Ten days ago I had a white composite filling placed in one of my molars. Almost immediately, I started feeling really extreme pain in my jaw, radiating up to the top of my head and down to my neck, on the same side as the new filling. I’m getting by taking Motrin constantly, but this can’t go on. Other than labor, this is the most severe pain I have ever felt.

My dentist said it might be from grinding my teeth, so I bought an appliance that is supposed to help, but it didn’t. He then tried to adjust my bite by grinding off some teeth, but that  didn’t help at all, either.

This CAN’T be normal! I really think I need a second opinion, but what type of specialist should I see?

Thanks,

Leatha in Connecticut

Dear Leatha,

Teeth grinding does not sound like the culprit behind your pain.

Many different things can produce pain in a tooth, and dentists typically try to find what types of things create or worsen pain. Constant, very serious pain usually mean the tooth has an infection. If the pain is provoked by cold but then recedes when the tooth warms up, most likely it is just an irritation and not an infection. Pain while biting can mean a bite that is out of adjustment, or an abscess, or an infected ligament holding the tooth to the bone.

So, the source of your pain may a variety of things. Pain immediately following a filling could mean an undetected infection was present and it has now worsened, or that an improper technique was used to place the white composite filling.

A second opinion is definitely in order. You don’t necessarily need any kind of specialist, just a good general dentist.

This blog post courtesy of Lafayette Louisiana cosmetic dentist Dr. Mike Malone.

To learn more about Lafayette Louisiana CEREC crowns, visit our website.