My teeth again

[Harmony]

I saw a new Dentist today. I was still having on and off pain in teeth. My Dentist told me I had TMJ and needed root canal. I have checked out the symptoms of TMJ and the only thing I have is moving pain. Sometimes it hurts on the top sometimes on the bottom . It does not last all day. Well this new Dentist took a x-ray of the tooth that I thought was bothering me and asked if I had sinus trouble. I dont know if I have sinus problem. He said the xray of the tooth shows a white line above the gum line which indicates a sinus problem. He wants me to take Sudafed as he feels that will get rid of the sinus problem and my pain. I once read people with heart probems can not take decongestants. I had my valve repaired 2 months ago and my Cardio says every thing that was englarged on my echo is now normal size. This new Dentist is calling my Cardio and Surgeon to find out if I can take a decongestant. Is it possible a decongestant can take away my pain. In the past year I have had 2 root canals one of them failed and I lost the tooth one week before my heart surgery. I never had steady pain in any tooth it took the Endodontist 3 months to find which tooth was bad. Has anyone ever had tooth pain that came from the sinuses. Would appreciate any answers

 

[Freddie]

Anything could be possible.
I once had a sore throat due to a wisdom tooth. Got the tooth pulled and poof the sore throat was gone.

 

[marilyn]

The only tooth problem that I had was from the heart. I went to the dentist thinking that something was wrong with my tooth. Actually I went two times. It is from my heart condition. Pain can go into the jaw, and it felt like it was my tooth too.

 

[Jkm7]

Yes, it is possible sinus problems can give you oral/jaw pain. So can TMJ.

Good your dentist will speak with your surgeon and cardio.

 

[Freddie]

What is TMJ?
Just wondering if this could also be my problem with my tooth. Also, its been 2 years and I still don't have my taste buds back.

 

[Ross]

What is TMJ?
Just wondering if this could also be my problem with my tooth. Also, its been 2 years and I still don't have my taste buds back.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporomandibular_joint_disorder

 

[Nupur]

I have been having a lot of tooth pain recently. I had a lot of sensitivity to cold on the right side of my mouth and they did a root canal on one tooth thinking that was the problem, but that didn't solve anything, then they tested all the teeth and found that a few others were sensitive to cold, but no fractures. I now have a constant mild pain, and I am also wondering what is going on. Never thought it could be heart related. Do you have other sinus pain? If this gets serious, they can do a CT scan to check your sinuses i think. Btw, my dentist had given me a course of Penicilin in case there was an infection but that did not help.

Hope you get some answers. All the best,

 

[KristyW]

I have been having a lot of tooth pain recently. I had a lot of sensitivity to cold on the right side of my mouth and they did a root canal on one tooth thinking that was the problem, but that didn't solve anything, then they tested all the teeth and found that a few others were sensitive to cold, but no fractures. I now have a constant mild pain, and I am also wondering what is going on.

Generally speaking...if sensitivity to cold is your only symptom it could just be exposed root surfaces. As we age, or if we haven't kept good care of our teeth and gums in the past, the gums start to recede. This uncovers the top portion of the root. The root of your tooth is not covered in enamel, and it's the enamel that protects us from having cold and sweet from hurting our teeth. If your dentist has ruled out everything else, and if he's agreeable, sensitivity toothpaste might just be the ticket.

The constant mild pain makes me wonder if you aren't grinding or clenching your teeth together unconsciously. This would make your teeth ache and possibly give you jaw pain and headaches. There is such a thing as "spraining a tooth". If you are a grinder/clencher, there is a ligament that holds your tooth to the bone, that can get inflamed, the result is pain. The cure? Wear a nightguard at the times you grind/clench, and follow a "no chew" diet until it gets better. By no chew, we mean things like scrambled eggs, pancakes..you know soft food.

I don't remember if you've had your surgery or not yet, but if you haven't, ibuprofen will help for any inflammation.

Remember, I'm not a dentist (my employer is), but I hear these complaints quite often, and I hear what my employer tells the patients.

Maybe this can be a non invasive solution to your problem.


Harmony...for you...the answer is YES sinuses can definitely cause tooth pain. If you've ever seen an x-ray of an upper molar, you almost always can see the sinus cavity too. Sometimes the tip of a tooth root is actually in the sinus cavity, so any infection in that sinus can transmit pain right on down the tooth root. It can also radiate around the Temporomandibular Joint and cause pain in the lower back teeth as well.

