH CLEANED RECENTLY? WHAT DID THE DENTIST SAY ABOUT THE HEALTH OF YOUR GUMS?

If you floss in that painful area, do not be aggressive with the floss as that will cause further irritation. Make sure to brush thoroughly with a soft toothbrush and avoid mouthwash as it is nothing but chemicals, preservatives, dyes, and alcohol all of which have NO positive affect on your oral health. Rinse with warm salt water instead.

Please keep us posted.

I should also mention I'm a grinder and have TMJ. When I apply pressure with my finger to my extraction site (from wisdom tooth removal) the pain is lessened. Cold helps a lot, but when the pain comes back it's much worse. I've been using a peroxide rinse and that seems to help. I've got one of those fancy toothbrushes from the dentist, costed me a pretty penny, it's the oralb 4000 or something, about 200 dollars for it! :/ my dentist said I have calcium build-up on my teeth and they need to be cleaned, but with all the cavities and surgery I haven't gotten around to it yet. He said my gums have handled my dental neglect well, but that I brush too hard and they are receding and have minor inflammation.. he said I need something called "pulp therapy" ??

Tashmahollic,

Pulp therapy is another term for root canal therapy. Before you have any root canal work done it would behoove you to read up on it as this procedure is only temporary and does not cure the problem with the tooth. There are also various health risks associated with retaining root canaled teeth of which your dentist most likely will not inform you of. There are many topics here on this subject... just skim through the threads and look for those with root canal in the heading.

If you have a calcium build up on your teeth then you are going to experience inflammation, swelling and discomfort in random areas of your mouth. There is no way to tell what condition your gums are in until that build up of tartar is removed.

Regarding the recession of your gums .... improper tooth brushing can contribute to receding gums. However the build up of tartar (calcium) is what causes the gums to recede as the tartar is very acidic and very irritating to the gum tissue. Once that is all removed, as your gums heal and tighten up the gums will recede a bit further in some areas.

Grinding your teeth also contributes to gum recession as the grinding literally moves the teeth out of their original alignment. It also inflames the periodontal ligament that holds the teeth in the bone causing the ligament and teeth to become inflamed.