Hope this helps.

 

[ALCapshaw2]

My Dentist recommends Sensodyne Tooth Paste (or any of the other special Tooth Pastes made for Senstive Teeth).

 

[lilteach3234]

My Dentist recommends Sensodyne Tooth Paste (or any of the other special Tooth Pastes made for Senstive Teeth).

My dentist does as well and it has worked wonders....even with cleanings....I can tolerate them as I used to not be able to

 

[Nupur]

Kristy, thanks for that detailed response. I do wear a nightguard. Stopped wearing it for a month or so after my dx last year, because of constant panic attacks at night ( I thought I might have to call 911 so didn't want that in my mouth : ), but now I wear it every nite! I fear some damage has already been done. I use Flouridex toothpaste as well.

Harmony, it is interesting that you say that it took your endodontist 3 months to figure out which tooth was bad. What did he do? A root canal on each of them? Mine did a root canal on one without confirming exactly that one was the problem, so now after a root canal and crown (which I am paying for, since the insurance is maxed out), I am still left with the original problem. And now after extensive testing, they said I have a sensitivity problem, which is making me very mad. I have asked them to show me X-ray of my tooth before to show me WHY they did the root canal and crown on this one tooth without a clear crack, when all of the ones in the vicinity are also clearly very sensitive. Sorry about the rant, wondering how your experience has been. Before they do any procedure, make sure they know exactly what to do.

 

[KristyW]

I have asked them to show me X-ray of my tooth before to show me WHY they did the root canal and crown on this one tooth without a clear crack, when all of the ones in the vicinity are also clearly very sensitive. Sorry about the rant, wondering how your experience has been. Before they do any procedure, make sure they know exactly what to do.

Nupur...unfortunately cracks don't usually show up in x-rays unless there's "airspace" between the pieces. That doesn't usually happen as our gums hold the pieces of the tooth in place. So even if there was a crack, it probably didn't show in the x-ray. They only find the crack as they're performing the root canal, that's when the Dr. can see the crack. There are specific symptoms for "cracked tooth syndrome", but it takes a long time to figure that one out.

 

[Jkm7]

Kristy..... Isn't it sometimes possible the dentist can actually see the crack in the tooth during usual examination?

 

[Nupur]

Sorry, I feel like I am hijacking Harmony's thread. So if a crack doesn't show up in the Xray, and several teeth have sensitivity, you just go ahead and keep doing root canals on each of them? That doesn't seem right.

 

[KristyW]

Sorry, I feel like I am hijacking Harmony's thread. So if a crack doesn't show up in the Xray, and several teeth have sensitivity, you just go ahead and keep doing root canals on each of them? That doesn't seem right.

No...like I said, there are certain symptoms of cracked tooth syndrome, unfortunately, the symptoms are sometimes vague and it's tough to localize any pain. Like you're saying..it's in that area, but impossible to pin it on one tooth. Usually the difinitive sign for a root canal is pain with biting pressure. Lingering cold hypersensitivity is also one of the signs. There are several tests to determine if you need a root canal

Did you see an endodontist or your regular general dentist?

 

[aussiemember]

Although I got my teeth totally checked before surgery I started having pain 2 weeks after my MVR. Because the pain was a bit vague it was hard to work out which tooth it was. My dentist was fairly sure which one it was but because he wasn't 100% I insisted on a referral to an endodontist because I didn't want to have a root canal on the wrong tooth (totally understand your frustration Nupur).

Anyway, the endodontist was able to show me on an xray exactly which tooth it was and also by using dry ice to show that that tooth had no sensitivity. I have checked with my surgeon and he is happy for me to have it done as long as I take antibiotics before hand. Can't believe my bad luck though - it is the first one I have needed in 40 years and it had to happen 2 weeks after my surgery????

 

[Herburban1]

I have been to the dentist few times for tooth aches that were actually my sinuses.My sinuses lie right on the nerves of my upper back teeth.I have had lots of sinus infections and had surgery 9 years ago that helped. My daughter had TMJ so bad she had surgery, she was in terible pain and couldn't open her mouth to chew.She is better now but surgery is a last resort.